Great Kitchen Cabinet and Backsplash Combinations

Finding great kitchen cabinet and backsplash combinations can be a tall order. And it’s tough to commit to a color palette when designing your kitchen. The best strategy is to fall in love with a finish, pattern or color and use it as a jumping-off point. Here are some design inspirations with great kitchen cabinet and backsplash combinations for your home.

1. Sage Green Cabinets + Gray Marble Tile Backsplash

In this lower level kitchen and bar area, our clients wanted high style worthy of the main floor. And we feel this plan delivered just that! In the new bar area, the sage green paint on their cabinetry has hints of gray tones in it. This was a great match for the elegant veining in the gray, white and cream marble picket tiles we installed on the backsplash. With such a strong combination, we kept the countertops quiet, so as not to distract.

Another detail to note is that we used glass doors on the upper cabinets, with lighting inside the cabinets. This added an elegant touch that breaks up all the solid green. We recommend this for cabinets that will hold things you want to show off, such as glassware, favorite serving pieces and decorative objects.

2. Sage Green Cabinets + White Glass Tile Backsplash

To get an idea of what this cabinet color looks like with something more plain, here is a photo of the adjacent kitchen renovation. In here, we used a white glass subway tile on the backsplash instead of marble. The glass tile reflects the light and provides a strong contrast to the green cabinet paint. Another thing to note is the lovely white oak accents used throughout the space. They can be seen here on the lower cabinets and in the previous home bar photo on the open shelving. Together with brass fixtures, the oak adds warmth to the color palette.

See more of this basement renovation

3. White Cabinets + Blue Tile Backsplash

This project was a kitchen refacing. Because they had a functional layout that worked for them, these homeowners didn’t need to expand the kitchen’s footprint. And their cabinet boxes were in good shape — we were able to reface them with new drawers and doors. We also added the new backsplash, sink, countertops, lighting, hardware, and some appliances. This gave it a whole new look.

Our clients loved their stained wood island, so that was the jumping-off point. It grounded the room in warmth and patina, so we added contrast and light with white cabinetry. The new watery blue subway tile backsplash gives the room a calm feel. And combining it with white cabinets and the wood lends a coastal vibe that isn’t overtly beachy.

Here’s a closer look at how the cabinets and backsplash work together. White grout helps to marry the two. Our clients also knew they wanted to use their favorite brass swan planters in the space. So we played off them with brass hardware and lighting.

Learn more about this refaced kitchen

4. Wood Cabinets + Quartz Backsplash

This kitchen was wide open to other rooms in the house. So it was important to create a seamless look between the kitchen design and these spaces. Our clients loved their existing warm wood cabinets, and all of it was in fantastic shape. But they wanted to update the look with new countertops and a new backsplash as part of a larger home renovation — a little kitchen refresh. Because the kitchen was open to the other rooms, it made sense to choose a backsplash that would be cohesive with these adjacent spaces.

The homeowners opted for a white quartz with a subtle, marble-like gray veining pattern. We simply continued the quartz from the countertops up the backsplash for a seamless, minimalist look. This allowed the warm wood and its lovely coloring and graining to be the star of the room. The gray in the quartz looks great with the light gray walls around the kitchen and in the adjacent open spaces. And with so much warmth coming from the wood, they went with cooler polished nickel for the cabinet hardware to play off the stainless steel appliances.

5. White Cabinets + White Picket Tile

All-white kitchens continue to trend among homeowners. But “all-white” is a bit of a misnomer. While the all-white kitchens of the past had plain white cabinets, counters, and backsplashes, today’s homeowners want more of a mix. In this fabulous kitchen, the turquoise pendant lights are the show-stopping element. The range’s matching knobs and the Oriental rug also add color to the mostly white space.

The countertops are not all white — they have gray marble veining. We were thrilled that these clients wanted to go all the way up to the ceiling with the backsplash in a currently trending tile — picket tile. One important element to consider with a white tile backsplash is the grout color. Here, we used a gray grout that plays off the coloring in the countertops. This makes the pattern created by the picket tiles more prominent in the design. And it certainly keeps the backsplash from being all white.

See more of this complete kitchen renovation and addition