Please show me your backsplash...

[Arcadian]

OMG @rocks come live by meeeeee! I'm surrounded by folks from New York and the Northeast....


I moved mainly because I could work from anywhere with an internet connection, phone and a locked door, and we got sick of paying nearly 10K in taxes. Not to mention what it was doing to my salary base....

I still find the cost of food to be ridiculous down here, + you gotta pay tax on it. However, I do think its novel that there's quite close to me, drive thru liquor stores I've not seen one of those since I lived in the midwest.

Where are you? The taxes here are oppressive. We would be happy with $10k which qualifies us as insane. When hubby retires, we will head south, on or near the water. My parents have an ocean front condo at amelia island. We would like a house on the marsh. Maybe suburban charleston; one of the islands. We need to start getting serious about next steps.

Its ok @missy, but yeah its kinda warm here...lol But you could come down in the winter!! LOTS of people do!

@rocks I'm in the Palm Beaches and roughly 19 miles north of the Tangarine Messiah's Mara Lago I'm on mainland, not the island. I have a friend who owns a home in Palm Beach proper. Same friend that um... retired there after her divorce. And her home is indeedy gorgous as the house is ocean front, but those houses are VERY expensive. But the last hurricane lot of those houses had some beach erosion which can be so expensive to fix.

No income tax, however, stuff like car registration is expensive. Car insurance is expensive. Home insurance can be (depending if you're in a flood zone) + for hurricanes. In some cases flood insurance is manditory if you finance your house, and its separate from your home insurance.

And food CAN be expensive here. Like for instance, a gallon of lactaid free milk is 5-6.00 depending on where you shop. Thats kinda crazy to me. Hell tax on food at the grocery store is crazy to me!

I depend a lot on Farm Stands and farmer's markets and try to skip the grocery stores as much as I can.

If you want to move to Southeast FL, then look at homes in Ft Pierce (can be kinda sketchy so look mainly closer to Hutchison Island), Jensen Beach, Vero Beach, Stuart and then further north like Melborne and Sebastian because you can still get a lot for the money there. Jupiter and below gets expensive real quick though there's still some pockets to check out as they're considered up and coming and you can get houses cheaply (Lake Worth , Lantana and Rivera). And of course, the more west you are of I95, the less insurance you pay.

Unfortunately my knowledge base ends at about Space Coast. Its very pretty, that I can tell you!

My PP tax rose 8% last year But you do get offset by Homestead if you're a permanent resident, and again, that really helps. There are other discounts of course for Seniors and veterans, but we don't qualify.

 

[BlingDreams]

@missy, your house is ADORABLE! It's the kind of house I'd expect to find warm cookies baking in . And of course, that view . No wonder you find it so hard to leave there! And I'm saying that not being much of a beach person !

@rocks, @Arcadian, @Austina, and everyone else.... hit me with your best comebacks. I'll rehearse them until they roll off the tongue effortlessly

 

[missy]

@missy, your house is ADORABLE! It's the kind of house I'd expect to find warm cookies baking in . And of course, that view . No wonder you find it so hard to leave there! And I'm saying that not being much of a beach person !

Awww thank you @ILikeShiny! That is so kind of you to say and here you go...
For you and all the other ladies who have been with me this whole kitchen reno journey. Baked goods. And if you or anyone else here finds themselves in the area of NYC or the Jersey Shore and want to visit just let me know! I might be able to arrange baked goods in person if my dh is in the baking mood.


and the profile as PSers love profile shots.



and for those of you who enjoy butter cookies



@Tekate, any reno updates to share with us? I am hoping you get to visit us at the beach house or in NYC by the way....I believe we aren't far from your nephew. Hope your project is going well!

 

[Tekate]

@missy yes! I will try... visiting.. otherwise I'll head out to Brooklyn before fall. Gotta get
my reservation in with my nephew and his wife... she is a toughie.. and their girls whom
I adore.

