I like that you were willing to think outside the box and try something different to persnalize your kitchen. However, I will be honest and tell you that I don't like it at all. If you want something rustic or some color and warmth, put it in with other touches, but that is just sloppy and doesn't work.

If you really love it, it is your kitchen. Just be prepared to redo it before you sell or to take a real hit on days on market and the price. Sorry that's not what you were hoping to hear.

Actually, I think the bias on the sloppy backsplash is that people who are familiar with it are accustomed to seeing it with rough brick, not a shiny, smooth, glazed and perfectly uniform tile .... I would also disagree with your definition of mixing traditional and eclectic, but that's a different topic!

I think it's great that you did something special for your wife and that she likes it.

I heartily agree with lascatx -- be prepared for resale ....

Or not seeing it in a kitchen at all regardless of shiny or not... The sloppy part is simply the way the grout comes off the tile.

Again this can be scraped down a bit. However, the thicker lines defintely give it character. The tiles are beveled and when they were all butted against each other there was no "substance" or "texture" to the room.

You could have been in a low-rent volume bath or kitchen. The idea is a more bespoke look. Of course, the downside to anything bespoke is that it is usually bespoke specifically for taste of the owner/creator ;-)

Keep the feedback coming.

I'm sorry, but I have to say that I don't care for it either. If you wanted some blotchiness and darks and lights on the backsplash I would have done the backsplash in matching marble tile. You have an elegant kitchen, and the backsplash to me just looks amateurish, and badly done. That look should be done with handmade, irregular tile, not clean edged tile with a bad grout job. Handmade tile gives a warmer look, as does beveled, or crackled tile or a wider grout line and a deeper grout. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I would fix that pronto! Not complimentary to your kitchen at all.

I'm not in love with it, either (sorry!) but I think you're underestimating how hard it is going to be to get dried grout off. Getting it off when it's wet is simple enough--when it's dried it is a huge pain in the ass, especially in an area like a backplash where you're leaning in. If you decide to fix it, you need to do it as soon as possible before it hardens more.

Err...I really really wanted to like it. But I don't. I think if you wanted to go with a handmade, rustic type of look, go for travertine which has a lot of pits and character, or tumbled marble which will show the uneven edges around the grout lines. But what you have there, it just looks like a mistake.

Taste is very subjective. But I don't think you will find many people who will like that look. Definitely do what you are happiest with. But the fact that you're asking could be due to you being doubtful as well?

You have a really outstanding kitchen and I feel that it would look more appropriate with a backsplash with a tidier grout line. I admire you posting though, and welcoming honest feedback! It's great that you did something for your wife!

If it's not too late, maybe reconsider wiping off some of the grout.

Dissenting opinion here: I like it, and it's very sweet of you to take the time & trouble! BTW, IMO the kitchen does need some colorful accessories to warm it up. She and you will have fun -- it looks like you're on the same page.

Parts of it is completly dry and it flakes right off if you pull with finger so a scraper should work fine if needed. Since we laid the tile with little to no spacing between we didn't need the sanded type of grout.

They only reason you can the grout lines are so thick is because the tiles are beveled so it left thicker lines when trownled over and she liked so much we didn't wipe out the beveling. A scraper will smooth out the chunks if she wants but she definitely prefered the thicker look of the lines than it all running together super clean like.

Perhaps this is one of those "have to see in person to appreciate". We both looked at it "before" with clean look and thought this better. And we constantly look at houses at all price points and types - rustic to very formal. Heck, I have even built a 7 figure full on french house and can usually tell when something looks doesn't work.

I tell you what... All of you are invited over to see in person ;-)

Once it is dry and well set, you may ruin the glaze of you tile to remove the excess grout -- that is why I way be prepared to replace it.

I am familiar with the look of brick laid with the excess mortar left between the bricks. It is generally done outdoors. I have seen it done with red brick indoors and even in a kitchen -- where it was being ripped out or covered. I am fine with that look and would even say I like it where it fits, but it doesn't transalte into a similar feel with the glossy subways and the beautiful marble. There is also a difference in the uneven, squeezed out look of that mortar and the thick, not cleaned off look of the grout in those lines. The tile didn't look clean in the first photo I saw, but I can't find that same photo now. The wider grout lines are fine -- I think that is a personal preference thing that works well tight or looser.

Another thing your DW may come to hate -- the grout is the thing that can make your tile backsplash a bear to keep clean. The more you have, the more it will catch stuff and hold onto it. Even if sealed well, the rough texture makes it tougher to clean and the areas that stand out will catch more drips and splatters.

For your floor, I would not do octagonals. You have a lot of different shapes already happening in a realtively small space -- it is on the verge of getting too busy. Keep it something simple and calm. Pavers would be the better of those two choices.

I didn't notice the tile under the counter at first. I think that's one of those touches that personalizes a kitchen. It does strike me as something possibly done to save the cost of laminating the marble edge and still cover the plywood beneath it, but it doesn't bother me. I do notice that the mosaic doesn't have the smae grout treatment -- making the backsplash look even more unfinished or a mistake. Also, you would not want the rough bits of grout sticking out at that level -- the roughness would not only be irritating if you bump into it, it could catch on clothing and ruin fine fabrics.

