The Kitchen Backsplash

By Christina Winter, Allied Member ASID

Here at LiLu we had the opportunity to design a second home for one of our clients recently.  They downsized  moving from a large, beautiful home to a compact condominium.  The last year was full of excitement as we transformed a blank shell into a contemporary setting designed to hold all of their beautiful antiques and collections.  One of the key elements we used throughout their new home was tile.  But not just your ordinary stacked subway tile, instead in each area of their home where tile was called for we creatively laid out new formations, pops of color and different textures to add to the aesthetic of their home.  This week follow us as we explore different ways that we have incorporated tile.

The Kitchen…
Most kitchens call for a backsplash and this is one area of your home where you can make the most impact for your money.  We were so excited to have the opportunity to use this Made in the U.S.A stained glass for the kitchen backsplash.  Using our client’s love of color especially purple and red, we templated their kitchen with this contemporary circle tile.  Finding this treasure at Fantasia, a tile showroom located at International Market Square, we were sure this was going to make the perfect statement.

 

Above is the kitchen elevation with our notes in red, redlined.  Here we show a template for how the backsplash should be laid out as well as the other important elements in the room.  The cabinetry, countertops and appliances are all important features.  This is one area where LiLu looks carefully at every detail and communicates to the architect, builder, contractor and the client.

 

This is the final product of our client’s home.  To get the back splash to this final stage we hand selected different stained glass and then gave a percentage for how much we would like to see each color.  The tile maker than made a sample of what we selected and once it was approved, production was underway.  The back splash adds just the right touch to our client’s home.  It is a focal point as you enter the space and adds in pops of color to the gray, monochromatic shell of the home.