We used ss covers with black outlets. All from Lowes. Love the look:

Jodi...your kitchen looks beautiful are there pictures anywhere that we could get a better looki?

Here's our backsplash with Lutron outlet covers. We found a color that almost makes them disappear.

Here is a link that might be useful: outlet cover on backsplash

I meant brushed metal. They were pretty cheap at Lowes. We liked the shape of Lowes' designer ones, but they looked to plastic for our tastes.

Sorry about the huge picture--I was sleepy and forgot to re-size!

Wisrose, I haven't posted my kitchen photos here or on the Finished Kitchen site yet because I don't have all my photos taken yet. There is still a bit to do in the kitchen area before it is done.

Jodi-

ovenbird, love your coffee hotel!:)

Ours are ORB, special order from Lowe's

Hi Jodi,
Quick hijack here. Where did you get your backsplash tile?
I LOVE it!!

Beth

We have NO outlets in our backsplash. If you're one of the few people who still realize that upper cabinets make for a more efficient kitchen, then you can install plug strips under each upper cabinet, nestled up against the backsplash. That way you have LOTS of plugs available and they're invisible...until you look up under the cabinet. And there's still plenty of room for under-counter lights.

For those who haven't seen them, plug strips are long, thin metal strips about 3/4" thick and 1 1/4" wide. They have grounded outlets every six inches and can be cut to the length of your upper cabinet. It's really a far better solution than getting decorator plates...assuming that you've opted for upper cabinets. And if you have a solid granite backsplash as we do, you don't have to pay to have holes cut in the backsplash, which can be costly.

But it does take some planning, ensuring that your electrician stubs out an electrical wire where the base of each upper cabinet will be. That means that you'll want to know how high your uppers will be above the countertop well before sheetrock.

Bob

I didn't want to see the cords behind the appliances that stay on the countertop all the time. Our KD suggested that we put them just above the the 1-1/4" backsplash. They are finished with the same stain as our cabinets. Works for me.
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{{!gwi}}

You just need to show your husband the outlet covers/wallplates made in your own stone or tile - then the Lutron ones will look like quite a bargain. We had a lot of outlets plus a bank of 6 wall switches for our outdoor and indoor lights in our granite back splash so we went for the granite plates made from our sink cutouts by Columbia Gorge Stoneworks with Lutron Satin Midnight outlets and switches. Columbia Gorge Stoneworks was a pleasure to work with and they did a great job so we are quite happy with having splurged there.

Under the edge of our counter overhang, you can see a little of our island outlet with a cherry wallplate to match the cabinets and a Lutron satin midnight outlet. Arnev.com has wallplates in a variety of wood species that you can get finished or unfinished plus choices such as various types of metal finishes.

For comparison, here is what our backsplash looked like with the Lutron wallplates before the stone ones were made. I think that would have been fine if we didn't have so many.

I wouldn't do plugmold - I'm short so plugging into outlets mounted at the back of our cabinet bottoms would be an uncomfortable reach for me - they are bad enough where they are. Anyway we would still have to deal with the switches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Columbia Gorge Stoneworks

Re: cloud_swift's comment about being too short to access plug mold, my wife is 5'2" and finds the plugs in our plug mold even easier to reach than I do (6'2") because she doesn't have to lean down as far to see them.

cloud_sift's kitchen is beautiful and she's probably done as much as one could do to camoflage outlets in her backsplash. But I really believe it would've looked even better without as much "backsplash acne".

Bob

If that's 'acne', I'd be delighted to have it; it's gorgeous!

We also have the Aspire (Cooper) switches/plates and love them. We get a lot of compliments on them, too.

backsplash acne, how insulting. it's a working kitchen for pete's sake. I'd rather have outlets and cords hidden behind my appliances rather than cords dangling from a plugmold up above. I know some prefer the plugmolds. To each their own but we don't need to be insulting about people's preferences.

Please, rmlanza, let's not be quite so thin-skinned! I sincerely described her kitchen as beautiful. But I'll continue to maintain that visible outlets can't do anything but take away from the beauty of a kitchen's backsplash, especially one that's uniform and matches the unblemished countertop. Similarly, you can have a beautifully crafted refrigerator but your kitchen will always look better if you can make it disappear by covering it with cabinet doors.

That said, I've always maintained that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've stated my beauty preferences, FWIW. You're welcome to disagree but don't read an insult when clearly there was none.

