I have looked and liked the stone print, but have been told that prints will quickly date and when costing, it doubles the cost of the splashbacks (which would blow the cost out to over 7k just for the splashbacks). Hence I am stuck for ideas.

Hi, since your kitchen is small and there's a lot going on I would go with a very light coloured back splash. A very light warm grey as suggested could work nicely here. It would also brighten up the area a little. I certainly wouldn't introduce yet another colour. Introducing something like a bright red will draw attention to the backsplash area, but the design of the kitchen doesn't lend itself for such a high impact visual focus. Keeping it calm and neutral will make the kitchen look more like a unit rather that bottom and top cabinets with a big red/black/maroon stripe through it. The company supplying the back painted glass should either have a range of available colours to choose from, but usually any standard RAL colour should be available at a minimum. They will most likely have the RAL standard colours fan available for reference as well. I'd go with the one of lightest warm grey shades that is in the standard range. Your worktop has warm tones in it, your wall is beige, going in with a cool grey will make each colour look "off". The last thing I'd recommend is black. I know it has been mentioned, but it is just too strong of a contrast and non of the other materials and colours would support such a stark, contemporary choice. If you are worried that the existing dark red paint will alter the colour of your new glass back splash, and that's a very valid argument btw, just paint it over with two coats of white prior to installing the new back splash. I'd do that a few days prior to installing the glass to make sure the paint is nice and dry. In terms of maintenance a glass back splash is probably the easiest to look after since its so easy to clean and there's no grout that can attract dirt over the years. Good luck with the renovation :)

Can you get a couple of samples and test them? I can imagine as with other surfaces, the gloss is easier to clean than the matt, unless perhaps the matt is treated with some kind of coating, as Kate described. The people who have told you about the difference in maintenance are right to make sure you know there is a difference. But maybe the difference isn't that significant if your personal preference is the matt? It might be worth getting a sample of each and taking it home and spilling some typical cooktop splashes on them, letting them dry and seeing how they clean up after? That might help you decide if the matt would be much more trouble or not too bad.

Hi HU-648758520, normal window glass is actually green however the type of glass that siriuskey and dreamer are referring to is a Low Iron Glass which is not a green glass but is actually colourless so the colour that you choose for a splashback is not distorted and remains true. This type of clear colourless glass is branded as Opti-Clear or Starphire or Crystal Clear Glass depending on the manufacturer. One of the great things about Glass Splashbacks is that they can be finished to any colour you desire. As dreamer suggested they can also be made with a Metallic (sparkle) effect such as that from the Dulux FX colour range where Whites look really good in this fine metallic finish. Suggesting a colour for you is however difficult because your kitchen walls, floor, benches and cabinet faces will all throw colour into your room affecting how you see the chosen white on your splashback. Talking to a Splashback fabricator in your home for initial suggestions is a good option and having a Colour Sample made on Glass as Kate suggested is a good approach so you can see that chosen colour in your home first before you commit. (Some fabricators also have ready made samples which they can show you in your home that can be a time and cost saver if you find a colour they already have that works.) Hope this helps, Malcolm.