Oh my......my backsplash is going to be perfect!!

15 years ago

I think picking my back splash tile was the hardest decision I had to make with this kitchen. My granite is Delicatus and is VERY busy, with cream, brown, black, gray and gold in it. So how on earth do you match that without competing? I selected tumbled travertine and a matching mosaic by Regio. The mosaic has two or 3 shades of travertine in it and also dark gray frosted glass (which is a match to the smokey quartz that is in my granite) and cream frosted glass squares in it. It's not done yet, but already I can tell I am going to love it. The first picture is what I got done on Saturday. The second picture is what I am putting right above the stainless shelf. The transition to diagonal mounting and square mounting will be a seam hidden behind the shelf so I think it will look ok. Now I just have to pick the grout color. Any suggestions?

Here's the funny part. There have been a few thread on here lately about people second guessing their decisions....including my own. You have no idea how many time I looked at this expensive non-returnable tile, feeling sick to my stomach that I made a mistake and I was going to hate this, even though I LOVED it when I picked it out! I was so afraid it wouldn't look right, too fancy, too plain, too whatever. And all that worry was for nothing because it is just the look I wanted. So I guess the moral of this story is don't second guess yourself because your instincts were probably right to begin with!

Cindy

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Comments (14)

busybme
15 years ago
That looks great! Can't wait to see the unveiling of your TOTALLY finished kitchen!

Sandy
positano
15 years ago
That looks so good!! It must feel great to realize you made the right choice. I was one of the posters about second guessing decisions. Today's dilema is..... do I want to switch to a french door fridge instead of single door.

Can't wait to see it all done!! Gorgeous granite by the way.
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Oh my -- do you have to pick so theoretically? That is, can you get much of the other stuff up and running so that you can see the context a little better, set the tiles up against the counter with the floor in sight and choose *then*? ~one who's expert at delaying choices as long as possible. Speaking of which, it's pulls-time....
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So sorry I missed the latest round of responses and questions! I'll attempt to catch up with replies here: @farmgirlinky, I also am conflicted about whether I might have preferred more contrast in the grout. I'm perfectly happy with how it turned out, so it's not enough of a conflict to make me want to change it, but I sure did like the look with the darker (pre-grout) lines. @sandesurf, thanks! I practically designed the whole kitchen around a display spot for that pear. My mom happens to be friends with a lot of incredible artists, and one of them made the pear for her just for fun. I have crassly told my mom many times that she'd better leave that pear to me when she died. Well, about a year and a half ago, she moved in with us, so thankfully, she didn't have to kick the bucket in order for me to get the pear. :) @sudhira, the tiles are Seneca Satins. The color is "lambswool" and, as you can see, there is a bit of variation since they're handmade. We are very pleased with the quality, but I have to say that the wait was ridiculous. When the woman at the store called as I was ordering, she was told they would ship within three to four weeks. Twelve weeks later, they were actually shipped--no explanation, no apology. @newbieremodeler, the prep sink is a Ticor S805. The bowl size is listed at 13" x 16-1/2" x 7-1/8", and this has worked out perfectly for us. It's big enough for anything we've wanted to prep, but it is small enough not to take up the whole island. We have been very pleased with it. The faucets are both Kohler Vinnata. The prep sink has the "secondary" size, and the main sink has the "primary" size. The difference is just enough to matter. @louisianapurchase, I don't know if I'd call the rest of the house "great" but it's quirky and different, and it certainly suits us. Here are a few really terrible quality phone pics of the living room and sunroom. When you see the ceilings in the rest of the house, it becomes clearer why we chose the ceiling we did for the kitchen.
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I'm not sure how I came across this post, I think it was displayed on the right side and I clicked on it being intrigued by the tile making. I was at one time interested in working with papercrete and hypertufa. But after enlisting my brother, who wasn't as enthusiastic, and my niece, who poured cement down my laundry room sink, which original to the house had lasted 70 years, and ruining three blenders, my interest waned. True to form, if I come upon difficulty in a project, I think of it as a sign for me not to continue. And really, after all these years of trying various crafts that result in crap, I should know better. I also should have known better than to ask my brother, who always says it can't be done to any of my unique design ideas. And I should have known better than to ask my niece, who once stayed up all night before having to drive to LA for an art show, cutting mat after mat after measuring once, twice, sometimes ten times, but always coming out with the wrong size. I think we both have math dyslexia. I should video us trying anything crafty to see where we go wrong. I think both of us having ADHD might have something to do with it. Sorry for the backstory and run on sentences. So, I just wanted to see if you continued with your venture. And to say sorry for whatever tragedy occurred to cause you to have to move to Florida. Not that there is anything wrong with Florida, but it isn't Panama. Which is one of my favorite places in the western hemisphere. I hope no one is upset that I brought up a seven year old post.
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I think you are best doing as you've decided - subways to match your cabs. We did off-white subways in a large format (4x12 I think) and then grouted in a caramel-ish shade. Off-size subways were hard to find back then, but I've just been out looking for our latest remodel and they are everywhere and quite inexpensive. I'm thinking the larger size would look good in your kitchen because they are less busy and since the floor is already an attention grabber, bigger/plainer is the way to go. Watching you do the floor was my fave part of the time elapsed video. I could feel your exhaustion as you neared the end, but so worth it.
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cotehele
15 years ago
Wonderful warm colors! Relax and enjoy.
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
15 years ago
Looking good! Great choice. Can't wait to see it done! Congrats!
megradek
15 years ago
That looks perfect!!! So pretty.

