Decorative Tile Backsplash For Your Kitchen Masterpiece

Photo Via: WSJ

Since kitchen renovations are the core part of our business, we are always on the lookout for new trends to help make our kitchen designs as stunning as we can for our clients. So our course we are swooning over ourselves with some of the new trend in backsplash options presented by our sponsor Rustico Tile and Stone, a leading online retailer of natural stone tiles, at wholesale prices to boot. Brace yourself.


A growing trend in kitchen home décor is decorative tile used as backsplashes – bold, colorful, metallic, and beautiful!  Gone are the days of boring, monochromatic stone or ceramic blends.  Kitchens are making artistic statements with the use of colorful Cement Tiles, metallic Copper design tiles, and hand-painted Talavera tiles.  Rules are made to be broken and that’s easy to do with these fun backsplash ideas!

Cement Tile Photo: HGTV

You might ask - Why do I need a backsplash?  The wall in your kitchen behind the stove and along the counters needs to be covered with a protective barrier so it doesn’t get stained from spills and splatters.  A “good” backsplash serves as a prime ingredient into the mix of your kitchen décor and functions to protect your walls from damage.

Cement Tile Photo: Hooked on Houses

Form meets functions with Cement Tile.  Made from mineral pigmented cement, the options are endless with the ability to customize cement tile designs.  Each tile is hand-crafted, so if you don’t see the color scheme in a design that fits your needs, you can have it created in colors of your choice.  It’s really simple – as long as you have some time to wait for cement tiles be to custom produced, you can get exactly what you want.  There are designs to accommodate many home décor styles including modern, Mediterranean, vintage, and traditional.  A typical cement tile comes in an 8x8-inch size.  When installed, four tiles create a pattern measuring 16x16 inches.  Cement tiles come in a variety of sizes for backsplashes and are relatively easy to install.

Patchwork Cement Tile Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Patchwork Cement Tile Photo: Ideas For Interior

This patchwork cement tile pattern is a mixture of random tiles in a cohesive color palette.  Patchwork tiles are a growing trend in interior design.  Not only does cement tile add beauty to a kitchen, but it also provides a durable surface barrier to the wall.  Since cement tile can be sealed (recommended), it will withstand those unsightly splatters and is easy to clean.   

Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Consider adding some bling to your kitchen by mixing in metallic materials.  Whether you’re renovating a hacienda-style home or tweaking a Tuscan country estate, add a copper tile backsplash for a classical display.  Copper is also easily cleaned, very durable, and comes in several patina finishes.  And it ages like a fine wine!  The natural patina color of copper evolves as it is exposed to oxygen and ages.  If you don’t want the copper patina color to change, it can be waxed periodically or coated in epoxy.  Copper also heals itself.  If you accidentally scratch the tile, the components in this metal will repair the surface with time. 

Copper tile photo: Decozilla.com

Check out hammered copper for an old-world style home or mix copper with stainless steel appliances for a more modern look.  Pair a copper tile backsplash with a fabulous hammered copper farmhouse sink, and add inserts into the floor for an overall effect.  And just like cement tile, copper tiles come in a variety of sizes and options of design.  You’re sure to find a design and patina color that will be perfect for your backsplash.

Talavera Tile Photo: Remodelista

A kitchen backsplash doesn’t have to be created with square and rectangular shapes only.  Check out some decorative tiles shapes for an added touch of artistry in painted Talavera tiles.  This Cross pattern in Talavera embellishes a traditional style home and keeps things light and bright with the sunshine yellow colors.  Geometric shapes like hexagon or colonial are great for modern and upscale areas.  Or why not try some painted talavera tiles to create a mosaic pattern?  This bright talavera below is 4x4 inch in size and pairs well with the antique saltillo tile flooring and cantera stone counters and accents.  In contrast with the light colored walls and cabinets, the overall aesthetic is modern vintage.  Talavera tiles clean up easily with a quick wipe and since the paint is usually a gloss finish, there is no need to seal the tiles, only the grout lines.

Talavera Tile Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Once you’ve selected the perfect tile for your space, make sure to order 15-20% overage for waste, cuts and borders.  Small spaces like backsplashes use up waste in precise cuts.  Grout choices are endless and the grout color is just as important as your tile selection.  Choose a contrasting grout color to accentuate single tiles.  Or opt for a grout color similar to your tile color for a blended look.

What great inspiration and tile tips for your next kitchen project from the folks at Rustico Tile and Stone
Happy tile shopping as you tackle your kitchen project. Please feel free to share updates/photos of tiles purchased for your own project so we can feature them here or over on our Instagram page. Cheers to a great weekend everyone!

Bachelor Pad - Part Two Kitchen

So what do you think happened once we transformed our bachelor's living room from frumpy to swanky? 

The kitchen, with it's all white everything - walls, ceiling, cabinets and appliances - became a glaring eye sore. Our original plan was to wait a few months to tackle this space but Mr. Bachelor had been bitten by the design bug. No, no, no, he said, let's just tackle it now. Alrighty then sir. Let's do this I said. This is where we started: 

 

There was no budget for a major gut job, and as much as I love to rip things out to renovate kitchens, there was no need for that here. The white cabinets were in great shape and just needed some sexier companions. 

The existing cabinet handles were too small, so new handles were a quick fix.  Since he's rarely home, it means he rarely cooks and so there were some empty cabinets that we decided to convert into wine racks.

Because seriously people, propping a wine rack atop a random table in your living room does not a bar cart make. We clearly needed a solution and thank goodness we found one.

  

The fabulous Shaggy again worked his magic as he did here for our bachelorette Jina - hmm, should these two meet? We removed the cabinet doors on either side of the microwave, and installed wine lattice to create the racks, which now fits over 30 bottles. Partyyyyy...To further soften up all the white, we painted the ceiling in this color and replaced that pesky white light fixture with six recessed lights - on dimmers of course. Lighting my peeps, is the key to great design. Always, always splurge a little, if you can, to upgrade your lights and place them on dimmers to control the mood.

Hello eating area. Thanks to the mammoth loveseat that once suffocated this area, Mr. Bachelor had never once eaten a meal at this area. It had simply become a place to stash mail and other chotskies but no more. Let the fine dining begin, while seated atop these new white leather bar stools. 

With a new place to sit, eat and entertain, the sink and leaky faucet became another eye sore. *Sidenote: why do I always forgot to remove my purse/suitcase from these before pictures??? Lord help me.

We updated the sink and faucet with a modern double sink and a very sleek faucet.

Before this transformation, he had no idea what a backsplash was. He's now a huge fan of this simple upgrade of a glass tile backsplash. We did splurge a bit on these new appliances and included a double oven (I love these new options) since the smaller oven was a great way to prepare a quick meal aka a pizza, and free up much needed space on the counter top for the important things like a Keurig coffee maker.

 That's all folks. A somewhat brand new kitchen for our favorite bachelor.

Thursday we'll step outside and check out to his new balcony, which is now kind of a fab space to chill and enjoy these cool Miami nights.