BTW, thanks Bluekitobsessed! Either you (and we) have especially good taste and are apparently bold enough to break up the staus quo norm i.e. the typical expected, predictable and steril white kitchen look ;-) with some unique touches.

I can't recall seeing the octogonal spanish tile (we plan on doing) in any another white cab/white cararra kitchen either. Then again if we followed the norm i.e. quickest re-sale we would just do dark wood floor.

This thread kinda reminds me of when I posted about putting black and white checkerboard in the foyer at an angle and I got blasted with

"Don't do it because the black and white is too cold for your traditional wood, white and dentil molding decor etc". Then I posted an inspiration picture of black and white with checker marble floor and you know the rest...

Well I'm not sure there's really a need to slam those of us who've chosen to do our own version of a white kitchen with a dark wood floor -- there's room enough for all kinds of tastes! Mine isn't yours and yours isn't mine -- that's okay. That's what makes this forum so much fun, getting to peek inside others kitchens.

After all, you were the one who posted this thread with the subject "... What Do You Think?" And look at all the respectful, tactful responses you received. That says something ....

I actually like the dark wood floor and still may do it. Just poking some jabs back. All in fun!

I'm not in love with it, but I am in love with the idea of the thicker grout lines, given I've put them in myself. Personally, I'd leave the thick lines and clean up the faces of the tile...which would leave this sort of look...

I didn't have the inside slope cleared out either and I do love the look. There are many who say that a wide grout line is harder to clean, but I'm willing to work a bit harder for the "look" :o)

Er....
Uh...
Nope. Sorry. Don't care for it.

I do love a rustic brick backsplash, like in lynnie's kitchen. But it doesn't look right to me with those tiles. It looks (to me anyway) like a mistake--like a first timer did it and didn't exactly know how.

But even if it were a rustic brick, I don't think I'd care for it with the more formal arched cab doors and marble counter. As igloochic said in a different thread, it is "wonky but the wrong kind of wonky."

Sorry!

And how will DW keep it clean (and will the grout chip off unevenly with cleaning?)

All that said, is this your forever home? If it is, and you don't care about resale, then by all means do whatever floats your boat! And even if you are worried about resale, I don't suppose I would reject a home that I otherwise wanted just because the backsplash needed to go bye bye. Heck, many of us embrace homes where the whole kitchen needs to go bye bye asap!

:-)

francy

Neither of us liked the tumbled marble look. The tumbled seems to clash with the clean marble even more so. The matching shiny surface with a more industrial (think resturant) grouting seems more cohesive than a different stone.

That or maybe we were just tired of seeing that same look.

sorry....I don't like it. The rest of the kitchen is pretty....but the messy grout lines look like a bad grout job.

I have old lady eyes. Do I see bits of grout on the face of the tile and grout lines on the face of the tile? The whole thing looks like a cleaning nightmare to me.

evoking1--

I think it's great that you posted something unique and different to the kitchen forum. Most of the white subway BSs that I see posted look identical (which is fine, to me they are bland and neutral). You took it in a different direction.

I showed your BS to my DH, partly b/c he is not picky at all when it comes to style. I was curious what someone who was all about practicality would think. He said similar things as others: 1) it looks like someone didn't know how to grout (and he is NOT very picky when it comes to judging DIY tile) and 2) it would look more appropriate (to him) if the tiles were red bricks.

However, i think the intended "feel" that you were going for is a nice change for this type of BS. I think you could still attain the same feeling by neatening up the grout yet leaving thick grout lines (like igloochic demonstrated in her photo). When I think about the purpose of a BS, I think of it as an easy-to-clean wall surface for a work area that can get messy due to splattering etc. I don't think it's like that for everyone, but it's what I think of. I don't think your grout looks easy to clean at all...it looks like it would have to be scrubbed. I'd rather clean a painted wall.

From a design perspective I like the direction you took it--though I have to agree that it's not my preference, rustic is quaint but not for me--but think the grout could be evened out and still have the same feel. From a functionality perspective, I consider it worse than no BS at all.

Sorry, I don't like it either...but you asked! Maybe if you added a glaze to your cabinets to make THEM more rustic looking too it would fit in better?

On the other hand, more power to you for going with what YOU and your DW want. Let us know what happens the first time you need to give it a good scrubbing though.

The feel of your kitchen is quite (nicely!) changed with the dominate white counters and BS. I like the look from a distance. I confess that I didn't look at all 3 pages of photos, but I didn't see a close-up of the BS. If it were my kitchen, I would prefer to achieve the uneven grout lines with variations in the tile edge rather than grouting over the tile. I did notice the rough plaster treatment under the overhang. It fits with the rough treatment in the BS.

My 2 cents....I like it. Glad you and DW love it-that's what is really important.

Nancy

Thanks for the feedback. I agree it is something different which is precisely why I posted. The response also reminds me of when My Hobby (this stuff is more the DW's) which is cars.

