Picking the colour for your new splashback is usually the fun part of the whole project, right up until you've narrowed it down to three shades of green on your phone and realised that whichever one you order is going to be cut, toughened and fixed to your wall for many years to come.
Unlike a painted wall you can simply roll over at the weekend, a made-to-measure splashback is a proper commitment, so it's worth taking a little extra time to get the colour right before you press the order button.
Choosing the perfect splashback colour for your kitchen doesn't have to rely on guesswork or a trained designer's eye, since a few simple, low-cost checks at home will tell you far more than any photo online ever could. Once you understand why colour behaves differently behind a glass splashback and how different shades can change the mood of your kitchen, you'll be able to narrow down your options with real confidence.
Why Splashback Colours Look Different Once They're on Your Wall
Your phone, tablet and laptop all handle brightness and contrast slightly differently, so the shade you fall for online will only ever be a close approximation of the real thing, and that's before you factor in the glass itself. Because you're viewing the colour through a sheet of high-gloss toughened glass rather than looking at a flat painted surface, it tends to take on a richer, deeper appearance than you'd get from tiles or acrylic in a similar shade.
Matching your splashback to a painted wall brings its own challenges, since most wall paint has a matt finish while your splashback will most often be gloss (although matt finishes are available), and a wall that was painted a few years ago has probably faded a little from its original shade too. Paint can also vary slightly from one batch to the next, so even a perfect match on paper will never look absolutely identical once the two sit side by side.
Lighting makes a bigger difference than most people expect, because your splashback will look noticeably different on a bright morning to how it looks at nine o'clock at night, and LED downlights can shift its appearance again depending on the bulbs you've fitted. It's one of the easiest details to overlook when ordering a glass splashback, and it's the main reason why testing a colour in your own kitchen matters so much.
Use Your Worktops and Cabinets as a Starting Point for Splashback Colour Choices
Your worktops, cabinet doors and flooring are usually the most expensive and permanent parts of your kitchen, so rather than choosing a splashback colour in isolation, it makes far more sense to pick a shade that works with everything that's staying put.
A handy trick is to look closely at your worktop for a fleck, vein or speckle of colour you can pull out and repeat on the wall, and some printed splashback designs are built around a set colour palette if you'd like to bring two or three tones together at once.
If your kitchen already has plenty going on, a soft neutral such as cream, grey or white will tie everything together without competing for attention, whereas plain units and a simple worktop give you room to go bolder with navy, deep green or a warm mustard. You don't have to stick to solid colour either, as a bronze toughened mirror brings a warm metallic tone that sits beautifully alongside wood, brass handles and darker cabinetry.
How to Test a Splashback Colour Before You Order
The most reliable way to avoid any disappointment is to test your shortlist in your own kitchen and under your own lighting, and it needn't cost you much at all. Working through these three steps will take you from a vague idea to a colour you're completely sure about.
Pick Up Free Paint Swatch Cards
Head to your local B&Q and grab a handful of free swatch cards from the Valspar paint range, which gives you a huge spread of shades to play with for nothing. Choose a few close to what you have in mind, plus a slightly lighter and darker version of each, so you've got something to compare against.
Live With Your Shortlist for a Few Days
Stick your swatch cards to the wall exactly where your splashback will go, right next to your worktop and units, then check them in the morning, the afternoon and again once your lights are on in the evening. Any shade that looks dull or washed out at one of those times can come off your list straight away.
Order a Glass Sample of Your Favourite
Once you've settled on a front runner, order a glass sample so you can see the actual colour and finish against your units before committing to a full-size splashback. Samples are 100mm x 100mm and available in every colour in our range, and if your favourite swatch isn't one of them, we can colour match other brands aside from Valspar, including Dulux, Crown, RAL, Pantone and plenty of others. The sample fee is a fraction of the total cost of your splashback.
Find a Splashback Colour You'll Love for Years
When you're ready to start narrowing things down, you can explore every shade in our colour glass splashback range online and order yours made to measure, or take a look at our tinted toughened mirrors if you're drawn to something with a little more reflection. Whichever you choose, it's delivered free with tracking across mainland UK.
Settling on a colour can feel like a big decision, so if you'd like a second opinion on a shade, a colour match or anything else along the way, drop the team a line at info@directsplashbacks.com and we'll gladly help you get it right.
