Wondering how high up the wall to take your kitchen backsplash tile? I’m sharing some beautiful kitchen inspiration to help you decide where yours should end!
There are so many decisions to make when you’re remodeling your kitchen – it’s actually too many for a lot of people! Obviously there are the biggies such as the color of the cabinets, type of kitchen sink, style of countertops, etc., but it’s all of the little decisions that most homeowners aren’t expecting that can put them over the edge. Since I love talking and dreaming about kitchens, I thought it would be fun (and hopefully helpful) to occasionally throw some of these little kitchen decisions out to you all to see what you would decide. Let’s start with this one: “How far up the wall do you want your backsplash tile to go?”
Every kitchen is different, but often the trickiest spot to figure out where you want your backsplash tile to end is around your kitchen window. One option is to tile around the window and all the way up to the ceiling like this gorgeous kitchen designed by Studio McGee that you can see more of {here}:
Some other beautiful examples of backsplashes taken up to the ceiling can be seen in {this kitchen} by Caldwell and Johnson, {this kitchen} by Amber Interiors, and {this beautiful kitchen} with subway tile.
Another option is to end the tile lower down. Some people chose to end their backsplash tile at the base of their upper cabinets or just a an inch or two above it. Usually a piece of bullnose or pencil tile is used at the point where the tile ends and the untiled wall begins. One beautiful example is the Carrara marble herringbone tile in ZDesign at Home’s beautiful kitchen that you can see more of {here}:
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Another example of backsplash tile that stops near the base of the cabinet is this larger scale herringbone tile backsplash:
Others choose to end the tile somewhere in the middle (between the base on the cabinets and the ceiling) as you can see in {this gorgeous kitchen} by Christine Donner or in {this beauty} by Kitchens by Eileen.
And what if you have open shelving? I love how South Harlow Interiors handled the backsplash tile in this gorgeous kitchen, ending it at the base of the top open shelf:
So many options – which look is your favorite? Do you like the look of backsplash tile going all the way up to the ceiling or do you prefer to end it lower down? Let me know what you think!
Cora says
That’s just my opinion though. I’m sure that it’s going to be just fine no matter what height as long as theres something to catch the back-splash.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Cora! A lot of the decision about how high to tile is just simple personal preference! It sounds like you did a nice job with yours!
Cora says
I’m no kitchen designer or tiler but I don’t like the look or see the point of tile going all the way to the ceiling. In our case we have floating shelves and put the tile up to one tile width below the bottom shelf. The tile guys finished it off nicely with a pewter strip all the way around.
Anonymous says
I agree! I don’t care for the look where the tile goes all the way to the ceiling—prefer stopping around bottom of cabinets. We’re using light Gray subway tile for the backsplash and we see the kitchen from a large doorway into our family room and would prefer to have more painted wall portions showing fir consistency. It also seems softer to go this route. It seems more busier to have the tiles go all the way up. To the ceiling.
Brooke says
Hi there! I love the look of bringing the subway tile all the way up and around the window over the sink. However, there is no room above my window for tile, so I am afraid bringing it all the way up on both sides wouldn’t work because of that. What do you think? My cabinets go to the ceiling but I wanted as large of a window as possible, which is why there is not enough room on top of the window molding for tile. Thanks!!
Heather says
Our kitchen is part of a very open floor plan, so our kitchen wall, with a large, gorgeous window, ends and the wall turns to the dining room. I don’t know if that makes sense. Will it look strange to have the kitchen wall tiled all the way up and the dining wall on the other side of the corner painted? Wow, that is really hard to explain!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Heather – I think I know what you mean! I’d love to have a definite opinion to share but unfortunately that’s the type of situation where I’d really need to see the space in person to give any worthwhile advice (and unfortunately I don’t offer design services anymore). Sorry!
Judy says
What did you end up doing? I have the same situation with the kitchen wall continuing into the dining room and I want to have the tile in the kitchen go up to the ceiling. I’ve been wondering how the cutoff would look. Our remodel starts in a few months!
Becky says
Is it a hard rule to not go to the ceiling if your cabinets don’t? Ours don’t but we were planning on taking ours up to the ceiling over the kitchen window. Thoughts??
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Becky – no, it’s not a hard rule at all. It’s different for every kitchen and depends on how yours is laid out – most of the decision of how high to go is personal preference!
Julia says
Hi Becky,
I too am remodeling our kitchen and I just LOVE the look of backsplash to ceiling around window but our cabinets don’t go to ceiling either…
Did you end up doing it? If so how does it look?
Susan Miller says
I love the diamond set window – will be putting these as accent windows above and seperate from lower window with frame around it. Where did you order these windows?
Susan Miller says
I love the look of the backsplash to the top! We are building a new home – glad I saw this idea! Thanks!
Lisa Zuck says
Hi, I’m using a glass mosaic tile for a back splash and was wondering if it would be too ” busy” to take to the ceiling? They’re 1″x3″ in two shades of grey, black and white.
Kris Jarrett says
I don’t think there’s a blanket yes or no answer to going to the ceiling with mosaic tile – I think it totally depends upon everything else you have going on in your space!
Barbie Haas says
What if your backsplash is going to be beadboard and same color (White Dove) as cabinets? My cabinets don’t go all the way to ceiling.
BH
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Barbie, I always hesitate to give specific design advice when I’m not looking at the space because there are so many factors that go into kitchen design but in general, beadboard doesn’t look right when it’s taken all of the way up to the ceiling – it’s best to stop it at the bottom of the cabinets or a little bit above that. Hope that helps!
Barbie says
Thanks Kris! I’m planning to run the beadboard horizontally rather than vertically (same color as cabinets). Does that make a difference?
Barbie
Kris Jarrett says
I would still say the same thing even if you run it horizontally!
Karen says
I’m so glad I found this page! I think I was really having trouble because there’s a space between the top of my cabinets and the ceiling… Read this and was like “Ah!!” Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
Glad you found it helpful Karen!
Stacey says
I love it all the way to ceiling but you’re right about the height of the uppers.
Joanne says
I love the look of the tile right to the ceiling. Good point on the height of the top cupboards, though. Looking forward to your reveal.
Patty Day says
I love having it go all the way to the ceiling, if your cabinets do also, it’s perfect. I would agree to stop the tile lower if not.
Pam @ Simple Details says
One of my favorite decisions in my kitchen makeover – all the way to the top!
Suzanne says
I’m obsessing over this decision right now. Currently my backsplash tile goes to the bottom of the cabinets. But I want my contractor to add tile on each side of the window up to the top of the window frame. I think it will look better.
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
I agree with you – I like to take it all the way up to the top.
Michelle | Birds of Berwick says
I hope against hope we can start our kitchen renovation next year and in addition to adding a wall of windows behind the sink I really want to take the backsplash tile all the way up to the ceiling in this space. It just looks so classy!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
How exciting that you’ve got a kitchen reno in your future! I totally agree about tiling to the ceiling – it’s such a high-end look!