Pictures of the kitchen.. well today the granite is supposed to go in and tomorrow
the sink goes back in and the new stove and microwave.. the tile for the
butler/entry/laundry room/drinkingmaking area/toaster oven area ha!
is on back order so that won't get done till mid April the decorator
says.. I will post them on Instragram Missy because the pix are in
my phone.

Now the gray/grey paint looks great but now I'm wondering about the
rugs... we are buying new wall art but I will have to get rid of
the dining table as that is more Texan now.. oh well I drone... on...



It's all I have for now. I have some pix from the decorator on my phone but I don't know how to get them up here, I will dwell on it for a while! probably easier enough to do...

Kate

 

[missy]

@missy yes! I will try... visiting.. otherwise I'll head out to Brooklyn before fall. Gotta get
my reservation in with my nephew and his wife... she is a toughie.. and their girls whom
I adore.

Pictures of the kitchen.. well today the granite is supposed to go in and tomorrow
the sink goes back in and the new stove and microwave.. the tile for the
butler/entry/laundry room/drinkingmaking area/toaster oven area ha!
is on back order so that won't get done till mid April the decorator
says.. I will post them on Instragram Missy because the pix are in
my phone.

Now the gray/grey paint looks great but now I'm wondering about the
rugs... we are buying new wall art but I will have to get rid of
the dining table as that is more Texan now.. oh well I drone... on...



It's all I have for now. I have some pix from the decorator on my phone but I don't know how to get them up here, I will dwell on it for a while! probably easier enough to do...

Kate

It’s coming along and looking good Kate!!!

 

[Tekate]

It’s coming along and looking good Kate!!!

Gosh I uploaded that from my phone, which is a picture from one of our home cameras... (which aren't working very well)... thanks.. I have a few more I will upload.. up in a bit.

 

[Tekate]

@missy these are from the decorator yesterday. I like it.. it won't be
finished by the time we get back from Florida. The new drapes
will be here after April 4th and the tile for the little area where all the
doors are is on back-order.. the teal tile but all the new lighting
should be in by the end of the week, new granite, old sink (it
was in great condition and it was really expensive for us anyway)
the dining room wallpaper was taken down 2 weeks ago (same
day it went up) not sure why as the decorator lady hasn't told
us but we have the CAMERA, which I told her about any old
way, about both of them... but i assume she has her reason for
not saying why it came down, but I'm guessing it was the
lighter grey paper rather than the smoke we picked. who knows..
I really like our decorator.. she is a fine woman..

Sooo it's coming along..

Kate

 

[missy]

@missy these are from the decorator yesterday. I like it.. it won't be
finished by the time we get back from Florida. The new drapes
will be here after April 4th and the tile for the little area where all the
doors are is on back-order.. the teal tile but all the new lighting
should be in by the end of the week, new granite, old sink (it
was in great condition and it was really expensive for us anyway)
the dining room wallpaper was taken down 2 weeks ago (same
day it went up) not sure why as the decorator lady hasn't told
us but we have the CAMERA, which I told her about any old
way, about both of them... but i assume she has her reason for
not saying why it came down, but I'm guessing it was the
lighter grey paper rather than the smoke we picked. who knows..
I really like our decorator.. she is a fine woman..

Sooo it's coming along..

Kate

Thank you for sharing these pics. Love!
The smoke color is gorgeous.
So glad you like and trust your decorator. That’s priceless.

 

[BlingDreams]

Looking great @Tekate! I really like the color pattern you've gone with.

 

[redwood66]

Very nice! I love that you have so much privacy and open space where you are. We have the opposite lol. But I guess that is our trade off for being on the water unless we were billionaires and could afford to buy a few lots next to us on either side! Oh I wish.

Since we are sharing pics of the exterior of our homes here's our beach house. Neighbors close on either side but we planted trees and shrubbery for privacy. But yeah it would be sweet to buy the neighbor's property on either side of us.




Backyard



at night when the city is lit up it can be super pretty



and since this *is* PS here is the backyard view with Bea popping in bwahaha.



That Bea...Thanks for looking and would love it if others would share pics of the exterior of their lovely homes.

