I love the look of the inspiration kithchens

Please tell me where the photos came from. Do you know who manufactured the cabinets and acessories?

Here is a link that might be useful: exchange page

You kitch is so beautiful, what a wonderful design. It's hard to think about changing it with a backplash. However there's a lot of function that a backsplash adds (wiping clean from sprays). I like the ones in your inspiration photos. They are simple and wouldn't detract and also bring up the lovely color of your counter. Also If it was possible to find a complimentary green tile that blended with the wonderful color on the walls.

I'd also leave the alcove alone. You have a great eye, so what you pick I'm sure will be just a pretty as the rest.

Your kitchen is BEAUTIFUL!! OH MY -- i absolutly love the paint color (just wrote it down for a room in my house)-- I LOVE they island-- and the stools are perfect. I cant help much on the backsplash but no matter what you do-- well i'm speechless on how beautiful this is!!!

You're kitchen is stunningly beautiful. It looks so pulled together already. It would be a shame to cover up too much of your paint. I'm sure you want something behind your range, but I'd keep it simple and perhaps a similar color to your wall. No real examples to offer, sorry.

Do you remember the name of the website where you got your stools? I love the low back and that they seem to take little space (don't have much room). Olive branch is a beautiful color, I have it on my master bath. Don't be afraid to darkening the chandeliers, I have done that with a formal chandelier I got from Bombay company a couple of years ago and still looks great in my dining room. I used some kind of glaze I got from Michael's and apply it with a cotton ball (wear gloves of course).

Wow - really beautiful. I like the idea of hanging a piece of iron or cream decorative stoneware (maybe a piece from your beautiful collection in the glass cabinet!) above your stove. It needs something in that space. I agree with others that your kitchen doesn't visually 'need' a backsplash.

I, too, would love to hear more specifics of where you got your stools. They would be perfect in my kithen where I have minimal space. Love them!!

Thanks for sharing!! It's a very inviting space.

Who is it that recently posted pics of their backsplash that was a whiteish subway tile with maybe 2x2" decorative insets in a reddish color and greenish color behind the stove/range? The had kind of a swirly design in them. It was simple, elegant, beautiful, and would be perfect in this kitchen!

thanks to everyone for suggestions! thats why i love this site. it was also great when i was building my pool last year. anyway, for those wanting the info on the bar stools, they are from drew chan. i am putting in the link. i did buy mine unfinished, but he does offer a finishing service. i do have to warn anyone interested though that the wood is not great quality for staining. if you want to paint them though, they will look good.

Here is a link that might be useful: DrewChan1181.com

Found it! I hope jeannie-kitchen doesn't mind that I'm posting a link to the pics. Scroll down partway. I think it could be great. You could tweak the inset colors if need be.

Here is a link that might be useful: jeannie kitchen's backsplash

Wow! Love your kitchen!

Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions? And then what is the size of your eating area? Is that your dining room- or do you have another DR?

You have so many options, and you have a relatively tiny area to cover with BS, so you can pretty well get whatever you love! Perhaps handmade tile? I would take these pics to a tile place with samples of the granite and cupboard and see what they come up with. You could go really white, you could go creamy, you could bring in just a touch of sage. Some of the brand new subway shaped stained glass BS are stunning and you could go very subtle but tie in the three main colours.

remodelfla, i have seen jeannie's kitchen before. that backsplash would work for mine too. she has the two granite colors along with the two cabinet finishes also. i do like a mixed look. it seems like everytime i see this though where a black is used, its always on the island. i must be backwards or something! :) I am seriously considering a wood butcher block top made for my island. my cabinet man has already mentioned to me that he would make me one the other day when i told him that i really wanted one in the first place. My DH just kind of shakes his head. I may see if he can maybe make it so that it fits over my black granite and then i could switch back and forth if I want to. that way, the black won't be wasted. that could justify it.

I think you're having trouble because you have competing, incompatible, goals: You want a totally neutral backsplash so you can easily change the colors, and you want a backsplash that will set off and unify the colors you have now. Sometimes that could be the same thing, but in this case they're not.

In the inspiration photo, the island is lighter, and the paint and backsplash are a similar medium tone of brownish. Your island is darker (inc. surface) and both it and the paint are a lot bluer. Your choices are beautiful!!

It's time to stop thinking so much about the inspiration photo, and look more at your actual kitchen, except for one thing: If you notice, in the inspiration, the wall paint and backsplash are similar tones. This makes the cabinets pop. Your overall wall paint as it is now also makes your cabinets pop. I can totally see why you wouldn't want to tile in sage green. But you can look for some tiles with veining, overglaze, or mottling that matches your wall color, and has a neutral ground. Maybe put a little of the island color and/or some ORB into an inset above the range, or as trim or accents, but stick with something simple and bold.

