Backsplashes are one of the most commonly upgraded features during kitchen renovations, according to the 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study*. In fact, more than 4 in 5 homeowners make them a priority (85%). Full backsplash coverage surged in the past year, with coverage extending to cabinets or range hoods rising by 5 percentage points to 67% and full coverage to the ceiling increasing by 2 percentage points to 12%.

While the majority of homeowners opt for tile (76%), nearly a quarter choose bold, larger-format slab backsplashes (24%). Ceramic remains the top material choice for upgraded backsplashes (34%), followed by porcelain (17%), engineered quartz (10%) and quartzite (8%). Smaller shares of renovating homeowners select glass (7%), marble (6%), zellige (4%) or granite (4%).

“Backsplashes offer a multitude of options for homeowners to personalize their kitchens for both aesthetic and practical reasons like durability and ease of cleaning. Even as design trends evolve, this feature remains a priority,” said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist. 

Rectangular tiles are by far the most common shape for kitchen backsplashes (68%), though some homeowners pick hexagonal (4%) and diamond-shape (3%) tiles. Horizontal brick pattern is the top layout choice (39%), followed by horizontal stack (15%), herringbone (7%) and vertical stack patterns (7%). White remains the go-to color (35% for pure white and 22% for off-white), though some homeowners bring in a pop of color with blue (8%), gray (7%), beige (7%) and green (5%) selections.

For additional information, read the complete 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study and find products related to the findings on the Houzz Shop.

Houzz has a directory of over 3 million home remodeling and design professionals to assist with kitchen renovations, including general contractors, kitchen designers, kitchen remodelers, and architects. Houzz Pro provides industry professionals with a cloud-based, AI-powered project management and design software that helps them to run their businesses efficiently and profitably, including visual tools like 3D Floor Plans and Mood Boards that enable pros to help homeowners visualize their space and feel more comfortable moving forward with their project. Homeowners can also get inspired by the more than 25 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors for inspiration and shop from millions of products, including items for the kitchen from cabinets and storage to fixtures and tile.

*The 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study is a report of homeowners who are in the midst of, are planning or recently completed a kitchen renovation. The online survey was fielded to U.S. Houzz users in July 2024. n=1,620.

Cover image credit: Le Belle Maison Interiors, Inc. © Stacy Markow Photography