The Best Backsplash Tiles To Give Your Kitchen A Vintage Feel

Keeping up with the latest kitchen design trends can feel never-ending, expensive, and exhausting. Sometimes, you really can't beat the classics. Enter: Delft tile — the playful, nostalgic, whimsical detail your vintage-inspired kitchen renovation is crying out for.

These intricate beauties are white tiles painted with blue scenes of old-school living. With Delft tiles, it's all about tiny details, delicate designs, and narrative motifs. The name comes from the eponymous town of Delft, Holland where this style of storytelling tile originated around the 1600s. The scenes were inspired by traditional blue and white Chinese pottery, as 17th-century Dutch ceramicists opportunistically situated at the beginning of global trade took inspiration from China, painting their tiles with Netherlands flair. The ceramic tiles are coated in a layer of tin glaze for a smooth, glossy finish.

Delft tiles feature depictions of windmills, tulips, pastoral farm life, dogs, children at play, fishermen, ships, and more. Beyond charming vignettes of everyday life, Delft tiles also feature more mythical designs like mermaids, battle scenes, or scenes from Bible stories. Their popularity quickly spread across Holland to the U.K., where they were used to decorate the fireplaces and bathrooms of English homes. By the end of the 1700s, this once wildly-popular interior design fad was fizzling out in Europe. But, now, it's back! Although, judging by the still-standing historical palisades that feature original Delft tiles, it never truly left (and it isn't going out of style any time soon).

Delft tiles are the one-stop-shop for bringing historical charm and touch of personality to your kitchen reno — with a flavor more timeless than camp or kitsch (a thin line to tread). You could fill an entire wall with Delft tiles. Or, for a subtler effect, scatter an assortment of five to 10 patterned Delt tiles in a patch of solid white tiles, creating more negative space.

You could use those delicate pictorials to create a backsplash behind your stove, or use them to highlight a coffee nook or tea station. Try lining the perimeter of your countertops with Delft tiles. Or, if you have any open shelving, you could line the back of the shelves with Delft tiles for a textural touch. Delft tiles can be purchased from a variety of retailers, including Neli's Dutch Vintage, Marlborough Tiles, Dutch Tile, Delft Tiles, and more.

These blue and white tiles visually complement white, colorfully painted, or wood-grained cabinets, making them a surprisingly versatile design element. As you design the rest of your vintage kitchen, stick to white, eggshell, or ivory appliances, and steer clear of chrome. The modern aesthetic will clash with the cottagecore vibe. Oil-rubbed bronze, crystal, or porcelain cabinet knobs would create a cohesive look. Feel free to flex other vintage design elements, too. If you collect vintage Pyrex, vintage cookbooks, earthenware crocks, or antique kitchen scales, put 'em on display by storing them on top of your refrigerator or cabinets.