bold talavera tile backsplash

10 years ago

I started working on my budget DIY kitchen renovation back in January (after loads of help from folks here during the planning phase), so this has been a long time coming. It's not completely finished - still need to do some molding, toe kicks, and some other trim, but we're close. We finally finished the countertop-to-ceiling tile and installed out range hood this past week, so I wanted to share that progress. The tiles are irregular, so I chose a wider grout line. I think if I were to do it again, I might have gone tighter on that. But it's done and we're happy.

The dark blue tile you can see a bit of at the top on the left in the below photo was a perfect fit to fill the space between the last full tile and the ceiling. My original plan was to cut the tiles to fit, but they turned out to be difficult to cut smoothly, plus my ceiling is wonky, so we went with this idea to make life simpler. They do run across the length of the ceiling, it's just the angle of the photo that cuts them off on the right.

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Comments (11)

sas95
10 years ago
Very pretty!
smiling
10 years ago
Wow, that looks fabulous! What a great job, and great colors with your counters, too. I rather like the grout lines because they add so much to the design, and the wider grout in the blue strip at the top is just a wonderful extra accent.

Are those, by any chance, Ramsjo doors? They look so much more white than I've seen before. If so, did you paint them? If not, how are they holding up in your opinion?
Thanks for showing such a good job!
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I can see why it might be advisable to remove the left/rt portions of tile, but I would be inclined to wait until ithe kitchen is completed before deciding. If, as your gut tells you, it "needs" to come down, nothing is really lost except a little more time with it up. Perhaps knowing you are not "locked-in" or committed to it, will help give the perspective to view it more objectively while deciding for sure. This way you will not only have the chance to see it with everything else in place, but you will also have the opportunity to get used to it, before deciding if you truly dislike it, or just haven't gotten used to it being there. As subtle (in color) as our tile is, after months of looking at white painted Sheetrock, it still looked "different" and stood out when we looked at our kitchen. Once we became accustomed to it, we couldn't imagine our walls without it. That's how I am with many things--after living with a blank wall or empty space for any period of time, even a long awaited piece of furniture or decor item jumps out at me, and almost seems like too much, until I get used to the vacant space being filled. Thanks for the compliments on our backsplash Laura and andreak100! It's the Opera Glass tile from Artistic Tile (Stilatto pattern) in Wolfgang White. It does read greenish-blue(-grey) in certain lights or times of day. We had to think about that one while deciding if we wanted to use it, and obviously decided to go for it! Good luck Laura! Honestly, whatever you decide will look terrific!
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Ok, ok, you mentioned Santa Fe, and my mind immediately went to a mexican tile mosaic that someone here at GW has used in a vertical orientation. This is not at all what you've been looking at, but I just have to show it to you. I love that mosaic, and it could work for you in the horizontal application throughout the kitchen, but it is miles away from what you're drawn to. OK, now that that's out of my system, here's what I think might work for you on the subtler side. The tile below is a mesh mounted mosaic and the sheet measures about 10.5" x 11", so you get an idea of the tile size, very roughly, 3" w x 4" t. The solid color field tile below in the same glaze (light green) is available in square and subway formats in a variety of sizes. I think in order to keep the look cohesive you should either keep the color the same and use a different shape for the special areas, or keep the shape the same and use a harmonizing, deeper color for the special areas. So, you could choose a light green brick subway for your counter area, and a light green ogee mosaic for the special areas. Or, you could use the ogee everywhere, in yellow quartz for the counter areas, and light green for the special spots.
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Thanks for the responses. This is is such a great resource of info and opinions. ediblekitchen - it's not so much that we don't white, it's just not a super-modern clean white. i guess looking for some texture/patina. but do want polished/shiny/bright to lighten things up. If we were doing white cabinets, I would love a countertop that looks like the backsplash in this pic: http://bigcottage.com/houses/winchelsea-white-cabin/gallery/#jp-carousel-7777 jlc712 - i do like that, but yes, looking for brighter/whiter given the painted cabinets dlyanmom - thanks for the pics, it is always helpful to try to find inspiration like that. all of those are beautiful, but i did notice they all had much more solid backsplashes - white or grey. fori - i had never even heard of copper counters, thanks for giving me a new obsession! but they've got to be super-expensive and kind of high-maintenance right? i would love to see what green cabinets with copper countertops would look like, that would be awesome. eam44 - wouldn't soapstone be much matte-er? it's not very light or reflective right? and gets darker over time? i do love them with white cabinets though nosoccermom - these seem like good options (i've looked at silestone colors--and I sort of like Yukon, Lagoon, and would like Bianco River with more subtle veining perhaps; Mont Blanc is nice with specks of color, some blue that might hint at the cabs, but I haven't see a slab and I suspect it would be too busy with the painted cabs and patterned tile). I am going to try to see some of the CS samples somewhere. Other suggestions for something low-maintenance, light, reflective, with SOME subtle texture but not too busy?
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williamsem
10 years ago
I love it! I've already got a similar tile picked out for the next place I can find for tiles, complete with paint colors. I just love the full wall tile pattern look!

I hope you share more pics when you are done, it looks like a lovely kitchen.
Fori
10 years ago
I really like that!

More photos please. :)
heidihausfrau
10 years ago
That is gorgeous!!!!
dee850
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the positive comments! I will definitely post more photos when we get it cleaned up. I still have tiles stacked on the table, molding strips waiting around on one of the counters, etc. Plus these hideous dollar store neon orange curtains that we bought just for privacy while we wait on finishing the window trim. Never thought we'd be living with those for months, lol!

Smiling, these are the Ramsjo white doors, not painted. We figured we could always go back and paint if we found them too pink in the end, but we are fine with them as they are. They've held up great so far, though it's just near 9 months of use, so not exactly a long time test. The color depends entirely on lighting in my experience. In natural sunlight and some artifical light, they are a warm white, but not pink at all. In some artificial light, and especially in dim light or shade, they can appear more pink. Lighting plus the other colors around the cabinets make the difference, I think. We nixed some other Mexican tile that we originally loved because when we held up the samples on that wall, there was too much yellowish off-white in the tiles, and it seemed like paring them together with the Ramsjo doors made both look significantly worse.
smiling
10 years ago
Thank you dee850, that is so very helpful to know! Especially that the doors have held up well in the middle of a 9 month project. Sounds like you're nearly done now, can't wait for more pics! Thanks again.
oldbat2be
10 years ago
What a lovely backsplash, great tile choice!
fouramblues
10 years ago
Love that backsplash! Definitely bold and definitely beautiful. And as a fellow DIY backsplasher, I'm really impressed with how precisely the tiles line up. Well done, dee!
Holly- Kay
10 years ago
Absolutely gorgeous and the grout looks the perfect size for your tiles! There is nothing budget looking at all in your beautiful kitchen. I can't wait to see more pics. Best wishes for many happy years enjoying your beautiful space.
gwlolo
10 years ago
Really fabulous! What a signature look! Will you post pics of rest your kitchen?

bold talavera tile backsplash

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sas95

smiling

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bold talavera tile backsplash

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