Bob

Plugmold is out of the question as the boxes are already in place plus I have not only outlets but light switches and internet boxes throughout the kitchen and bar area. Plates would still be an issue.

Oven Swift - Oh My! That is the most beautiful granite I have ever seen. I'm drooling on my keyboard.

RMlanza- I love the glass backsplash, is that oceanside glass?. Ohhhh Pretty!

Ovenbird - I love how your disappear.

I'll be using a terracotta color tile backsplash with very few copper-ish accents and some sandstone colored tiles. I was thinking of using the sandstone color on all of my outlets (by all I mean about 10 in a small kitchen). We have never had enough outlets in my kitchen and I think DH went a little overboard. After seeing the seamless integration of color maybe I'll re-think that decision and go with a terra cotta or for fum copper ;-)

Jodi in So Cal,

2nds on loving that backsplash. You must tell us the name and where you got it. I hope I can find something similar in my area!!!

Shannon

After pricing the custom marble switchplates, the Lutron colors looked way cheaper, but they are still a steep upgrade from the basics. Here are my Lutron plugs on two different tile walls. I'm very happy with them.


Lutron Mocha Stone

{{!gwi}}

Lutron Sea Glass

{{!gwi}}

I was wondering about the thinking that lead to your different placements, practical issues, aesthetics, and so on?

We haven't put in a backsplash and when we do could move the 5 over-counter outlets code required up or down as needed. These looks so nice, maybe we should wire in a few more and make a decorative pattern with them. :)

rosie: I had my outlets turned sideways and aligned with the subway tile so they would be less obvious IMHO. They were lowered as much as code would allow and still be even with the backsplash tiles. I left most plugs where they had been, but moved a couple of plugs to be more convenient based on the way I use them. The advantage to a minor update is that I still use the kitchen the way I always have so I know what works best for me ;-)

Bob, sorry if I'm being thin skinned. I just can't see myself taking the term "acne" as anything but an insult. Could we maybe just call it something like "backsplash interruptions" vs. "backsplash continuity". I did see that you called her kitchen beautiful and it is, absolutely. Again, sorry if I was being over sensitive. To each their own, right?

jenellecal, my backsplash is copper slate, not glass. But thank you!

Beth and Shannon,

To answer your question ... our backsplash is called Quartz Brick Fire & Ice. It's new and from the Jeffrey Court Pietra Opus collection (see link below). We ordered it through a local designer. If you can't find a source in your area, let me know and I'll get you in touch with our designer.

Jodi-

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeffrey Court California Tile Maker

Jodi,

Thank you so much for the link. Like I said your backsplash is awesome. I looked at their site and they have many marvelous things. However, their collections are classified by chapters and as I was reading it would say Chapter 11 or Chapter 13, and I all I could think about was bankruptcy court! I hope that is not a sign as to where I will be headed after this remodel!! LOL. I was excited to see though that there is a showroom about an hour and a half away. Hope I can see it in person.

Thanks again for the tip,

Shannon

I felt the "acne" comment was rather rude and this
If you're one of the few people who still realize that upper cabinets make for a more efficient kitchen, was a rather snide remark too. For my kosher kitchen, I find the upper cabinet storage useful to keep things close together but the openness of not having uppers is great and they don't provide that much storage so I can understand why some choose a wall of windows where they can instead.

Mine is a working kitchen and I have no problem with its purpose showing. I'm not a fan of the hidden paneled fridge or dishwasher look for my kitchen either.

As long as the color blends with the granite...right? :0)
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: switch plate installed in granite backsplash

It truly is "to each his/her own". To say that a frig will always look better with paneled doors is just as subjective. I personally can't stand the monster wood panels that aren't really "hiding" anything. To me it makes what is supposed to be a kitchen appear like a basement den from the 70's that is covered with paneling.

I much prefer the look of a big stainless frig breaking up all the woodwork.

Thank you, cloud_swift, for giving me the opportunity to appreciate what our presidential candidates experience when they make public statements and then people obsess over finding cause to be offended by them.

But in case you were considering me as a rival contestant in a "Most Beautiful Walls" contest, let me put you at ease by conceding the title to you. Although I've been able to avoid backsplash acne through the use of plugmold in my kitchen, the walls in the rest of my house are festooned with all manner of unsightly blemishes. Consider this: we have 63 switch plates (and 310 light switch buttons with green or red LEDs), 20 thermostats (yes, really!), 11 intercom stations, seven Crestron touchpanel pads and three alarm panels. And that's not even counting the F/A registers and cold air return grates.