@missy your home is lovely and who doesn't love a turret? Even if it is a half one?

 

[missy]

@missy your home is lovely and who doesn't love a turret? Even if it is a half one?

Aww, thank you red!

 

[BlingDreams]

I'm really struggling guysl I keep having anxiety over my backsplash choice. It just feels so bland to me. So if you were in my shoes, what would you choose?

My decorating style is rustic elegance with a twist of Williamsburg, fretwork, and iron scrollwork. Lots of black furniture with carved details and either glass inset or cherrywood top, brown leather sofas, iron/dark wood accent pieces, and vibrant colors with bold patterns as accent pieces.

Here's a refresher of what will be in the room - hickory scraped wood flooring, color and exact style of cabinets (ivory is outer cabinets, black is island cabinets), granite, and kitchen layout (so you can piece it all together in your mind!). Sinks will be black, hardware will be oil rubbed bronze, and appliances will be stainless.







Would you do off-white to blend with the cabinets? Light gray for a slight contrast? Dark gray to pull in the black? Ornate? Basic? Small 1-2" glass/mother-of-pearl/stone squares? Large statement tiles? All one color or variations within the tiles? No backsplash for now and then add one after a while??

I'm losing my mind at this point. Waaaay too many options

Please feel free to share photos of what you like!

 

[missy]

I'm really struggling guysl I keep having anxiety over my backsplash choice. It just feels so bland to me. So if you were in my shoes, what would you choose?

My decorating style is rustic elegance with a twist of Williamsburg, fretwork, and iron scrollwork. Lots of black furniture with carved details and either glass inset or cherrywood top, brown leather sofas, iron/dark wood accent pieces, and vibrant colors with bold patterns as accent pieces.

Here's a refresher of what will be in the room - flooring, color and exact style of cabinets (ivory is outer cabinets, black is island cabinets), granite, and kitchen layout (so you can piece it all together in your mind!). Sinks will be black, hardware will be oil rubbed bronze, and appliances will be stainless.

View attachment 618579





Would you do off-white to blend with the cabinets? Light gray for a slight contrast? Dark gray to pull in the black? Ornate? Basic? Small 1-2" glass/mother-of-pearl/stone squares? All one color or variations within the tiles? No backsplash for now and then add one after a while??

I'm losing my mind at this point. Waaaay too many options

Please feel free to share photos of what you like!

Gosh it is a difficult choice and I had trouble deciding too. When it comes down to it though all your choices are great and you cannot go wrong with any of them. Just different flavors of beautiful. My taste is understated so not sure you want to go by me but if I was choosing for your space I think I would go more towards light gray for some contrast with slight variations in the tiles. Sort of like my Carrara marble tile backsplash. So you see I am biased. But I honestly think any of those choices would be lovely. But my least favorite would be super dark backsplash. That is too much of a contrast for me. Again though it might not be too much for you...

yanno, I changed my mind... I love this backsplash for your kitchen colors. Beautiful. It ties in all the colors of your kitchen beautifully.

 

[BlingDreams]

Gosh it is a difficult choice and I had trouble deciding too. When it comes down to it though all your choices are great and you cannot go wrong with any of them. Just different flavors of beautiful. My taste is understated so not sure you want to go by me but if I was choosing for your space I think I would go more towards light gray for some contrast with slight variations in the tiles. Sort of like my Carrara marble tile backsplash. So you see I am biased. But I honestly think any of those choices would be lovely. But my least favorite would be super dark backsplash. That is too much of a contrast for me. Again though it might not be too much for you...

yanno, I changed my mind... I love this backsplash for your kitchen colors. Beautiful.

So that's not too busy? I mean, given how busy the granite is? Ugggh. This is where I'm struggling.

See, I really really really love the arabesque tile but just don't know if A) it will be too much, and B) if the colors will clash. Since it's a natural stone, the batches will vary . But what do you think of this? (our granite won't have that 4" riser... the backsplash will go directly to the countertop)


Specifically, this is the tile I'm looking at:


Or also thinking about small reflective tiles like these:



(PS everyone else... please still chime in with your thoughts/opinions too!)

