love....

the contrast you get with a dark grout and a classic, white subway tile.

*images courtesy of torie jayne, city sage, marley and lockyer, inspiration for everyday living

tile my wall please....

when it comes to kitchen and bathrooms, the more tile the better....take it up the wall to the ceiling, use it as a wainscoting.....start thinking beyond using it as just a back splash or to cover a shower area....the results are awesome!

*pics courtesy of casa reveal, decorno, porchlight interiors, restoration hardware

wallpaper tile

ever wonder where tom scheerer gets that amazing tile for his beach kitchen backsplashes- cuban tropical tile. they have a gallery full of amazing custom made products. because each tile is hand made, you are truly able to customize the tile by selecting your own colors and pattern. i am sure you are thinking that its got to be expensive to do this but a 12 x 12 is about $7 per tile. not too shabby for something that is so visually stunning and unique to your home!

it's everywhere you look...

i recently had an appointment to do a kitchen backsplash for a house i am working on. i was talking w/ the tile rep and i asked him if he was seeing any new trends in tile? he said what i knew already, "subway, brick pattern tile is still what people are using". it's everywhere you look. i spent a couple of hours looking thru my magazine collection for new ideas for a backsplash and seriously, every kitchen had the white, 3 x 6 subway tile. or if they didn't, they had an extension of the material they used on their countertop: like calcutta marble would be the countertop and the backsplash behind the stove.
i like the classic subway tile. you always know it will pair well with other tiles; it gives a clean look to a space, but at times it can be a little monotonous. companies know that this classic tile is what people are using so they are trying to put a little spin on it...you can find the tile smaller or larger in size, crackled, glass, metal. you can also find different takes on the pattern which i like:

you can flip it and create a bamboo pattern (done by kwid in many bathroom applications), you can line it up in rows to create a linear look, or you can find it in a basket weave kind of pattern.

whatever you do, one thing is for sure...it looks like this tile is going to be around for a while longer. and you know, that's okay with me b/c i do think it makes for a great, simple backsplash.

see a penny pick it up.....

i am loving penny round tile!! i had a meeting fri to select the tile for the spec home i shared with y'all and we did this adorable tile in two of the bathrooms. i think it is a refreshing take on ceramic tile. it is definitely not limited to just ceramic- there are glass option, stainless steel, cork, etc. we are going w/ a coral/ gray palette in one of the baths and then a sky blue (pictured above) in the other- both will be flooring. i think this is something you will be seeing a lot more of.

backsplash envy (well actually entire house envy)...

suzanne from simply magic totally makes me envious of her kitchen backsplash tile, custom designed by her super fab design team woodson & rummerfield...i noticed this little beauty in a display of her christmas card. i emailed her and told her it was amazing and that's when she informed me that ron and jamie had this ann sacks tile custom colored green, gray, and white for her space! the top pic is a view of her entire kitchen/ dr/ lr space. lucky lady! i read in one of her previous posts that her husband had mastered the art of tile installation...wonder if he installed this? btw, great talent to master. tile installation can get pricey, especially the decorative, art inspired tiles that are now available. finding someone who has this talent is a true gem! (you can check out other pictures of her house at w & r, it is to die for...love the powder room wallpaper!!)