When a new BMW or Porsche is intoduced all fo the purists absolutely loathe it. But then gradually it grows on everyone. In fact, if EVERYONE likes a car too quickly it ages too rapidly. At least this is the design philosophy of many top designers including BMW's chief. Sorry to mix my boy hobbies in ;-)

I have scraped off the glops off the surface of the tiles. Nonetheless, maintaining the functional "we just laid this white brick to be our wall; not to be pretty" industrial look which was the goal. Not too clinical or perfect to bring substance/texture.

Will post some new pics today.

So below are some new pics after scraping off some of the excess grout on the tiles. The more I see it in person and pics the more it seems many folks are simply resistant to change.

Instead of looking with open mind to see determine if the contrasting textures simply look good or not many are focusing on how they don't TYPICALLY see or how 'you aren't SUPPOSED' to have rustic elements with a smooth tile etc.

I will conceed the cleaning is more difficult with grout. However, it isn't around the stove or island where nearly all food prep happens. Nonetheless we'll need to get a good sealer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grout scraped down a bit

I love the touch of green you have along the bottom cabinets. I know you are going for a different look with the backsplash, but I am just having a hard time reconciling visual sloppiness vs. visionary design. I am not trying to be mean at all; I think it's hard to see a grout job like that without thinking it's poor workmanship, even though I know on your part that is far from the case. If I took you up on your invite to come over, I might get kicked out for having a strong compuslion to scrape your grout. :)

Only you and the wife have to love it! There is no need to convince any of us naysayers. We can agree to disagree!

:-)

I came in late and get to see it tidied up a bit, and with the big cleaning issue being addressed, I do genuinely really like it. In fact, I love the way it looks with your marble. I confess to being tired of the white subways I've liked a lot for several decades now, but yours are well worth checking out.

Pavers or Spanish tile, hmmm... Are you brave enough to post pix of the pavers you're thinking of? Spanish tile is an all-time classic, and you could pick up a bit of that green aif you wished.

Your entire kitchen is looking great, Evoking. I suspect a lot of other wives browsing through are wishing they could borrow you instead of just your ideas. :)

I like that you are going for something different than the typrical white subs with white grout. What I think makes your special and different is the wide grout lines, the darker than typical color of the grout, and the fact that you hand-laid it as opposed to using a grid.

That said I think that those 3 attributes are enough to set it apart from the rest. I agree with other posters that the "sloppy" just reads as poor execution, and I also agree that flaking pieces of grout will be a nightmare.

Evoking, you remind me of an acquaintance who prefers all things "alternative" and outside of the norm. You reject things that are "typical" and how they're "supposed to be". The thing that I find interesting about that approach is, that since he rejects everything that is popular or well-revered - then he's closing himself off to things simply because they are the "norm". Which is no better than "typical people" who reject things that are outside of the norm. I find the rejection of both the "norm" and the "alternative" to be equally close-minded. Please consider that - just some food for thought.

My point is, don't close yourself off to something just because you think it's common. And don't assume because some people don't like your tile treatment, that it's because it's unusual. Even if you are partially joking/teasing, to me it comes off as a bit hurtful.

I would argue that the people on this forum are more visionary and open then the average people, because we're on this darn forum everyday researching and educating ourselves on design and renovations.

I think some of us misinterpreted your original post as seeking guidance. You obviously are tickled pink about the tiles. That's all that matters. Enjoy them! And enjoy all of the opinions and amalgamated knowledge and research on this forum. That's what it's here for!

I too had a friend that rejects and debates everything thats normal just to a maverick. Drove me up the wall. No DW doesn't like stuff purely for the sake of being different. If something is ugly its ugly whether its differnt or so-called high-fashion. Nothing to prove.

I'd say DW is fairly in the middle and so am I. She really wanted a clean white kitchen but after the tiles were on it looked too plan. Tumbled was not something we wanted either. This just seemed to be just right.

The reason I made the comments about people being stuck on "the norms" is that quite frankly the pictures don't even fully illustrate the sloppy look. It actually looks just like thick grout lines. It seemd people had more issue with the idea than what they saw thats all.

And yes, feedback is fun and the purpose of these forums. I use them for my cars as well ;-)

I think it looks pretty good for the most part. I like the idea.

It's overall a bit too much white for me - I would love it were it more of an earthy shade to the tiles that would match a similarly coloured tile floor (though probably a darker floor then the back splash would be). As far as if you like white however I'd say its good.

Wine cooler in the corner is pretty cute too.

This is Evoking's DW. Thank you all for your feedback good and bad. I love the way it has come together so far and adding more color here and there will warm it up more.

Special thanks for the compliment on the wine cooler as my mother just bought it for our anniversary!

I Love Love Love the messy mortar w/ rustic brick as a backsplash! In fact , that is Exactly what I want to do in my kitchen! I just need some How -To Instructions!! I have a small space so I am hoping it won't be too hard! Help!! Anybody?

You will get more replies if you start a new thread. The link provided here opens to a bunch of pictures of cars.