Interesting tile play is one of my favourite things in a kitchen, and it’s something that can be updated without having to go through the expense of changing the entire kitchen.
There are lots of tile trends at play this year, from earthy colour palettes to a return to gloss tiles which engage the eyes no matter what angle you perceive them in.
I’ve pulled together over 15 different types of accent tiles behind a stove that will deliver an elevated look that will create a focal feature in any kitchen.
Creative Ways to Use Accent Tiles Behind A Stove for a Designer Look
Square Zellige Tiles
Zellige tiles are trending right now, they bring a slightly imperfect nature with them and their semi gloss finish with slight variation per tile creates such an interesting and natural look.
They’re utterly timeless, and proof that white tiles don’t have to be boring!
A Bordered Pattern
Have an aga or gas fired cooker? Take inspiration from the below! Leaning into the cooker colour here, I love the continuation of the colour through the border and tiles for an intentional, cohesive feel.
The border is a really lovely approach for tiling behind a stove as it creates more of a focal feature out of the area. Tile play has been picking up in the last few years, and adding a border is so often overlooked, but anyone can do it!
Checkerboard For The Win
Check-mate! Those checkerboard patterns have hugely grown in popularity over the last year and they bring such a playful look to a kitchen.
Using the same tiles, but swapping in with a different colour for a checkerboard look exclusive behind the stove is a fun way to zone this area, whilst it avoids the red being overpowering in the rest of the kitchen. Needless to say it’s a sure fine way to tap into the ‘unexpected red theory‘ too.
Accent Centre For Taps
If you have a wall mounted pot filler you could create something a little bit different by adding a centre border like shown in the kitchen below.
I personally prefer creating an outer border as you’re eyes are immediately drawn to the centre here. But if you go down this route, make sure you lean into a tile with a similar colour to avoid it sticking out like a sore thumb, for the wrong reasons.
Herringbone Style
Think outside the box when it comes to tile play, herringbone style brings a sophisticated look behind a stove with the right type of tiles.
These zellige style tiles have been butted right up to one another to minimise grout lines which in turn emphasises the more imperfect nature of these tiles.
Ground It With Terracotta
Earthy colour schemes are on the rise as they are grounding and make us feel good. Green kitchen? Why not try adding a terracotta accent for a warm contrast that’s rustic and feels natural.
Natural zellige tiles are a wonderful choice, or consider square or brick style tiles with a semi gloss finish for further interest.
Geometric Pattern
Have some fun with a playful pattern on your accent tiles. I adore how good these look with the yellow stove!
Where kitchen cabinetry is a one block colour, tiles can completely change the dynamic and feel of the overall space, and it’s the one area you can really have fun with. My top tip is to go for a pattern that you absolutely love, rather than one being driven by a trend which may feel dated in a years time.
Semi Gloss Finish
Gloss tiles are starting to have a moment again after many years of matte tiles. They bring a tactile feel and an added element to how we perceive tiles, and a semi gloss tile like the below will engage the eye differently whether it’s with natural or artifical lighting.
These soft, terracotta tiles are a beautiful grounding choice against the green cabinetry and black worktop.
Green Brick Style
For white cabinetry, the world is your oyster when it comes to picking out tiles as virtually any colour works well here.
Green is a notoriously timeless colour and it helps keep us connected to nature, delivering a soothing, comfortable feel in a kitchen. Brick style tiles are enduringly popular and they look great stacked horizontally like in the below kitchen, or vertically stacked.
Stone Finish Backsplash
For cottage style interiors or those wishing to create a rustic, farmhouse style kitchen – nothing does it better than a stone finish backsplash! Okay, not tiles in the traditional sense, but this was definitely worth including as an alternative to tiles.
Brick slips are another alternative and a grounding way to introduce some natural warmth to a kitchen.
Delicate Pattern
For enclosed cooker hoods, you can be a bit more adventurous with pattern if you so wish as it’s isolated to just the stove accent tiles.
The only thing better than zellige tiles is those that incorporate a delicate patern with them, it creates the dantiest look in the kitchen below and the colour works with the kitchen cabinetry perfectly.
Stack Vertically
Stacking tiles vertically has never been the norm, but one that I also use in my own home as it creates the illusion of a bigger space!
It’s still slightly unexpected as horizontal stacking is what we have become accustomed to seeing, and this just makes it even more visually interesting in the space.
Stick to one type of colour, or introduce another tile way to create a striped pattern.
Off-White Tiles Packed With Personality
White tiles, especially zellige are anything but boring. Lean into a slightly off-white colour variation for greater interest. A slight grey tinge can create a cooler look in a kitchen, but one that is ideal for particularly sunny or south facing kitchens.
You may choose to introduce brass accents to your kitchen to balance it with some natural warmth.
Diamond Play
Like checkerboard but think it feels too common? Simply flip the tiles to create a diamond style layout instead. Complement with a lower and upper border, it breaks up the monotony of the pattern and feels much more balanced.
A beautiful way to introduce a new colour to your kitchen, particularly important if you have a very light neutral or white kitchen that needs the intrduction of colour to bring it to life. Recreate the exact look with these Bungalow tiles from Claybrook Studio.
Marble Brick Style
If your heart sings for a marble backsplash but not the cost that goes with it, these marble brick style tiles are the ideal middle ground.
They’re timeless in style and will complement pretty much any colour scheme in a kitchen.
Deep Aubergine
You can dare to go bold with stove accent tiles if you want to create a high impact look as you step into the kitchen. These deep aubergine tiles are punchy, earthy and they complement the tones in the taupe kitchen cabinetry.
Stick with semi or full gloss, interiors look so much more exciting with them and they carry a much more tactile feel.
Kitkat Style Tiles
If you want to bring some texture to your stove backsplash, kitkat styles are a trending type of tile, often coming in strips for easy application.
These petite tiles literally do look like kitkats! Position them horizontally or vertically to create the illusion of a bigger space.