You could also copy the inspiration photo by doing just a window sill height backsplash other than over the stove, but that might not be as practical if you use your perimeter for a lot of prep work.

I think your kitchen is lovely. I'm in the camp that thinks it looks nice with just the paint. The inspiration photos are beautiful, but I actually prefer your kitchen to them.

raehelen,
my kitchen is 21'9" x 12'. this includes the breakfast area. yes, i do have a formal dining room.

for eveyone who has responded, thanks so much for the positive comments. i am meeting with an interior designer tomorrow who owns a tile store. i will bring my laptop with me to show her what i'm working with.

i was just telling someone else that i don't think that i could rest without doing my backsplash. i only painted the olive branch green there because i didn't want to look at unfinished sheetrock for months. the tile that i am looking at is a very neutral tumbled marble in 'wheat' color. its kind of a whitish gray i would say, or a better way to put it would be without yellow undertones. a cooler white.

i am definitely a lot clearer now after posting this about what color to do. i was unclear whether to do the one from my inspiration like i originally wanted, or if i should go with the more neutral lighter colored tiles. i'm leaning more towards the neutral shades of white. i will see what the expert tells me tomorrow.

i'm sure that i will pay dearly for whatever i buy from her. i was planning on posting my kitchen in the 'show me your under 20K kithchens' thread when i was done, but i've gone over that by more than 10K now. the tile will be that last thing for awhile. i have a few other small accessories that will have to wait.

I like the idea of keeping the simplicity of the paint. There is so much to see in this kitchen and I think it's all set off perfectly the way it is. Applause! Applause!

Teppy, you did a wonderful job on your kitchen (was it really only 30K????) and I love the colors of both your walls and ceiling. I'm afraid I can't offer much in the way of advice for your backsplash as I'm putting that off myself until next year (can't take having to make another design decision) but I'm worried that tumbled stone isn't the right look; not sure why, too old world, too busy, something. A honed stone, yes, but tumbled....I'm not so sure.

cheri-these are a couple. i don't have samples yet, so i can't be sure about the color yet. i don't know why one of them is showing up with a pinkish tint here.

these are both tumbled:
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this one is honed:
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I like the honed so much better and think it would go so much better with the rest of your kitchen style. Good luck!

Have you looked into the Tantrum line of the Sonoma tile? It would be gorgeous in here, I am considering but it is pricey!! Look around at the photo gallery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sonoma tile

Hi. I saw the name of your perimeter granite was "cold springs". What color is that on your island? I like the combination. Your kitchen will certainly become someone else's inspiration! I know I'm keeping it in my inspiration folder!

Whose kitchen was it that had the neutral subways with the diamond shaped Tantrums in multiple colors mixed in with cream behind the range? That's the backsplash I see when I look at your kitchen, Teppy. I hope someone can help with a link or name. (She wasn't sure she liked it at first, and I think, changed some tiles around behind the stove to improve it.)

I'm sorry to you and, especially, to that person for not remembering!

rhome-no apologies necessary. great minds think alike. see remodelfla's post above. i believe that you may be thinking about jeannie's kitchen. yes, that backsplash would work for me too. i think that it would lessen the contrast behind my counters/stove with the cabinets. i do love my olive branch, but i still believe that it is going to work best on the walls by themselves.

teppy, your kitchen is beautiful. I really like your island. Do you know what color paint was used on your island? I am thinking of painting mine green and you have nailed the color that I am looking for.

jaksopcam- the granite on my island is absolute black, and thanks for the compliment.

gagesgranny-i like your name, gage must be one lucky little boy. i can tell how much you must 'not spoil him at all'. the paint color on the island is benjamin moore 'sage'. i also did a black glaze on top followed with a water based polycrylic in satin.

I think you are right on about neutral tones of white in a simple and elegant BS. Another idea for behind the green bowl in the hutch area would be to put a mirror as a BS.

Here's a idea pic:

islander, i love that backsplash. something about subway tile and diamond shaped tiles really appeal to me. that granite is similar to mine. i love the contrast of the creamy tiles with the pop of the tan ones in there. do you know whose kitchen this is? i would love to see more of it. i am going to be meeting with the interior designer today at the tile store to look at the sonoma tiles. i would like to be able to show her things that i really like. today might really be a good day too because she tells me that a representative from sonoma will be there today for a workshop. lucky me. hopefully, i will soon be posting my completed kitchen with a really awesome backsplash.

rhome, that backsplash was lissa711. She did a sonoma tile with the diamond glass tiles behind the range. Beautiful kitchen. You can see the backsplash on the finished kitchens blogspot or do a search for lissa711 on the kitchen forum.

pliuckymama-you are right, i had it wrong. lissa711 does have the diamond shaped accents. these are all neutral backsplashes and i am getting confused now. thanks for clarifying

teppy--the tile is from Westminster Ceramics that has gone out of business.