 

[missy]

I dont think I love the reflective tiles. Too much going on with the shiny tiles and your patterns IMO. I prefer matte. I cannot tell if the colors of the arabesque tiles will clash. I dont think it will. Side by side how do they look? What does your dh think? OK so in order of my preference then given the new info:

Light gray/white tiles are my first choice
and second choice the busier pattern but still not too busy IMO.
Arabesque my third choice and only if it doesn't clash. Since it is natural stone it will vary but you can tell if the overall tone will go do you kwim?

If you love the Arabesque go for it though. I mean it when I say I think when all is said and done any of these choices would look beautiful. It's funny how we agonize over these choices because the overall look will still be gorgeous.

 

[BlingDreams]

I dont think I love the reflective tiles. Too much going on with the shiny tiles and your patterns IMO. I prefer matte. I cannot tell if the colors of the arabesque tiles will clash. I dont think it will. Side by side how do they look? What does your dh think? OK so in order of my preference then given the new info:

Light gray/white tiles are my first choice
and second choice the busier pattern but still not too busy IMO.
Arabesque my third choice and only if it doesn't clash. Since it is natural stone it will vary but you can tell if the overall tone will go do you kwim?

If you love the Arabesque go for it though. I mean it when I say I think when all is said and done any of these choices would look beautiful. It's funny how we agonize over these choices because the overall look will still be gorgeous.

They look okay side by side. And DH likes the arabesque too. Most importantly, what helps me feel okay with taking a chance (on whatever I decide on) is that he says "Okay, so what's the worst that happens if you don't like it? We'll just rip it out and try something else!" Gotta love a man who thinks that way

I'm also considering doing the granite as the backsplash. I'm waiting to hear what THAT cost would be

 

[missy]

They look okay side by side. And DH likes the arabesque too. Most importantly, what helps me feel okay with taking a chance (on whatever I decide on) is that he says "Okay, so what's the worst that happens if you don't like it? We'll just rip it out and try something else!" Gotta love a man who thinks that way

I'm also considering doing the granite as the backsplash. I'm waiting to hear what THAT cost would be

LOVE this choice. I didn't love it for the choices I made in our beach kitchen because it was too much white and needed the pattern to break it up. But for your choices I LOVE extending the granite up as the backsplash. That is elegant and timeless and my top choice for you now given all the choices you shared here.

and yes love a man who says what's the worse thing that can happen? We will just redo the backsplash (or change whatever doesn't work).Our dhs are similar as mine said the same when I was obsessing and agonizing.

 

[BlingDreams]

LOVE this choice. I didn't love it for the choices I made in our beach kitchen because it was too much white and needed the pattern to break it up. But for your choices I LOVE extending the granite up as the backsplash. That is elegant and timeless and my top choice for you now given all the choices you shared here.

and yes love a man who says what's the worse thing that can happen? We will just redo the backsplash (or change whatever doesn't work).Our dhs are similar as mine said the same when I was obsessing and agonizing.

It's probably my favorite too, but might be cost prohibitive. And I hate that we have to pay to find out how much it would cost to even do it!! So I'm not sure if we'll even get a quote; I'm just over handing out money left and right :roll

 

[Arcadian]

Listen, if you're having 2nd thoughts, obviously though safe, its not what you want. Take the risk if you really want to!


I think you want something different but need to give yourself permission to do it.

Hell do it and get what you want! YOLO right?

Also, do you have any high end kitchen design stores near you? Go to a few, look at their backsplash. Yes totally do it on your own without the pressure of "it will cost you" in your ear.

next, Get samples. I'd do it on your own if you can. Sure it costs a little but, you procure your own samples you can see if you want to spend the extra money for them to get it for you.

Sad they do that but well...you know

Will be back (have to walk the dog) But I will start posting a lotta pictures when I do.

 

[BlingDreams]

Listen, if you're having 2nd thoughts, obviously though safe, its not what you want. Take the risk if you really want to!

I think you want something different but need to give yourself permission to do it.

