Joanna Gaines' Backsplash Tip For Easy Kitchen Updates

Joanna Gaines' popular HGTV home makeover show "Fixer Upper" is great for picking up interior decoration ideas while watching the cutesy, conflicting tastes of the interior decorator and her husband, Chip Gaines. Fans of the show will know Joanna's love for tiles and how she weaves them into the airy, modern-rustic aesthetic she favors. Tiles are versatile, easy to maintain, and can be arranged to make an almost infinite number of patterns. For a cleaner look, Gaines uses subway tiles in neutral colors, which have multiple benefits when used as a backsplash. As one of the easiest surfaces to clean, tiles are a great backsplash material. The neutral colors, which can be either dark or light, have the added benefit of easily matching the rest of your kitchen decor, even if you update it or change up your crockery and cookware. Gaines' interior decoration ideas are as versatile as the tiles she favors and work equally well in homes of all sizes and aesthetics.

While a new backsplash doesn't have to be expensive, it needs to be hardy enough to withstand multiple scrubbings from all the food, oil, and fat splashes to which it is subjected. It also needs to be heat resistant, so if you're considering a peel-and-stick backsplash, there are pros and cons to keep in mind. Since it is on the wall and close to eye level, a backsplash is a surface frequently looked at and, therefore, needs to be pleasing to the eye. Fortunately, there are lots of great ideas for backsplash designs and materials to be had from the host of "Fixer Upper."

There are two ways to think of a backsplash: as a designated rectangular area limited to the space behind the kitchen sink or as an extension of your kitchen wall or even the counter. In all cases, it plays an important role in the aesthetics of your kitchen, so pick judiciously. Joanna Gaines often extends the subway tile brick design of the backsplash to the rest of the wall, giving the kitchen a clean look that you can then decorate as you wish. It also means that a large section of your kitchen wall is now tiled and, therefore, easy to clean. However, the cost of installing a wall of tiles is significantly more than simply covering the area behind the sink.

Alternatively, a small patch of tiles just behind the sink works quite well, and this is where you can get more adventurous with designs. Subway tiles of different shades can be used to make a pattern, and you can even use painted tiles for a more artistic look. Here, too, Joanna Gaines has used an interesting idea by using a slab of marble as a backsplash. In addition to the marble texture, the setup looks appealing because the corners and edges of the slab are curved instead of straight lines.

If you decide to use marble, you can also use the same kind as the counter, making the backsplash an extension of the work surface, as seen in Gaines' popular Lakehouse "Fixer Upper" episode. For a warm industrial look, take inspiration from Ree Drummond, who favors stainless steel for her kitchen for its versatility and easy maintenance.