Dark Minimalist Kitchen Backsplash in Englewood
About This Project
This kitchen renovation along the South Broadway corridor in Englewood involved a full backsplash replacement in a recessed cooking niche. The homeowner chose a dark slate-look porcelain tile in a stacked vertical pattern — a less common orientation that emphasizes the height of the niche and works well with the under-cabinet LED strip running along the top edge. The dark tile against the black countertop surface creates a monochromatic effect that reads as intentional rather than heavy.
The recessed niche required precise cuts at all four interior corners and along the bottom edge where the tile meets the countertop. We used a color-matched dark grout to minimize the visual interruption of the joint lines, which reinforces the continuous surface effect. The tile was back-buttered and set in a stacked (non-offset) vertical pattern with 1/16-inch joints.
What We Did
- Removed existing backsplash tile and cleaned the niche substrate
- Measured and dry-laid the stacked vertical pattern to confirm the top course aligned with the LED strip channel
- Set tile with back-buttering technique, working from bottom to top in the niche
- Applied dark-matched epoxy grout at all joints for durability and color consistency
