Ditch Tile Backsplash: Erin Napier's Unique Choice Has 10X The Charm (And Works With Any Style)

If you're updating your kitchen, there's a good chance you're looking to one of the biggest overall design trends: more personalized aesthetics. Sterile minimalism is making way for warm hues, layered textures, and more unique, eclectic touches. One of the key ways to add personality to your kitchen is changing up your backsplash. And cold, sleek tile just doesn't scream warmth and charm, does it? Tile can be great in some cases, like if you customize a pattern with it, but for the most part, when choosing from different backsplash material options, you want something more inviting that's easy to partner with the other surfaces in your kitchen. 

Follow the lead of designer and host of HGTV's "Home Town" Erin Napier and line your backsplash with V-groove panels, which are beveled along their sides. Napier chose this for a kitchen makeover on an episode of her show. "I want the kitchen to feel very English country, very simple," she explains, later adding, "No tile backsplash, just V-groove walls." Napier chooses to use the V-groove walls in the entire room, but even just as a backsplash element, they have a simple elegance and express more character than tile. Plus, they're understated and can swing from the country look to a nautical look to anything in between, depending on how you paint them and style the surrounding areas.

Napier wanted this kitchen to feel already lived-in and welcoming. In the reveal, you see how V-groove panels achieve this. Painted in a soft off-white and teamed with rich wood surfaces, they feel timeless yet traditional, understated yet elegant.

You could just apply V-groove panels to your backsplash, or do as Napier does and use V-groove panels for the walls, too — foregoing a contrast backsplash is a more classic look, and the seamlessness saves you from passing backsplash fads that will soon feel dated and require another upgrade. If you don't want an English country kitchen, no problem: Neutrally hued V-groove panels are like a chic blank canvas that will complement the rest of the room, from earthy natural stone counters to Scandi-cool colors and materials. There's also the option to saturate V-groove panels in color for a high-impact artful look. Painting your backsplash is a budget-friendly refresh for any kitchen; you can always easily change the hue of V-groove panel backsplashes.

Keep in mind, V-groove panels come in multiple materials, and you want something easy to paint and that will withstand years in your kitchen against moisture and temperature changes. For wood, choose hardier varieties like moisture-resistant cedar, and make sure you seal the backsplash. Medium-density fiberboard, or MDF, is a common, affordable, and durable option, but may not withstand tons of wetness, while PVC is affordable and holds up well against water.