I have a medium colored tumbled travertine like yours in my current masterbath and we used a color called "moonstone". I love that it blends with the stone.
amylovesbud
15 years ago
Your kitchen is beautiful and the backsplash you've chosen is wonderful.

It's so fun watching your kitchen because I'm also using delicatus granite, but our kitchens are completely different! Every time I see a post by you I click to see what you are doing. So far everything is really lovely and I can't wait to see the finished product.
susan4664
15 years ago
I love the backsplash, but then again I am biased because I have the same tumbled marble tiles and similar wood color on my cabinets cabinets. I do, however, have dark granite. It is Peacock Green and here is a picture, just to show that these earthtones work with every combination!
marybeth1
15 years ago
Once again I LOVE your choice! Your kitchen is an inspiration to me I can't wait to see more!
Mary Beth
pluckymama
15 years ago
Oh Wow Cindy, that is going to be just perfect. You have picked a winner!
ccoombs1
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much for all the kind words. It is just so nice to finally, after working on this house for years, to see it look so close to being finished. Whatever will I do with my spare time!! Lol!!

Amylovesbud, I canÂt wait to see your delicates. ItÂs a great stone that is not used much (mainly because many fabricators donÂt like working with it), so I am always anxious to see pictures of in peopleÂs kitchens.

Susan, your kitchen is beautiful!! I wanted darker countertops but ended up using the lighter delicates because my kitchen doesnÂt have much natural light and I was afraid the dark granite would darken things up too much. Yours looks fantastic! This travertine is so versatile, isnÂt it? What color grout did you use?

Wow marybethÂ. an inspiration? Cool! More pictures will be posted soon!
susan4664
15 years ago
Thanks. I don't remember the name of the grout that I used, although "nutmeg" seems to stand out in my mind. It actually photographs lighter than it is. I chose a grout that was as close to the color of the tiles as possible. Didn't want a checkerboard effect and I'm really happy with it.
Just as a side note, my kitchen is dark also, as there are no windows or natural light on that side of the house. The dark granite did not make the kitchen feel darker and the undercabinet lighting keeps things bright as well.

Good Luck!
nomorebluekitchen
15 years ago
Yes, it is going to be perfect! How pretty!

Anita
organic_nettie
15 years ago
I am having the hardest time choosing a backsplash. I am looking for the exact style you have. I have New Venetian Gold, and first took home samples of Ivory tumbled stone, but for some reason, it looks like a pinkish tone in my kitchen with that granite. I think I need a little goldish tone with cream for a better combination with my granite, also what makes it hard is that my cabinets are ivory. I could not find any tumbles stone with a gold tone but I did see porclein tile, that looks like stone, with a goldish cream color. I think I am going to get that. It is sort of a mono-tone effect, but soft. I will put somekind of design throughout the pattern or little mosaic tile.
Susan-What color is your stone, it goes beautiful with you cabinets.
Coocombs-what color is your stone.
The venetian gold is a goldish brown color and your colors look too peachy or busy for my counter.
lyno
15 years ago
Gorgeous!!! I'm anxious to see it finished.

Oh my......my backsplash is going to be perfect!!

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busybme

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Oh my......my backsplash is going to be perfect!!

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