Open Kitchen with Geometric Tile Backsplash

The backsplash is a geometric patterned tile set behind the hob, where oil and water hit the wall most. Tile is used there for a reason. It wipes clean and takes heat far better than a plain painted wall. Keeping the pattern to that one stretch, rather than the whole run, gives the kitchen a feature without making it busy. The rest of the wall stays plain so the pattern has room to be seen.

The main ones on show are a charcoal side-by-side refrigerator with a water and ice dispenser, a stainless chimney over the hob, and a gas hob set into the counter. The fridge is free-standing and sits at the end of the run so it does not break the cabinet line. The chimney is fitted above the hob to pull out smoke and grease. Between them the cooking and cold storage stay close, which keeps the work quick.

A textured glass partition stands between the cooking zone and the sofa. Rippled glass like this lets light pass through, so the kitchen does not go dark, but it blurs the view enough that the hob and clutter are not the first thing you see from the living side. It screens without walling the space off. A solid partition here would have made both halves feel smaller.

The cabinets are white and handleless, with recessed grooves instead of knobs, so the fronts stay flat and easy to wipe. The countertop is a dark stone, which is the practical choice on a work surface because it hides marks, water spots and the odd stain far better than a pale top. White above and dark below is a common split. It keeps the upper wall light while the working level takes the wear.

It can, with the right extraction. The main concern with an open kitchen and Indian cooking is smoke and smell reaching the sofa, so the chimney over the hob has to be sized properly and used every time. The textured glass partition helps by holding some of it back. If you fry heavily every day, a fully closed kitchen is easier, but for lighter daily cooking this layout works and keeps the family together.

The cabinetry and the counter are the big lines, not the tiling. A full run of base and wall units plus a tall unit is priced by the running length and the finish you choose, and handleless fronts cost a little more than handled ones. The dark stone counter is the next line, and the price moves with the stone you pick. Appliances sit on top of that. Fix the cabinet layout first, since it sets most of the figure.

White fronts and a dark counter both show marks, but different ones. The handleless white doors show finger smudges, so a quick wipe keeps them crisp. The dark stone hides stains but shows dust and dried water drops, which a dry cloth sorts out. The patterned tile behind the hob is the easiest part, since it is made to be scrubbed. A few minutes after cooking keeps the whole run looking new.