5 Favorites: Textural White Tile Backsplashes

Looking for a white backsplash with more depth than the standard issue subway tile? Here's a roundup of tiles that read classic kitchen white while offering textural interest. Be careful, your dinner guests may want to reach out and touch them.

Above: A mosaic of mismatched white ceramic tiles in a Swedish kitchen; photo by Benedikte Ugland via Skona Hem.

Above: Each Dual Glaze Tile from Sausalito-based Heath Ceramics has "a combination of glossy and matte colors, which takes texture, contrast, and depth to a new level. Glazes are overlaid on a single tile, creating variations in reflection and the illusion of varying tile sizes within an installation." The 2-by-4-inch tiles come in four colorways (opaque white blend shown) and are priced at $45 per square foot.

Above: A variation on the classic subway tile, the 3-by-6 inch Jeffrey Court Beveled Edge Pearl White Subway Tile is $4.99 per square foot at Home Depot. Photograph by Anna Kern for Skona Hem.

Above: I am coveting the smaller scale Archita Mosaics Tile. Made of unglazed porcelain, each tile measures 5/8 by 1-1/4 inches. Available in matte white (shown) and matte charcoal; $37.13 per 0.90 square-foot sheet at Complete Tile.

Above: Architect Jennifer Weiss used Heath Ceramics Oval Dimensional Tiles in a San Francisco kitchen. Based on original Heath designs dating back to the 1950's and 1960's, the tiles measure 3 by 9 inches and are available in more than fifty glossy, matte and crackle glazes; $77 per square foot.

Above: Create the illusion of painted brick with Grove Brickworks Field Tile, available in a choice of 16 colors (shown in sugar white). The tiles, handmade of red body clay, are half an inch thick (a bit thicker than standard tile), measure 2.25 by 8 inches, and retail for $17.50 per square foot at Waterworks.

Above: The aptly named Distortion Mosaic Tiles are glazed porcelain with a matte white finish. Each tile measures 1-7/8 by 3-7/8 inches. Also available in black matte, black gloss, and metallic black; $27.45 per square foot at Complete Tile.

And, then there is Penny Round Tile as Kitchen Backsplash to consider.