JEANNETTE DERA-SERAPHIN SHEA HUNTER

D+D: What do you think of continuous backsplashes using marble, granite or quartzite?

SH: A well-designed kitchen can often start with a dazzling counter slab! Whether one selects a crisp marble-look quartz or porcelain (offering beauty and ease of maintenance) or falls in love with Mother Nature’s one-of-a-kind natural stone (marble, limestone, soapstone and quartzite), the right slab can provide endless design opportunities. So, why not further elevate your slab—literally—by carrying it up the backsplash? Whether classic traditional, fresh transitional or even ultracontemporary styles, slab backsplashes offer a seamless architectural element as a dramatic kitchen focal point or a subtle backdrop to enhance other design layers, such as unique lighting fixtures, a custom metal or wooden hood, or fabulous cabinet hardware. Slab backsplash owners also gain the added benefit of flexible “design bones,” allowing them to switch out their kitchen accents with ease as the years pass.

D+D: What is out for 2023?

JDS: While choosing timeless materials and patterns is always safe, it’s even more, fun and exciting to embrace new trends. The geometric tile was a trend for 2022, and it’s sticking around for 2023! Designers and homeowners just can’t get enough of hexagons, diamonds, triangles and other tile shapes.

Daltile Design Studio

Jeannette Dera-Seraphin

Shea Hunter 990 1st Avenue South Naples, FL 34102

239.963.0243 daltile.com

D+D: What are some of your standout backsplashes at the moment?

KL: We are seeing a lot of full-height backsplashes. There are not a lot of busy installations anymore; without all the grout lines, you get a very clean and inviting look.

In a recent kitchen I designed on Captiva Island, FL, my clients requested an elegant beach home. They wanted to highlight the beauty of the beach in a more glamorous fashion. We used Cristallo stone on the counter and backsplash to give it that polished and finished feeling. Cristallo quartzite is a hard stone able to withstand the rigors of the kitchen, yet with the luxurious beauty of marble. It’s a nice, clean look that exemplifies the clients’ request for an elegant beach style. The neutral tones of the stone evoke the sand and can be accented with coastal accessories without being overtly beach-themed. Although we did not do so in this house, the Cristallo stone can also be backlit to increase the glamour factor.

D+D: What is out for 2023?

KL: Going forward, I think we are going to be seeing more neutral tones and less complex installations in backsplashes. There will be no more— or fewer—mixes of stone and glass, as clean lines will outweigh the creative mix of materials. The backsplash will no longer be standing out on its own, but rather will be a nice complement to all the other design aspects in the room. It’s really about blending all the features together as part of your whole interior design. The combination of counter and full-height backsplash will be a nice accent or jewel on top of everything else.

Kristin Lyons 7370 College Parkway, Suite 204 Fort Myers, FL 33907 239.317.3103

KDLInteriorDesign.com

D+D: What do you think of continuous backsplashes using marble, granite or quartzite?

TM: There are pros and cons. The benefit of the continuous backsplash is that it’s so easy to take care of. You don’t have to worry about grease and spots getting into grout lines, especially behind the cooktop and outdoor kitchens. Also, although it is a simple design style, it is uniquely beautiful when you have a vein that is book matched from the counter to the splash. And, depending on how big the space, the effects can be dramatic.

Most of my clients opt to have the stone for the countertop only so they can do something different for the backsplash. They find the creativity, selection and versatility of tile provides them the opportunity to add interest to a feature wall.

D+D: How does the backsplash add to creating a calming kitchen?

TM: I always make my kitchens calming and inviting. You don’t ever want someone to go into a room and not want to be there. As an interior designer, you have to think of the psychology of how someone is going to feel in a space; you can’t just try to make it look nice.

On one kitchen project I did recently, I used a backsplash with a lot of variations of blues. The mosaic tile had lots of movement with the contrasting blues and grays, so when it was hung, it mimicked water running down a wall. The vertical nature of the tile directed your eye to the height of the room. We didn’t want the backsplash to dwarf the scale or the grandeur of the kitchen. And running it vertically only made it more impactful in the space. The clients and I wanted to have a little splash of color, because the cabinetry and walls were a pale mix of whites. They wanted something special, but didn’t want it to feel entirely foreign to everything else going on in the space. I was trying to find that happy balance between what is going to make it pop, but not seem incredibly strange to the whole area.

Tina Margrander

Tina Marie Interiors

28410 Bonita Crossings Boulevard, Unit 270 Bonita Springs, FL 34135 239.301.0086 tinamarie-interiors.com

D+D: Please share your thoughts on continuous backsplashes and how to choose the right pattern?

JG: With the majority of our recent projects, I have found it hard not to lean toward a full-height backsplash. When the countertops and backsplash are the same material, it creates a classic and modern element. It is a perfect application for today’s traditional designs, as well as sleek and modern design.

When selecting slabs for this design feature, what I look for most is the clean linear grain—ideally, a grain that is on a diagonal to give that continuous swooping feel after installation. One key element to this installation is lining up the grain so that at every crease or bend, the grain flows continuously from one piece to the next. While I love the natural quartzites, one of my favorite materials to see this detail executed is a gorgeous white marble or a porcelain slab that looks like white marble.

J. Lynn Design Group

Jenna Getchell

Naples, FL 239.784.7134

JLynn-Design.com