Baby Got Back Splash

I think one of my favorite parts of remodeling a kitchen is adding some WOW to the backsplash...Alot of times I am working on other parts of a clients house and I see a BORING backsplash and I talk them into adding some WOW like these...

(Before)

(After)

(Before)

(Hmmm this looks nice...)

(I think we have a winner...)

(Just installed, bad phone pic though...)

(Wish I had a better pic of this backsplash, it's gorgeous in person)

The granites remained the same along, with the appliances and cabinetry as well. 

Simple but impactful and usually it doesn't cost alot to tackle something like this either.  I personally like "shiny" ie: glass on a backsplash, they look particularly gorgeous with under cabinet lighting.

What kind of backsplash do you have, boring or WOW?

Jewelry Box Bathroom

I had a very dainty and pretty client who wanted to update her master bathroom without changing the footprint. I say that so you all know that in a perfect world I would've knocked down some walls to enlarge this space but sometimes I don't win those battles. ;)

Money wasn't an issue necessarily, mess was so I came up with what I thought was a great solution....Make this room as pretty and shiny as possible so everywhere you look it's beautiful!

Here is what I had to work with...The "afters" just don't seem as special without seeing the "befores" first....

We had to first lose those dated fur-downs and fluorescent lighting.
The angles in this bathroom are crazy, as you can see.
Yes those were Pergo floors which she DID love. She also was lacking a lot of storage in this bathroom.
Oh this shower was sooo dark....

And now the "jewelry box"...

We claimed the corner of her countertop and did a built in with of course a mirror to blend in with the rest of the bathroom. It's not a lot of storage, but as women know a little is better than nothing.

The countertops are marble and I found the cutest crystal cabinet knobs for her, she LOVES them.

If you noticed in the before pic there was no medicine cabinet....We tried to utilize every little space we could by putting one in here. She then had no place to hang her hand towels and she suggested hanging them in the door....Not my favorite choice but it's her bathroom, so I gave in, it actually doesn't look so bad.

Have you noticed yet that ALL of the walls in the entire bathroom are the glass tiles from the shower? I did that to break up some of the lines we were dealing with originally, too many surface choices felt way to choppy in this little bathroom.

We laid the travertine tiles on a diagonal to make the room look bigger and yes there are those glass tiles again at each intersection, she now loves these floors much more than her beloved Pergo.

I used chrome in this bathroom for it's shininess, it really compliments the glass don't you agree?

This client LOVES her bathroom! She said that every time she goes in there now she feels pretty and wants to stay in there all day long, so my work here is done.

None of my surfaces; glass tiles, marble and travertine were inexpensive, but remember when you don't have the option of changing your footprint and your bathroom is on the small side your material doesn't cost as much as if you were doing a big bathroom and that is how I rationalized it to my client, oh and that fact that it would be like showering in a jewelry box helped too, ha!

Glass Tile Possibilities

The sky is the limit when it comes to using glass tile in your home.  From bathrooms (shower and tub walls) to kitchens (backsplashes) to even outdoor applications such as pools or even fountains.  Glass tile offers a beautiful alternative to other kinds of tile.  It's tough enough to withstand the elements but it adds a sparkle of light that you won't find with other tile such as ceramic or porcelain.

I hope this has inspired you to consider using glass tile for your next home project, I think you will be thrilled with the end result.  On a personal note, I have used glass tiles in 2 of my bathrooms, kitchen and next the pool.