- The splashback sits at eye level and strongly shapes a kitchen’s look, while also needing to be practical and easy to clean.
- Tiles offer endless variety, with subway, large format, and textured or Zellige-inspired options trending in 2026.
- Running stone or engineered stone up the wall creates a seamless, luxurious, unified look.
- Glass gives a sleek, grout-free, easy-clean surface that suits contemporary, minimal kitchens.
- Large format porcelain slabs are the standout 2026 trend, combining a stone-like look with low maintenance.
- Colour, finish, and timeless materials matter most, and seeing options in person is the best way to decide.
The kitchen splashback is one of those design decisions that has an outsized impact on the overall look and feel of a kitchen. It sits at eye level, it covers a significant amount of wall space, and it is one of the first things people notice when they walk into a kitchen. Getting it right can pull the entire room together. Getting it wrong can undermine even the most beautifully designed cabinetry and benchtops. At Ross North Homes, with over 45 years of experience building homes across Perth, we see the full spectrum of splashback options in our new builds every year, and the choices available in 2026 are more varied and exciting than ever.
Beyond the aesthetics, a splashback also needs to be practical. It protects the wall behind the cooktop from heat, grease, and moisture, so the material you choose needs to be easy to clean, durable, and able to withstand the demands of a working kitchen. The best splashback options manage to be both beautiful and functional, and understanding the strengths of each helps you make a choice you will be happy with for years to come.
Tiles: The Timeless Choice With Endless Variety
Tiles remain one of the most popular splashback choices in Perth new homes, and it is easy to understand why. The variety available is essentially limitless. Subway tiles in a classic brick pattern continue to be a strong choice for their clean, versatile look that suits everything from Hamptons-style kitchens to contemporary minimal designs. Large format tiles are gaining significant popularity for the seamless, uninterrupted look they create, with fewer grout lines making them easier to keep clean.
Textured and relief tiles are one of the standout trends in Perth kitchens in 2026. Fluted, ribbed, and handmade-look tiles bring a tactile quality and visual depth to the splashback zone that flat tiles simply cannot replicate. Zellige-inspired tiles, with their slight variation in colour and surface from tile to tile, add a warmth and artisan quality that works particularly well in kitchens with natural timber joinery or stone benchtops. Grout colour is also a significant design decision with tiles, as it can either blend quietly into the background or become a deliberate design feature in its own right.
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Stone and Stone-Look Splashbacks
Running the benchtop material up the wall as a splashback is a design approach that has become increasingly popular in high-end Perth kitchens, and it is a look that genuinely delivers. A continuous run of stone or engineered stone from the benchtop up through the splashback zone creates a seamless, luxurious result that reads as considered and cohesive. It removes the visual break between benchtop and wall, making the kitchen feel more unified and the benchtop zone feel larger.
Engineered stone is a particularly practical choice for this application, as it is non-porous, extremely durable, easy to clean, and available in a wide range of colours and finishes that suit everything from soft neutral kitchens to bold, dramatic designs. Natural stone, including marble and granite, brings unmatched beauty and uniqueness to a kitchen splashback but requires more care and maintenance due to its porous nature. For those who love the look of natural stone but want lower maintenance, high-quality stone-look porcelain slabs offer an excellent alternative.
Glass Splashbacks: Sleek, Seamless, and Easy to Clean
Glass splashbacks have been a popular choice in Perth kitchens for a number of years, and they continue to have strong appeal for their seamless, grout-free surface and the ease with which they can be kept clean. A single panel of toughened glass from benchtop to overhead cabinetry creates an uninterrupted, reflective surface that makes a kitchen feel bright and spacious. The colour is applied to the back of the glass, meaning the surface itself is always smooth and easy to wipe down.
Glass splashbacks suit contemporary and minimal kitchen designs particularly well. They work best in kitchens with clean lines and a relatively simple colour palette, as the reflective surface amplifies everything in the room. In kitchens with more textural complexity, a glass splashback can sometimes feel too flat and clinical compared to the warmth and depth that tiles or stone bring to the same space.
Porcelain Slabs: The Statement Choice for 2026
Large format porcelain slabs are arguably the most significant trend in Perth kitchen splashbacks in 2026. Available in sizes that can cover an entire splashback zone in a single panel or very few pieces, porcelain slabs create a dramatic, almost seamless result that rivals the look of natural stone at a fraction of the maintenance requirement. The printing technology used to produce these slabs has reached a level where the reproduction of marble, stone, and other natural materials is remarkably convincing.
The appeal of a porcelain slab splashback is its combination of visual impact and practicality. It is non-porous, heat-resistant, scratch-resistant, and extremely easy to clean. The minimal grout lines, or in some installations no grout lines at all, make it one of the most hygienic and low-maintenance splashback options available. For anyone who wants a kitchen that looks stunning without demanding constant upkeep, a porcelain slab splashback is well worth serious consideration.
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Colour and Finish: Finding the Right Balance
Regardless of the material you choose, colour and finish are the decisions that ultimately determine how the splashback sits within the overall kitchen design. A splashback can be used to introduce contrast, to extend the benchtop material, to add a pop of colour, or to blend quietly into the background while other elements take centre stage. There is no single right approach, but there are some principles that tend to produce successful results.
In kitchens with bold or busy cabinetry, a simpler and more restrained splashback often works best, allowing the joinery to remain the focal point without the splashback competing for attention. In kitchens with neutral or minimal cabinetry, the splashback is an opportunity to introduce character, texture, and interest. Matte finishes are particularly popular in Perth new builds at present for the soft, sophisticated quality they bring to a kitchen, and they work across tiles, stone, glass, and porcelain alike.
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Choosing a Splashback That Will Stand the Test of Time
The kitchen splashback is not something most people replace frequently, so choosing one that will continue to feel right as tastes evolve and as the rest of the kitchen ages is worth thinking carefully about.
At Ross North Homes, with over 45 years of experience building homes across Perth, we work with our clients to select splashback options that suit their kitchen design, their lifestyle, and their long-term vision for the home. Our display homes showcase a range of splashback materials and approaches across different kitchen styles, giving you a chance to see how each option looks and feels in a real finished space.
See It in Person Before You Decide
The best way to make a confident splashback decision is to see your shortlisted options in person, ideally alongside the benchtop and cabinetry finishes you are planning to use. Images on a screen can only tell you so much. The way a material reflects light, the scale of a tile pattern, and the depth of a stone surface are all things that are best assessed in person.
If you are planning to build and want to explore kitchen designs across a range of styles and finishes, visit one of our display homes or speak with our team today.
Ross North Homes, designing and building quality homes across Perth for over 45 years.