Here's another pic of my kitchen where you can see the BS better:

Your kitchen is beautiful!!! YOu first glazed, and then repainted all of your cabinets yourself? May I ask what white you used on the cabinetry and what color they were before you began? How long did it take you? I'm contemplating taking on such a task but I want it to look as professional as yours do!

I also love your stools. Thank you for posting the link!

Z.

zenamidievel-yes, i did all of the painting myself.

"Hello, my name is stephanie, i am a do it yourselfer. i have had this problem for 20 years now."

I not only glazed them once, but i sanded and then even tried it a second time. After sanding again, i had to stop myself from trying it again. it nearly drove me nuts.

my cabinets from the start were brand new custom unfinished. I like my finish. All I can tell you is that it takes alot of prep work and you have to sand between each coat of paint. that will give a smooth finish. when we built our house 12 years ago, my painter was absolutely the best. He was a tempermental sort of painter and very particular. I watched him and learned alot. My husband literally had to run him off. He would just paint, and paint, and paint some more. we called him "3 coat joe". make sure that your paint area is dust free as possible. after cleaning my garage really good, I closed the door and didn't open it to even put my car in for weeks. I put my drop cloths down, had my DH build me some sawhorses, and did all of my doors in there. I kept my kirby vacumme cleaner in there and vacummed with the brush attatchment after sanding each time. I really didn't keep track of the time it took because of all of the re-doing after each glazing. I guess I lost track of time. Good luck.

islander- i guess you do know whose kitchen it is, its yours! thanks for posting the photo. is that delicatus granite? it is very similar to my cold springs. i looked at both of them at Triton. the cold springs is whiter i believe and the browns in it are more of a dark mahogany brown, almost black. thats really what i thought it was until i got it in my kitchen. i was kind of let down because i did get the absolute black for the island. thats why you really need to always get samples in your space to check there. my kitchen get sun from the west and is very bright.

teppy--you shouldn't be disappointed as your kitchen is drop dead gorgeous!

My granite is called Gold and Silver. I love it--it's elegant and makes a statement as well. Here's a closer shot:

teppy: Thank you for the paint colors of your island. Yours is just stunning---your entire kitchen is stunning. Puts mine to shame. Yes, Gage is my grandson and the light of my life. His Daddy (my son) recently took a great job in Connecticut and moved Gage so my heart is truely broken. I love and miss Gage and my son so much.

Thanks, pluckymama, it was Lissa711's that I was thinking of. :-)

Teppy, your kitchen is even more amazing knowing you painted it yourself. What a talented lady you are!

Teppy,

Very nosy question. I visited the link for your kitchen stools and believe I saw your style # but close up pictures won't come up, keeps showing the wrong item number, the one which has differnt back and seat.

Would you mind taking a quick look and verifying the items number? Also you ordered counter height, yes? They are so cute and would compliment both an accent chair and kitchen chairs I already have. Plus the size looks like I can get three instead of just two in the space I have.

Thanks so much in advance if you have the time.

Z.

no, i don't think thats nosy at all. i don't know why he doesn't fix his website. i told him that the numbers were not right and that the picture links don't work when you try to make them larger.

i can't remember if i have the 1868-24, or the 1878-24. believe me, he somehow knows who orders what and i am pretty sure that if you call him and ask him to sell you the same stools that he sold me, he will know. tell him that you want to same stools that he sold to stephanie gaspard. i even emailed him a photo to show him how they came out a few days ago. if you click on the photo with the stools above and save it to your desktop and email it to him to make sure after you call him, you would know for sure that he gets the right one. its my eighth picture, or the second to last one that is the same as the one i emailed him.

and yes, you are right, they will fit better than the regular french provencial chairs because they are round. my barstool area is limited because i decided to do the two narrow cabinets on each side of my knee space. two of my regular dining chairs would not fit. and these are antiques not reproductions. the antique chairs are usually smaller and narrower than new repro's. i fit two of these stools with a few inches to move around a bit.

give him a call. every time i've ever called he is the one that answers the phone.

feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Hi teppy - I had the same question on the stools. I emailed the company about the picture issue, stating that I was looking for a round one that I didn't see pictured. Waiting on cost info, also in 'unfinished'. I haven't heard back yet. Do you remember how much they cost? I absolutely adore them! The style is perfect for me, and I also have limited space. Keeping my fingers cost that they won't break the bank:)

Love, love love your kitchen!!

mine were $160 each plus shipping. this was very inexpensive compared to the ones for $800 each i was looking at.

Thanks so much for the info, Teppy - I was just re-reading my post and laughing about my misprint: keeping my fingers 'cost' rather than 'crossed'. You can see what was on the brain!!!

