Wow with Backsplash Tile

I hope you’re keeping well and safe with the ever-changing and ongoing COVID-19 situation. It is my sincere hope that in these trying times you are finding your home to be a true sanctuary.

I have this really cool story to share with you. I’m sure most of you probably already know that home design shows have helped popularize renovations for kitchens that are stuck in the past. But these shows don’t always explain to viewers the realistic costs. No, don’t raise your eyebrow—just yet. In this blog I’m not talking about a major home renovation. I want to share how two adult children took just a few simple steps, and a sprinkle of tender loving care, so they could transform their mother’s vacation home into a sanctuary.

Unlike renovating a main residence, with a vacation home, you have the freedom to plan the timing so that your vacation home is ready for you during the season that you want to use it. This involves careful planning. Right? Of course! After all, timing is everything! For instance, if you’re planning on renovating a beach home it would be great if those renovations could be done in the winter. In this case, the vacation home was a condo located in sunny SW Florida.

Jeff and Marsha, brother and sister, who flew in from different states, wanted to transform their mother’s condo into a sanctuary. They wanted to create a serene retreat for their mother, Monoka. They sought to make the condo to be a place that greets her with all the comforts of home in a location that she’ll love, where she can relax, and spend time with her family and friends. They envisioned the open, breezy floorplan (kitchen, living and dining room) to be the hub of the home on good and bad weather days alike.

Well, late summertime was here and they knew their mother was looking forward to spending the winter season visiting her vacation home. Any regular readers of my blogs will know that “have a plan” is pretty much my mantra for starting out on the right foot when tackling a home improvement project of any size. Marsha and Jeff knew pretty much what their budget was. They decided to keep the existing standard big-box store kitchen cabinets, but replace the dated countertops with a surface that offers exceptional durability with easy-to-clean convenience. One of the family’s must-haves was Cambria.

New countertops are a significant addition to any home. Installing these new countertops can drastically transform the appearance and functionality of a home for the better. But before countertops can be installed, you must have a professional complete a template process. I was able to watch a professional make this countertop template. Building a countertop with corners is challenging enough, but adding an odd angle like the awkward corner, into the mix—it could become a real headache. Once the glue was dried the pro was able to take the template to the fabricator. The fabricator used this template as a life size guide of the shape he needed to create Monoka’s countertops.

Blank walls can be boring, right? But what happens when someone tries to disguise boring walls by placing two mirrors and valance curtains in awkward corner—right in front of the kitchen sink? You do agree that these items were all wrong for the space? Right? Well, I discussed that if they choose the right tile pieces, and installed them correctly, they could introduce personality, style, and a wow-factor to Monoka’s dated kitchen. I suggested doing something pretty and unique.

Anyone who has browsed a tile store lately knows there are a dizzying number of beautiful options available. We used affordable tiles: monochromatic neutral-tone glazed beveled ceramic 3-by-6-inch subway tiles, hexagon, and mosaic tiles. The backsplash tile design in the awkward corner was used in a way that looks surprising expensive. A word of caution…you can tile with the fanciest, most expensive tile in the world, but if it’s not installed or finished properly, it’s going to look cheap and shoddy. And this kitchen tile was anything but cheap or shoddy. One of the finishing touches in this kitchen was to install new hardware to the existing cabinet doors and drawer fronts.

As you now can see the corner wall serves as a focal point thanks to the beautiful mosaic backsplash and light fixture. The rest of the backsplash in the kitchen was subway tile that extends to the ceiling. This provided an elegant and understatedly refreshing look.

These 3 small things had a huge impact in this kitchen (countertops, backsplash, and hardware). They changed the look and feel of this entire kitchen and they didn’t break the bank. Marsha found the perfect pendant to hang above her mother’s brand new kitchen sink. It added drama without being too bold.