I am here to tell you just like your food it will never be perfect unless you build it yourself. What do we do you ask? Find the one model that is almost everything you want and then you can spice it up. There are so many ways to do this but the first place I would start IF this was not done in the design process and you have a bare wall back splash is start there. Today our generation loves living in open space and entertaining. It is no longer the age of room division and our kitchens are not only about their functionality and equipment offered for your enjoyment and foods pleasure BUT these spaces now need to blend and be a living space! They need to be beautiful. They need to make a statement that represents you.
Now before you unpack all your decor, start with your back-splash. You can take a basic kitchen and add a traditional, relaxed, modern or contemporary flare. For instance the images below came from a blog I follow and the person was asking what to do with their back-splash (images source: Remodelaholic). The follower stated, "I need ideas for backsplash, I'm not sure if to use glass tile or stone & also need advise for what color tone to go with. Cabinets are espresso. Any help is appreciated."
My description of this space is basic. Its a good solid foundation for nearly any type of back-splash tile out there. The Cabinets are an espresso craftsman style cabinet front which is a very basic design and can be molded into many different design styles. The movement in the granite is a jack of all trades. Just a note, the hardware and appliances suggests that this particular blogger would like something a little more modern.
There are many tile materials out there and walking into a showroom can sometimes be overwhelming. I'm going to give a brief description of the types of tile material out there to help you make sense of the way things are sorted inside a tile showroom.
Now here in order to portray a style/design depends on material and pattern. For instance a travertine tile (in almost every pattern) gives you a casual rustic look same goes for slate. Depending on the types of marble Your come can move from a very traditional look to an ultra contemporary look. What helps determine what the marble will do inside you space is cut, color, and surface finish (i.e. a polished material vs. unpolished material). The river rock decorative tiles are a very relaxed and rustic look most of the time but again can be very contemporary. When you approach the glass category there is a polished or matte look. There are also large glass tile all the way through the mosaic tiles. There are also the mixed mosaic with glass and other materials, typically stone. It is my opinion that one should use glass mosaics carefully and cautiously as they can look very busy and not allow your eye to focus on the room as a whole but instead stand out and force your eye to that space covered in the tile only.
Here is the link to a board on my Pinterest account to show you some ideas and what the materials look like in different settings as well as cabinet colors and countertop materials.
My Simple Beauty: Tile Idea Board
Advertisement Note: I sell tile and happen to be an Interior Designer. If you are interested in either of these services I would be honored to help!!!!
Love -N
There are many tile materials out there and walking into a showroom can sometimes be overwhelming. I'm going to give a brief description of the types of tile material out there to help you make sense of the way things are sorted inside a tile showroom.
- Ceramic Tile- This tile is made of clay and hardened with hear. This tile is one of most affordable types of tile materials on the market. This is also the most delicate man made materials on the marker. It breaks easily when a heavy item is dropped on the floor or hit hard enough on the wall. Typically cannot be used within a commercial setting.
- Porcelain Tile- This tile is also made of clay but fired at a a higher heat. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arises mainly from the formation of glass and the mineral mullite within the fired body at these high temperatures. Porcelain Tile can be used in residential and commercial applications. It is a tough product and can survive most household abuse. This tile can be rated for many different uses and weights.
- Through Body Porcelain Tile- This material has all the same qualities of a basic Porcelain Tile however the color of the tile is dyed to be the same color has the base/foundation color all the way through the product. Because of this feature if the tiles was to chip or crack, that would be hard to do, it will be a similar color making the damage less noticeable.
- Glass Tile- This is pretty self explanatory. It can not be used on floors.
- Metal Tile- This happens to be one of my personal favorites right now. You can achieve such elegance and interest with these tiles.
- Beside the man made materials that are on the market there is a nearly limitless array of natural stone products out there to choose from. The basics and most popular are travertine, marble, slate, river rock and granite.
Now here in order to portray a style/design depends on material and pattern. For instance a travertine tile (in almost every pattern) gives you a casual rustic look same goes for slate. Depending on the types of marble Your come can move from a very traditional look to an ultra contemporary look. What helps determine what the marble will do inside you space is cut, color, and surface finish (i.e. a polished material vs. unpolished material). The river rock decorative tiles are a very relaxed and rustic look most of the time but again can be very contemporary. When you approach the glass category there is a polished or matte look. There are also large glass tile all the way through the mosaic tiles. There are also the mixed mosaic with glass and other materials, typically stone. It is my opinion that one should use glass mosaics carefully and cautiously as they can look very busy and not allow your eye to focus on the room as a whole but instead stand out and force your eye to that space covered in the tile only.
Here is the link to a board on my Pinterest account to show you some ideas and what the materials look like in different settings as well as cabinet colors and countertop materials.
My Simple Beauty: Tile Idea Board
Advertisement Note: I sell tile and happen to be an Interior Designer. If you are interested in either of these services I would be honored to help!!!!
Love -N
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