Thanks for the info on the price of your stools. I'm considering ordering them as well. I have two more questions, 1)how wide is your wood rangehood cabinet (above your stove)It looks like a 30" wide. Was it costume made? and 2) How much space do you have between your cabinets (lower ones) and your ceiling? I have 9' ceilings and I have about 12" between the top of my cabinets and the ceiling and I would like to narrow the gap using thicker moulding (I currently have about 1" 1/2 wide mouldings).
Thanks

Thanks so much for your reply! I am adding your kitchen picks to my only other "dream" kitchen pick I have to show a KD we are meeting with in April. I also want the different color base for our island, either black or dark, brown and will probably have white or antique white refaced refaced cabinet doors. We have a huge island with no seating. I'm going to have them modify the existing base by removing the three center cupboards. My kitchen has plenty of storage so I won't miss them.

Thanks again.

Z.

hogar-yes my hood is 30" and custom made. i have 8' ceilings and the space above is 10.5".

zena-did you decide to paint yet? its alot of work for sure. gosh yes, if your island is large, and you have enough aisle space to walk behind, definitely add seating. we love our seating at the island. i thought i would not be able to have it, but my cabinet maker at the last minute, and i mean the very last minute helped me out with this. my kitchen was wide open with just the brand new finished wood floors, and he got down on the floor with his tape measure and we drew the area out with tape so that i could see. he showed me just what i needed to do to make it fit. he then designed it so that i could still have those two cabinets on each side of the knee space. i find these two narrow cabinets invaluable. he was so awesome. when i praised him he told me in his accent, "i know what women want by now". he was so serious too. he told me that he does 80-100 kitchens a year. i think he likes designing them as much as he likes building them.

well that was a rant. anyway, do definitely get your seating if its what you want. good luck.

Teppy,

In my gut I know that I will not do as good a job as you did if I try to paint on my own. You have excellent taste and are very meticulous. Me....not so much. I do have a laundry room I can experiment with if I need to.

I am definitely going to get a quote from a painting company, think I found one, that paints woodwork, cabinet and such. They do a lot of work for builders and had excellent pictures online. I have to get an exterior quote as well.

When I get closer to actually beginning I'll post before pictures. I tried previously but couldn't figure it out. Maybe I'll take a look again this weekend.

Yes, there is enough room for walking if the seating is added. It would be so nice for entertaining, cooking with the kids, kids doing homework etc. We have an eating nook that accomodates only a 48" round table comfortablly so the extra space would be nice plus it's just more social.

I want to compare the painting cost vs. refacing. I'm actually hoping it's not that different because then the KD w/the refacing company could be the GC for the whole job whereas if we go the painting route I'll have find a GC on my own.

Will defenitely try to figure out the picture deal so I can post.

Thanks for the responses.

Z.

Teppy,
Gorgeous kitchen!

What paint color did you use on the cabinets? I looked over this thread a couple of times and didn't see it. Did you use oil or water based paint?

I also love the chandeliers and the wall mounted pot rack with the copper! Where did you find them?

Thanks for your time!
Nancy

Also, the bar stools are the bomb!

Teppy,

I tend to like a less busy backsplash to begin with. Your kitchen has many beautiful details and I would lean toward using a white that compliments the counter surface and the cabinetry. IMO with the green island and green walls I don't think you need to have green accents in the backsplash. You used green for your wall color tyeing to the island whereas your inspiration picture did not. So for the majority of it I'd go with white and then if you want to add a little wow, or green to behind the range go for it. There's my two cents. Can't wait to see what you decide.

Z.

Wow, so gorgeous and cozy at the same time. I'm not a granite person, but I love your granite. Looks yummy. Also looove your sink and the pendants over the island.

I know you're looking for backsplash advice, but I don't have much to offer. Except to echo the poster who suggested mirror behind the bowl. Guess I'd go with something simple and creamy, maybe with some crazing.

jesemy-the cabinets are benjamin moore bavarian cream, but i also added another color to get tone down that bright white after trying the glazing the second time. it made the white a little less 'stark white'. it is the satin impervo waterborne by benjamin moore. its their new latex that supposedly holds up like an oil base paint. it did go on different than regualar latex.

the pot rack is really a window box turned upside down. another forum member identified this for me a while back. i bought the copper pot set from accentsofsalado.com. thats where i saw the pot rack. they have them displayed on it. i found the pot rack on ebay.

the lights are quoizel's higher end line. its called cristal.

yes, the barstools do seem to have stolen the show. i do like the way they came out. and they were so easy! i spent less time on these than anything.

Teppy,
Thanks for digging up the thread for me. I love your kitchen!

When you painted your cabinets, did you use only brushes, or a combination of brushes and foam rollers?

Thanks
Nancy