Hell do it and get what you want! YOLO right?

I think you hit the nail on the head. *I* have to be ok taking a chance and accepting I might not like it. That's so hard for me to do. I hate making mistakes and hate wasting money.

I could seriously eat a roll of Rolaid’s over this.

I’ve asked the builder to get us a quote for using granite as the backsplash. At least I’ll then have the price. I'll also keep looking for other options and will probably take a trip to the big tile store around 30 minutes away. It's right down the street from our builder's design center and around the corner from the granite depot.

Wait... those are the three stores that give me the worst anxiety right now. It's my own personal Bermuda Triangle...

 

[rocks]

They look okay side by side. And DH likes the arabesque too. Most importantly, what helps me feel okay with taking a chance (on whatever I decide on) is that he says "Okay, so what's the worst that happens if you don't like it? We'll just rip it out and try something else!" Gotta love a man who thinks that way

I'm also considering doing the granite as the backsplash. I'm waiting to hear what THAT cost would be

For what it is worth I'd either do the granite or something in the same tone as the white in the granite but with alittle bit of variation. I do like the arabesque. It comes in loads of materials and tones. Like missy, I'm a minimalist. I find too many patterns to be chaotic. I guess my big issue is that the granite is beautiful (coming from a girl who loves white kitchens and white marble (thassos, calacutta.....) that is quite a compliment...) and with a complicated backsplash I wouldn't know where to look.....

If you don't like the builders choices....get an offset and wait. You can live without a backsplash until you decide. Ripping it out is a mess to be avoided....imo.

 

[Arcadian]

Ok back!!!

So I like this tile. I think it would work really well with white cabinets AND not be boring.




This is super blue. This is also a glass tile. Again, I think it would work against white/cream colored cabinets AND even dark brown.

And you could pull lots of cool colors out of a tile like this.




This is a white tile that I think would also look good against white/cream cabinets because its textural. I think you could go with something like this, bring in a texture and not necessarily a color and then add pops of color in other places.


Personally I love this because its really funky. I like the tile because...its different!

Here's a straight shot of that tile



I think it would fit with your white/cream cabinets as its a metal tile, but its textured to add interest. And it sure as hell wouldn't be boring! (may be out there but not boring...lol)

 

[BlingDreams]

Lots of great ideas @Arcadian! I think I’m trying to make myself choose the “safe” route, when I’ve never been one to decorate like everyone else. I’ve always chosen what I like and it works together. I need to trust my instincts on this one and find what speaks to me, even if it’s not common.

I’ll be going to the tile store tomorrow and hope to have photos to share!

 

[Tekate]

What do you think of something like this @ILikeShiny I love this!

 

[BlingDreams]

What do you think of something like this @ILikeShiny I love this!

I do like this! I’ve consideref a herringbone-type pattern but didn’t know if it might be too much. It’s really beautiful though.

 

[Arcadian]

a few more

 

[missy]

@ILikeShiny, My very first choice for you is extending your gorgeous countertops as backsplash if it the cost is reasonable. I really love that best for your kitchen.

The last few pics @Arcadian shared are definitely more to my taste preferences. This is such a personal decision. For me this is more my speed.



I love the herringbone pattern @Tekate shared but in more of a subtle color for your kitchen.


I love white and gray marble too as it is a classic and I don't think you would easily get tired of it if you like it initially that is.

Lastly I did like that busier backsplash only because I felt it tied in all your colors and would look fab.



Good luck today @ILikeShiny and I hope it goes well today. Your dream kitchen is very close now.

 

[Arcadian]

I really love this even though its a very neutral palate. I like how they took elements from the floor and repeated them on the cabinets.


this is another where its really more textural than color

Not sure why I like it, I just do....lol

 

[Tekate]

Granite and the new fan for the family room and one of the posters there will be 4
Madrid, London, Paris, Rome

 

[missy]

again, the artwork won't post.

Granite and the new fan for the family room.

Ohhh this is gorgeous. That granite is amazing. I can’t express how much I love this. Divine.