Decorative Kitchen Backsplash Tiles, Hand-Painted One at a Time
Balian Ceramics makes decorative kitchen backsplash tiles the slow way: every tile is painted by hand in our Jerusalem studio and then kiln-fired, so the color sits inside the glaze rather than on top of it. A decorative backsplash tile has a practical job — protecting the wall behind your range, sink and countertops from splashes, steam and grease — but it is also the one surface in a kitchen that people actually stand and look at, which is why it repays being made rather than simply bought.
Every tile on this page is hand-painted ceramic, decorated by an artist rather than printed by a machine, so no two pieces are ever quite identical. The standard decorative tile is 6" x 6" (15 x 15 cm) and costs $20 per hand-decorated tile. Hand-painted subway border tiles, used to frame a panel or carry a line along the wall, are $10 per tile. If you want a picture rather than a repeating pattern, a tile mural is priced per tile at $30 — so a nine-tile mural works out at $270, and a twelve-tile mural at $360.
Whether you are planning a full backsplash, a framed feature wall behind the range, or one small focal point beside the sink, the layout is yours to set: choose a pattern from the collections below, or send us your own drawing and we will paint it. If you would rather see finished work before you commit, browse 45 real installations in our hand-painted kitchen backsplash tile ideas gallery.
Balian Decorative Tiles Collection
Fish blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Fish off-white — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Fish dark blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Custom & Modular Subway Tile Designs
Our modular system lets you set the layout as well as the pattern: straight stack, running bond, herringbone or chevron, with hand-painted subway tiles carrying a border or a repeating motif along the wall. Subway tile is still the most common backsplash choice in American kitchens because the shape is quiet and forgiving, and a hand-painted version keeps that calm proportion while giving you something no machine-printed tile can. Balian subway border tiles are 8" x 4" (20 x 10 cm) and cost $10 per tile, which makes them an inexpensive way to frame a mural or draw a single painted line at counter height. Grout matters more than people expect — a close-matched grout lets a pattern read as one continuous surface, while a contrasting grout turns the same tiles into a grid — so tell us the look you are after and we will suggest which of the two suits your design. We also paint entirely bespoke patterns for a single project if nothing in the collections is right.
Why Choose Decorative Kitchen Backsplash Tiles
Decorative tiles turn an ordinary kitchen into a room with a point of view without giving up anything practical. The wall behind a stove and sink has to survive splatter, steam and daily wiping, and glazed ceramic handles all three. What it also does — in a way that paint, stainless steel and plain field tile cannot — is carry pattern, brushwork and color that a person put there by hand. That makes decorative tile most effective in the places your eye lands first: a full backsplash, a framed panel behind the range, a coffee-bar niche, or a single accent tile for a backsplash used to interrupt an otherwise plain run of subway tiles. Plenty of kitchens need only eight or ten hand-painted accent tiles set into plain white field tile to stop feeling anonymous, which keeps the budget sensible — at $20 a tile, that is a $160 to $200 change.
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Handmade Ceramic Craftsmanship: Each piece is individually hand-decorated, so no two tiles leave the studio identical.
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Durable and Heat-Resistant: Fired in high-temperature kilns above 1,000°C (1,832°F), which locks the color into the glaze and makes the tile safe on the wall behind a range.
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Unique Artisan Designs: From modular repeating patterns at $20 per 6" x 6" tile to one-of-a-kind tile murals priced at $30 per tile.
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Suitable for Modern and Traditional Kitchens: Works with clean contemporary cabinetry just as well as with classic, Old World interiors.
Kema light blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Kema off-white — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Kema dark blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Are You All Set to Design Your Ideal Space?
A backsplash reads best when it is chosen against what is already in the room, so start with your countertops and cabinets rather than with the tile. Pull a secondary color out of the countertop, or echo the cabinet tone and let the tile supply the pattern instead of the contrast. If you are working with white or pale cabinets, blue and white hand-painted tile is the combination worth looking at first. Browse the collections below, or look through 45 finished kitchens in our kitchen backsplash tile ideas gallery to see how the same designs behave in real rooms.
Tell us your wall measurements and we will work out the tile count and the exact price for you — murals at $30 a tile, subway borders at $10 a tile, 6" x 6" accent tiles at $20 each, shipped door to door to the USA. Contact us for more information.
Middle East dark blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Middle East off-white — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Middle East light blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Lori off-white — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Persin blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Lori light blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Persian blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Persian blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Persian brown — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Nano dark blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Nano dark blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Nano light blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Floral multicolor — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Floral blue — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Floral black/Grey — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Floral brown — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance off-white series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance off-white series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance off-white series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance light blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance light blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance light blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance dark blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance dark blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance dark blue series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance brown series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance brown series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Square dance brown series — 6" x 6" (15 cm) — $20
Discover Our Collection of Hand-Painted Tiles
Waterline Pool Tiles: Sun-safe and elegant, perfect for pools and fountains.
Subway Tiles: Classic style with hand-painted floral or wave details.
Accent Tiles: Small touches that brighten any space.
Fireplace Tiles: Heat-resistant and made to stand out.
Black & White Tiles: Timeless, simple, and stylish.
