Erin Napier's Backsplash Idea Brings Warmth To An Otherwise Modern Kitchen

Modern kitchen designs offer a sleek, clean appeal that keeps your space looking up-to-date, fresh, and uncluttered. However, while modern elements like light paint colors, chic granite countertops, or open shelving can make a space look airy and open, they can also make a space look a bit boring. Overall, it helps to introduce some small but tasteful design elements, like fun backsplashes, to the mix. For example, Erin Napier, co-host of HDTV's "Home Town," displayed a backsplash idea that brings warmth to an otherwise modern kitchen: Using worn tile. 

Finding that right balance between modern and homestyle character when designing a kitchen that won't look dated isn't always easy. That's where home design experts like Napier can help. In making over a 1920s cottage on Season 4, Episode 8 of "Home Town," Napier chose a star-pattern ceramic tile with a worn fade for the backsplash to add warmth. Napier acknowledged in the episode that the worn, patterned backsplash tile gives "some age and patina and warmth." That patinaed, slightly used surface of the tile works especially well in modern kitchens, which can otherwise feel somewhat sterile. 

Worn tiles work especially well in modern kitchens due to one key design element our eyes tend to love: contrast. So, when picking a worn tile backsplash for your kitchen, seek out contrasting yet complementary color palettes and patterns. In the aforementioned "Home Town" episode, for example, Napier's choice of a star pattern on worn ceramic tile introduced a bit of a country home feel when paired with light green cabinets and ample natural light in the kitchen. The patterned tile alongside a relatively neutral color, as well as the worn element (and even maybe a small chip here and there), contrasted the modern kitchen perfectly. 

Plus, a pristine, luxury backdrop can be dreamy, but not worth the splurge. Instead, lean into contrasts and pair worn ceramic tile with deeper warm colors or patterned accents, such as burnt orange, with the light neutral colors of a modern kitchen. A worn terra-cotta backsplash can be a tasteful, textured accent, too. Just remember: the backsplash should draw attention, without making a modern kitchen feel too busy or crowded. With the right worn tile, a mixed-material, colorful ceramic backsplash could add subtle charm. But for kitchens with minimalistic design elements, adding in a worn tile with a simple geometric pattern like hexagonal, star, chevron, or checkered designs could be just the thing you need to add a little playful accent to the kitchen.