My point was to suggest that no manner of camouflage, beautification or disguising of these eyesores makes your walls more beautiful than having nothing there at all. Attractive switch plates don't add beauty; they reduce ugliness. If this were not the case, then some enterprising entrepreneur would start marketing faux outlet plates, allowing you to further beautify your walls by adding even MORE outlets. Your outlet covers made your outlets less noticeable; but not seeing them at all would have been even better, IMHO. I would contend that anyone suggesting otherwise is guilty of disingenuous flattery.

Finally, regarding your "snide remark" characterization, I was simply prefacing my comments on plugmold with the observation that since elimination of upper cabinets has become fashionable in kitchen design for aesthetic reasons (notwithstanding the obvious loss of efficiency), many people may be unable to employ plugmolds as a means of hiding outlets.

After creating so much offense, I guess I'll have to fire my campaign manager!

Bob

I did want to limit the outlets on the backsplash for aesthetic reasons, but I didn't eliminate them altogether either for practical reasons. I ended up with two outlets in the backsplash, strategically placed to serve the toaster and the coffee maker, which are always out on the counter. The rest have either plugmold or shallow outlet boxes under the cabinet. I haven't picked my backsplash yet, but the two visible outlets will have to get covers that make them blend in. This thread has been great.

I dont have any pics. but I switched out the filthy old outlets/switches throughout the house with lutron. To save money, I bought the lutron covers and the cheaper rocker switches and outlets from home depot (or was it lowes). I think this saved a few hundered dollars. I didnt want the screws showing like they do on the cheaper covers that go with the outlets/swiches I bought. I went with white, though, so the colors matched.

Thanks for posting your question, Jennellecal. The thread turned a little strange but nevertheless turned up some good information, including Jennye's suggestion to just get the Lutron covers. I just looked them up, and they're very reasonable. No screw heads to keep clean is really worthwhile.

And thanks, Native TX and others regarding placement; I'd better keep them in mind when I finally choose tile. Fortunately, there won't be any inspections at that point to consider, although I guess setting them right down on the counter should be crossed off.

I have a copper BS & I covered the cheap outlet covers & switches with copper foil from a stained glass shop. Probably, I could have bought copper covers cheaply, but I wanted a finish that would verdigris & most of those are coated.
[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z274/AntiqueSilver/copperoutlet.jpg[/IMG]
Sorry for the bad picture - it really is the color of copper that has aged awhile - but without the light on, it's too dark & with it, the copper appears too orange.

ARRRRH,
I hit Submit by accident, when I meant to alter the photo HTML.

white on white

Here is a link that might be useful:

rosie, go ahead and set them right down on the counter, I did!;)

Bob, fire away!

OK, rmlanza, not invisible...but probably the best solution I could imagine for a situation with no backsplash. I like it!

We had a similar challenge with a very large, triangular island. A triangular section of the island was lowered by three inches to serve as DW's baking center (easier to roll dough on a lower counter). Fortunately, we were able to snug a plugmold into a small space between the upper and lower counters so that it's partially obscured by the overhang. But if that opportunity hadn't presented itself, I would've opted for your solution.

Bob

bump

i currently have white outlets/switches that my builder put in but would like to add ORB switchplate/outlet covers. Is it difficult to rewire the switches/outlets to a different colored outlet/switch or must I live with a white outlet with and ORB switchplate? Thanks

KRisten

Kristen - It's easy, as long as the power's off. :) My husband did it in our bedroom. Piece of cake, easy feel-good afternoon project. Although none of those switches were GFCI.

Does anyone have an inexpensive online site to purchase Lutron Satin Desert Stone wallplates, switches and receptacles? Thanks!!

I bought mine from the link below. They can get any color. Prices were the best I found .

Here is a link that might be useful: ElectricSuppliesOnline.com

Native_tx thanks for the suggestion! I actually shopped around after the post and found Electricsuppliesonline had the best prices also. Thanks!

I had been reading this thread with great interest as I, too have been looking for outlets to coordinate better with my greenish/blueish crackle tile backsplash. I found several websites, but was having trouble seeing actual color swatches rather than listed names. This site has fairly good images and swatches. Thought it might help others:

Here is a link that might be useful: Laner Electric Supply