The Origins and Practicality of the Backsplash
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
Readers of this column would know that I’m incurably curious about the origins of everything around the house – everything including the kitchen sink, to coin a phrase.
And speaking of the kitchen sink, my thoughts wonder and wander to the backsplash that accompanies the kitchen sink.
First, a definition: A backsplash is a vertical extension to a counter, typically a counter in the kitchen or bathroom. A backsplash can extend a few inches high or it can go as high as the ceiling.
The purpose of a backsplash is primarily functional. It protects the wall behind the sink against water damage from inadvertent splashing.
Tracing the origins of the original backsplashes, we know that they came into use shortly after running water inside the home became widespread around the 1930s.
Actually, no one really knows exactly when the first backsplash was installed, but we do know why; it was created to keep water and grease from splashing up on the wall, hence the name backsplash.
The first backsplashes were only about four inches tall and made out of glass or ceramic tile, depending on what was available at the time.
In the 1940s, the popular farmhouse sink that came with its own backsplash began to be replaced by undermount sinks, which meant the built-in backsplash was no longer there.
But it reappeared in the 1950s when homeowners became more style conscious. Consequently, backsplashes started to become brighter in color, and they sometimes went as high as the ceiling and even all around the kitchen.
By the 1990s, people were starting to look beyond the mosaics and bright tile configurations. They started to look more toward a natural looking tile for their kitchen backsplashes. White or cream backsplashes plus honey oak cabinets and white appliances were a signature ‘90s look.
In the 2000s, subway tile started to make its entrance into the backsplash market. Subway tile is a ceramic or glass tile that designers are using to combine with a mosaic tile. They use the subway tile for the base because it gives a clean look and helps accent the mosaic design.
Backsplash trends are always changing, but the functionality has stayed the same since the beginning. Tile and glass continue to be the main materials that backsplashes are made of, while some designers are making tile look like wood. Why do that, I wonder? Let tile be tile and wood be wood. As you might surmise, I’m not one for making one material look like another.
There was only one time when I had the opportunity to select my own backsplash. I was renovating my large country kitchen in an 18th century home and selected glass tiles to serve as the backsplash to the sink as well as under the kitchen cabinets. I think I did a really good job of creating something original by selecting two different shades of white glass tiles; one was stark white and the other was creamy white, and I alternated them in horizontal bands. The result was subtle yet arresting.
With so many options available in material and color to create backsplashes, the choices to create an original look in your kitchen are all but limitless.
Bill Primavera, while a publicist and journalist, is also a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc. (www.PrimaveraPR.com). To engage the services of The Home Guru to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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