Want a UNIQUE backsplash? See how I chose mine!

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Where we started

When we moved into our new build home in February of 2020 we knew we had to renovate the kitchen to work for our family. Then you know what happened. We had a very long drawn out renovation, but the hardest decision was an unexpected one for me. The backsplash. Let’s revisit some of my first thoughts and samples I brought home. I unfortunately didn’t get pictures of everything I brought home but I do have some.

Shopping for tile is AWFUL

After several long years of living in the in-between stages of renovation we were ready to fix mistakes by a bad contractor and I could finally shop for tile. For real. Like to buy it not just dream about it. And it was AWFUL. I went to SO MANY tile stores. Everything within an hour of me just about and I left more depressed than I was at the last one every time. Everything was WHITE. I tried to do an all white kitchen, but my heart was not in an all white kitchen. I needed color. And nothing in the big box stores was working for me. I made myself go to one more tile store, and I am SO glad I did. It was a small local tile boutique. And when I walked in the door I almost cried it was such a relief to see so many options. I took some screenshot of the video I shot that day.

I mean, CAN YOU EVEN?? And this is a fraction of what they have available. Guys, find a local tile shop that will work with you and for you! So, I would love to say I found THE tile the first day. But I didn’t. I brought home so many samples. That day, and on I believe 2 subsequent visits. And I didn’t like or couldn’t afford them. I literally returned my last set of samples and was almost in tears. I was headed out of town on a trip so I tried to just put it out of my mind while I was gone.

How we found the tile I used and loved

I use the word ‘we’ loosely. It was my tile designer that was looking for inspiration for another project they were doing there in the shop, and she came across this image. She remembered a conversation we had had in a previous visit, where I quoted a line from my favorite movie of all time. “Daisies are the friendliest flower” from You’ve Got Mail. And my designer, Krista, recognized it immediately and it stuck with her. Daisies have been my favorite flower for as long as I can remember, and that is my favorite line from my favorite movie. She sent me the inspiration picture she found, it’s unsourced in all locations we can find. If someone knows where it originated from we would love to provide proper acknowledgement. I opened the email and literally gasped. It was perfection.

I emailed her back and told her I absolutely loved it and she said she would order some samples because they didn’t have anything in store that would work for it. This is what I’m talking about. Find a local tile shop. I had given up, but she hadn’t. And she knew my style preferences and found my dream tile.

And did I still take forever to decide?

Of course I did. I questioned it for weeks because I was worried it would be too dark. At the same time I was struggling with this I was also deciding to paint the entire downstairs of our home a dark green, other than the kitchen.

These were all taken literally like two days before the first tile guy came to install. I had to figure out the placement of the daisies and needed to do that beforehand because this is a giant commitment! I knew I wanted way fewer than in the inspiration picture so I cut some tiles out and used packing tape to make the daisies and hang them around the kitchen. It was comical, but effective. I used multiple pieces of packing tape to secure the larger sheets to the wall and they held for several hours before falling off I was impressed.

Install Day

Well, we picked a tile guy, he came highly recommended but unfortunately did not have success with our tile. So, we had him remove what he had done that day and had to reorder and move forward with another contractor. It happens. He was respectful, which I was thankful for, and we agreed upon a fair payment for that day between our GC and him and myself and we moved forward.

The second install day went off without a hitch. They did have to float our wall out a bit so we ended up having to have it grouted a couple of days later to make sure everything set really well, but man do I absolutely love it. Like, ALL of the heart eye emoji’s!

These guys were SO detail oriented and FAST! Absolutely loved them. Now lets just look at the pretty tile.

The moral of the story.

Don’t give up and settle. Find a tile shop that will work with and for you. My tile shop does actually do out of area work virtually so if you need a good one give them a call. You can find them tagged in my Instagram posts which I will link below.

Happy Tile Shopping!
Melinda

Helpful affiliate links

Krauss matte black bridge faucet from Lowe’s – here
Krauss matte black bridge faucet from Amazon – here
Nostalgia microwave – here
Kitchen Aid mixer – here But check the Kitchen Aid website for refurbished models at a fraction of the cost! That’s where I got mine for almost half the original price.
Dutch oven – here
Set of 2 round serving trays like mine on the counter – here
5 Cup Coffee maker- here
Small Counter Top lamp – here
Planter holding all of my wooden utensils – pick one up at Ross or HomeGoods or TJ Maxx

Other Posts you may find useful
How we diy’d a wall of pantry cabinets – here
Builder grade kitchen upgrades – here