Not Tile Backsplashes: Joanna Gaines' Alternative Adds Vintage Charm

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Chip and Joanna Gaines have built a highly successful brand with their signature modern farmhouse aesthetic, which emphasizes bringing warmth, texture, and a sense of history to a space. This aesthetic is also on full display in the set for Joanna's cooking show, "Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines." The couple converted the building from an old flour mill that they planned to turn into a bed and breakfast. However, Joanna realized that filming at home wasn't ideal and decided to convert it to a set instead. The couple had removed the drywall from the space and exposed textural white stone, which now serves as the backdrop to her recipe demos.

This rustic kitchen idea embraces all the key elements of the Gaineses' design aesthetic, creating an element of visual interest that still feels deeply rooted in history and tradition. In Season 3, Episode 8 of "Fixer Upper," the Gaineses used a similar stone backsplash during their kitchen renovation, adding a heavily mortared rock backsplash to help enhance the home's rustic, Southwestern ranch feel. "I loved this rock backsplash," Joanna told the family during the ultimate reveal. "It's unique, it's different." Even if your home isn't a 19th-century farmhouse, introducing stone brings character and vintage charm in a way that traditional tile backsplashes simply can't.

Fortunately, there are several ways to bring stone into your kitchen that don't require a time machine or even professional help. Lightweight options like Kasaro's 3D Polyurethane Stone-Look Wall Panels will also create a textured effect with simpler installation. Or, for a renter-friendly or even easier option, go with wallpaper. RoomMates Gray and Almond Weathered Stone Peel and Stick Wallpaper is a bit darker than the Magnolia Kitchen backsplash, but it has a similar rustic look.

There are also lots of ways to highlight your stone backsplash to ensure that it really pops in your space. In Joanna's "Magnolia Table" kitchen, she incorporates warm wooden cabinets, soft grey countertops, and brass fixtures, all of which complement the exposed stone. These subtle touches really draw the eye to the backsplash and give the kitchen's overall look a soft, vintage feel which perfectly encapsulates the Gaineses' modern farmhouse aesthetic. 

You can easily recreate this look in your own kitchen without undergoing a full renovation. Figure out what colors highlight your stone (or stone look) and find ways to bring them into your space. It could be a hanging rack of burnished copper pans, a warm wooden cutting board propped against the backsplash, or some earthenware or stoneware storage jars that make the natural colors in your stone wall pop.