Hilary Farr's Tip For Choosing Kitchen Backsplashes And Countertops Like A Pro

Anyone who has watched designer Hilary Farr work with clients during the 19 years she co-hosted the HGTV show "Love It or List It" with David Visentin knows that she can be pretty no-nonsense when it comes to what will and what won't work in a space. And that's exactly the kind of advice she gives when it comes to choosing kitchen backsplashes and countertops. Even if countertops can "define a kitchen as much as any other element within it," as she told a couple whose home she renovated on her other HGTV show, "Tough Love with Hilary Farr," you should always pick your backsplash first (via YouTube). 

For example, after selecting a backsplash for one family that would make a big design statement, Farr worked with the couple to find countertops that would be "very simple, very functional, but still very beautiful." To go with the gray-and-white geometric backsplash, she steered the homeowners toward quartz, landing on a pure white slab. "It's just timeless extraordinary design. Complex and simple at the same time," she told them.

HGTV's Hilary Farr also suggested looking at the materials you plan to use in a kitchen under the right conditions. For example, slabs are usually displayed on their sides, but, when installed, countertops are parallel to the floor — a completely different angle. To get a better sense of how everything looks together, she suggests holding a sample of the countertop material horizontal to a sample of the backsplash material. Stores often offer samples that you can take home or have shipped to you so you can see how the material will look in your home and under different lighting conditions.

As much as Farr likes to go for bold design, don't be afraid to an embrace an all-white kitchen. For one episode of "Love It or List It," she paired the white backsplash, countertops, and cabinets with a natural wood island and brass hardware, to give the kitchen a more modern feel. If you do use color, experts advise you keep the overall design palette simple. If you like bold colors, you can use them as an accent, with paint or accessories, but the overall palette should be simple and contain no more than three colors. 

Whether you're going with a vintage kitchen tile, a 1980s geometric style, or a luxe quartzite, keep in mind the colors don't need to be an exact match, you do want the colors to have the same undertones — keeping warm tones like creams, golds, and browns with other warm shades and cool tones like grays, blues, and greens with other cool tones.