Now that most of the functional projects at the beach house are finished — like the walk-in pantry and the new bunk beds (remember when we almost had to tear those down?) — we’re finally turning our attention to the aesthetics. Top of the list: the kitchen backsplash.
sconces / hood / stools / hardware / shelves / pendant lights / faucet
That first photo was taken a few weeks ago — before we swapped the mini fridge for more counter space — but it’s the image we used to visualize the backsplash. The far end of the kitchen has evolved since then (we added cabinet hardware recently), but the photo shows the basic layout we’re working with.
We’ve been leaning toward a classic white subway tile for a while. Anything too trendy or bold felt out of place in this older house, so we wanted something timeless, casual, and unfussy — the kind of look that suits a century-old home and echoes the simple charm of old downtown restaurants.
The main question became: how far should the tile go? A standard 18″ backsplash felt low given the nine-foot ceilings. Going to the ceiling is something we’ve done before and liked, but in this open plan the tile’s stopping point matters — it needs to feel intentional and help define the kitchen without overwhelming the adjoining dining area.
To test options, we mocked up several layouts in Photoshop, repeating a subway tile pattern and using perspective transforms to match the walls. We didn’t finalize grout color yet (probably a medium gray), but the mockups helped narrow the choices. Below are the options we considered and the one we ended up preferring.
Option 1: No Backsplash
We included “no backsplash” mostly as a reminder. In our early DIY days we skipped one in a past kitchen and regretted it. Backsplash adds polish and defines the kitchen area — plus, a subway tile install can be approachable and affordable when planned well.
Option 2: Up to the Hood
A modest approach is tiling up to the bottom of the hood. That feels more substantial than a short 18″ backsplash and avoids awkward heights in a room with tall ceilings. Still, it left the top shelves without tile behind them, which felt incomplete.
Option 3: Up to the Hood + Back Wall
Extending the tile along the back wall makes that shallow storage area read as part of the kitchen and balances the space visually. Functionally it’s not necessary because the countertop is shallow, but it improves continuity and looks intentional.
Option 4: To the Ceiling
We’ve gone floor-to-ceiling with tile in past kitchens and loved the dramatic effect, especially with tall ceilings. This felt like the obvious favorite at first, but the open plan introduced a new concern: where the tile would stop on the long left wall that connects to the dining room.
Option 5: To the Ceiling + Stairway Triangle
We briefly considered wrapping tile around the staircase bump-out. It looked bold in the render, but the angled surfaces and complex lines made it seem overdone and difficult to execute. Ultimately it felt like too much.
The main issue with full-height tile became clear when imagining the left wall: a tall, uninterrupted tile field stopping partway across a long wall would look arbitrary without a natural termination point. We prefer floor-to-ceiling tile when it sits inside clearly defined boundaries like cabinets or corners.
We don’t want the tile to visually swallow the entire left wall and lose the distinction between kitchen and dining areas. In an open plan, subtle cues — a tiled backsplash for the kitchen zone and a rug under the dining table, for example — help define each space.
Option 6: To the Doorways
Surprisingly, stopping the tile at the tops of the doorways looked the best in our mockups. It feels deliberate and balanced: more substantial than stopping at the hood, but it uses architectural door frames as natural stopping points so the tile reads as contained and purposeful. It also brings tile behind the upper shelves, which we liked.
So our favorite ended up being the doorway-height option: classic, restrained, and appropriate for the house. The exact height will be finalized once we mock up full tiles in place so the top course lines up nicely, but this solution gives us the definition we want without overwhelming the adjacent dining space.
Our final decision now comes down to the exact tile. We’re leaning toward a basic 3 x 6″ white subway tile — the same simple style we used elsewhere — but we’ll sample a few to make sure the white’s undertone coordinates with our cabinets and counters. If you have favorites, we’d love to hear suggestions.
*This post contains affiliate links*