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Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!

Posted on: December 29, 2012
Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!

I’ve been a little consumed lately. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but my mind has been in a backsplash fog. What’s a backsplash fog, you ask? It’s when you’re trying to select a kitchen backsplash and are greeted with thousands and thousands of options and you just can’t decide. When the guy at the tile store exclaims “the sky is the limit!” and when your husband says “it’s whatever you want babe” and when your mother says “it’s up to you, Louisa.” And when you really just don’t want to make the wrong decision. There is so much inspiration out there, on Pinterest, Houzz, House Beautiful, everywhere. If you let yourself become consumed by it all, as I admittedly have, it can become overwhelming. You could find yourself mumbling “subway tile” and “harlequin diamond” in your sleep (like I have been doing). So today, I haven’t allowed myself to look at anything new. I’m just going to share what I’m thinking and get some advice from you all, whose minds are clear and not in a fog like mine. Please help!

My husband and I are building a new home. It has a large kitchen and the space is truly beautiful.

I knew right from the start that I wanted dark wood floors throughout out home, including the kitchen. Here they are:

barrel oak flooring Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please! {Barrel Oak Wood Floor}

I had dreams of an all white kitchen but wanted to make sure that my husband had a say in all of the major aspects of our house. He did not want white cabinets so we compromised and went with an espresso-like finish, which I also really love.

Chicory Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!{Maple Cabinets in Chicory Stain}

Here is our granite, it’s hard to get a true idea of what it looks like unless you see it in person:

Granite 300x188 Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!{Giallo Ornamental Granite}

So dark floor, dark cabinets, and light granite. Now for my dilemma, the backsplash!

I really love the look of subway tile and was sure that I wanted a light cream colored tile in a gloss finish. Kind of like this but a tiny bit creamier, not white:

Backsplash 3 300x300 Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!{Source}

But then I saw the medallion above and fell in love with it. Problem is, I don’t want it in the antique bronze finish that is shown above, I want it in this finish:

Cumbria 300x175 Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!{Cumbria in Birch}

The stone look is gorgeous and I love that it matches my Juliska kitchen accessories (including these canisters) really well:

Juliska Cannisters 240x300 Kitchen Backsplash: Opinions Please!{“Jardins du Monde” Canisters}

My issue is that the birch medallion above is made out of a natural stone and the subway tile has a high gloss finish. I’m not sure if that going to look terrible when placed together. I can’t see the two together in a showroom because the medallion is a special order and they do not have anything in the showroom in the exact color.

Do you guys have any ideas on how I can use stone either in a frame around the medallion or along the bottom of the backsplash (closer to the counter) to incorporate both the modern subway tile and the more traditional stone medallion? Any help and/or your opinion would be greatly appreciated!

Have you ever been consumed by a project or redecorating/remodeling process like me?

XO, Louisa

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Louisa

(7) Comments

  1. Mikayla

    December 30, 2012 at 12:58 AM

    I think the non gloss medallion and the gloss tiles would look great!it would give some texture difference since the woods are similar in color and the granite is a lighter color.good luck with your decision making:) I hope I helped:)

    Reply
    • December 30, 2012 at 1:13 PM

      Thanks Mikayla!

      Reply

  2. Bethany

    January 1, 2013 at 3:40 PM

    Wow, that IS tough! How are you feeling about it after a few days of thought? I think it would be fine! Are you set on that particular tile, or might you be able to order the backsplash you love and then go back to the store to match it with tiles? Either way, it’ll look great! Love those canisters.

    Reply
    • January 2, 2013 at 8:38 PM

      To be totally honest with you Bethany, I’m thinking about not doing the medallion AT ALL! LOL. I just don’t know if it will look right and I’m too scared to take the risk! I am 100% sure about the subway tile. I might change my mind about the medallion though…I have about 4 more days to think about it! Thanks for reading!

      Reply

  3. Tonya

    January 6, 2013 at 5:55 PM

    Honestly, I don’t think I would commit to something permanent. That medallion would be soooo easy to purchase as a wooden accessory from Lowe’s and then paint it any way you want and frame it. Voila! Love your blog btw.

    Reply

  4. Melanie

    January 14, 2013 at 8:19 AM

    Louisa, I think it may be too late for any input on the backsplash but just in case… (I’ve built before and I know deadlines often change!) I don’t know what your decorating style is but looking at the first picture featuring the medallion, I noticed the tile at the base of the glossy subway tile. I’d say that it looks great! I love the mixture of refined and a little more rustic (poor wording on that but honestly can’t think of another term!). If you are going back and forth yet, I would lean toward the medallion. It seems permanent but could always be torn out in years to come if you tire of the look. It would be a very pretty accent and set your walls apart from the norm. But on the other hand, if simple is more your style then let it go and like another person said, you could always buy something to hang.
    I just came across your blog today but have been following you on Pinterest, then on Instagram. LOVE it all!!! :)

    Reply
    • January 15, 2013 at 10:37 PM

      HI Melanie!

      So glad you found our site and I really appreciate you taking the time to give me your feedback!!! I was so indecisive about the backsplash that I ended up going with ALL subway tile and NO medallion! After all that, LOL! It is being installed next week so we’ll see how it looks!

      Reply

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