7 Vintage-Inspired Backsplash Tiles You'll Want In Your Kitchen

Does any single component of your kitchen design have the power to make as much of an impact as your tile backsplash? Modern kitchens are awash with a zillion variations on white subway tile, which is an undeniably gorgeous option, but can read a bit ... safe? Why not look to kitchens of the past for some more daring backsplash inspiration? 

From moody midcentury modern installations to '80s graphic kitchen tile, there's an eon (okay, maybe more like a century) of design choices from which to harvest inspo for your kitchen. We're big believers in the power of visuals. Take a look at these gorgeous pictures of vintage-inspired tile and discover what era(s) might inform your choice in your own cooking space. Backsplash installation is no small expense, with national averages ranging from $500 to $1,500, depending on your choice of tile and the size of the space you are covering, so we encourage you to really explore all your options. It could be that the tiles of yesteryear are a perfect fit for your 2025 kitchen. 

This gray tile has timeless charm. It evokes the bold geometric glamor of 1920s Art Deco paired with the controlled chaos of '80s pattern mixing. And, while many discontinued '80s cereals aren't coming back, we're ready to welcome mismatched tiles with open arms. Combined with sleek gray countertops and the neutral décor, the palette of this kitchen conforms to the modern craze for neutrals while bringing a little something original. 

The 1940s brought us a lot of enduring cultural touchstones, from Smarties, the candy that was originally made with old-school WWII machinery, to big band music and film noir. In terms of kitchen design, the 1940s graced us with the advent of the two-toned kitchen, the most popular variation on which was high-contrast black and white. Black kitchen cabinets are back on trend in a big way; why not black tile? It seems to us that it's a logical evolution from the omnipresent white tile, the other side of a coin. 

Again, there's a lot of decade-mixing going on with these wacky, wonderful backsplash tiles. On display, we have a classic Atomic Age colorway, inspired by the blocky, primary-colored artwork of Piet Mondrian. That means blue, yellow, and red combined with '80s-style graphics. If you aren't careful, this color combination can look like a child went crazy with a Crayola box ... but not here, where the blatant maximalism gives the kitchen a whimsical focal point. Pair with a kitchen sink that features super-efficient double faucets and you can have the best of old and new. 

The Fabulous '50s are alive and well in this very modern kitchen, which features two classic elements of midcentury design: the starburst pattern on the tile and the color pink. Pink can be ultra-kitschy, not unlike diner décor in your kitchen, but the salmon hue is less evocative of flamingos and decidedly more subdued. When paired with the natural wood grain on the bar stools and some of the decorative accents like those glass pendant lamps, this sometimes divisive color looks downright neutral. 

The 1930s marked the peak of popularity for the Spanish Revival style, which was distinguished by arched doorways, dark wood, and hand-painted tile. In this kitchen, the painted tile pairs with modern fixtures for an aesthetic that is only "Spanish-light," but heavy on Old World elegance. Paired with a vintage lighting upgrade, you have a kitchen that looks perfectly new but with the very best trends of the century gone by. 

The inspiration to checkerboard and geometric patterns here is, at once, both very 1940s and very contemporary. Unlike a vintage fridge, which you should avoid in a modern kitchen, the retro look of this tile is altogether welcome. That oversized gas range is a beauty and it's only fitting that such a stove is crowned by regal backsplash. The color palette doesn't stray too far from ivory, which is quintessentially 2020s, but the delicate pattern is a step back in time. 

Glass tile is a modern development, but how could you look at the metallic silver glass of this unconventional tile and not be put in mind of the polished fender of a 1950s Cadillac? There are a number of hallmarks that visually identify this kitchen as very newly-installed (the slab countertop, the flat-panel cabinet drawers), but that tile gives retro vibes, and we are here for it. We're ready to make some blender cocktail drinks in our best Pink Ladies and greaser get-ups, all while enjoying 2020s conveniences like central AC.