Check out Hirsch Glass -Great products and if you find a good tile shop - ask for a discount. My tile shop gave them to me at 40% discount. ( I was ordering a lot) It never hurts to ask for the deepest discount possible.

Hi Julie,

These are stainglass mosaic and I know the cost can be high. You can always use it as an accent on a wall or a border. Try Mosaicos Tile in Chicago. They work with people from other states and I highly recommend that place. They carry stainglass mosaics from many different manufacturers and I've seen similar tiles to what you are looking for. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

Angela

Julie - also Sauganash Stone and Tile is a fantastic shop!

Julie - Your question is a great one and I applaud you for trying to take all this on yourself! As far as your tile dilemma is concerned, no one makes tile like Ann Sacks and it certainly doesn't come cheaply. You can get a trade discount if you go through a professional designer or architect, which may get you closer to you goal. If you are flexible on the exact selection I would recommend going to a tile store in NJ or Staten Island where they have more space to stock different lines, often at bargain prices. I will tell you though, that these larger tile stores seldom have anything as artful as what you are looking at. If it were my own home, I would leave the backsplash bare for a year or however long it took to save for the tile I wanted. You may be able to upgrade cheaper hardware or furniture in the future but tile is something very difficult to renovate after it is installed. If you are still craving the deal, check Overstock.com for tile (yes, tile!) as they often have closeout lots at bargain prices although the selection is fairly limited. Best of luck!

Don't forget that these kind of tile installation will cost more than a standard tile. Think about using something simpler and less expensive and keep these for high impact accents. I have found tile on Ebay and Craigslist before -- just beware of the quantities needed and allow for waste.

I don't think you will find Ann Sachs anywhere for much less unless a designer is willing to sell you at trade pricing. Perhaps if you hire one to design another space in your home they will be willing. I have sometimes done that for clients - or I just charge a very nominal markup. Those particular tiles are actually very hard to manufacture - they use laser water cutting technology to make those curvy lines and that does not come cheap anywhere. You could do just one area with the tile or do a border. Or save up. I agree you're better off with nothing for the short term than buying something you don't love. Also I would scour the internet for the best price - there are many companies online that ship anywhere - but order 20% more because you should expect more breakage and dealing with those companies is often not the best customer service. You get what you pay for. Hope that helped.

Check out Artistictile.com - they may have some other options, although pricing might be similar.

Check out Lazer Marble and Granite in brooklyn, they have a large selection of Hirsch Glass mosaics and have great prices

Don't forget to see if you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area. They sell left-over and gently used building materials. You never know what you might find.

Thanks all! We appreciate the shop recommendations and the advice to hold out for the "right stuff." We'll keep that all in mind and will be sure to post photos when we finish our project!

Tagging this page for future reference.

Julie - What did you end up using? I too love that tile but am trying to find something cheaper.

@nehobbs So we ended up doing a plain white subway backsplash because we had a lot going on in our kitchen, and we decided that a less is more approach would put the focus back on the rest of the bling (hood, appliances, counters, etc) in our space. We also were gut renovating our entire house, so budget prevailed!

I attach some photos. As you can see, the kitchen isn't entirely finished (still paper on the appliances, pantry not finished, etc.), but it gives you a good idea of how it all works together. However, we did find a relatively more reasonable option through New Ravenna that we really liked. I say relatively because it was still $85 psf, but it was beautiful and could be made in the very same glass as the Ann Sacks. http://newravenna.photoshelter.com/image/I00007iwBM0HkLFE Because the Chatham doesn't require laser cutting, it isn't as expensive as some of the other New Ravenna options. As long as you pick glass or stone that's in the 1st Tier pricing range, it may be worth the splurge!

Hope that helps - good luck!

I'm so glad you ended up with a plain backsplash! Now that beautiful counter is the star of the show.

Subway is a Timeless look!

Love the range hood! Curious where you picked it up? Thanks!!!! :)

@pamcakes88 - thanks! It's a Modern Aire range hood. Works like a dream. If you'd like to see more of our selections (and our renovation) you can view it at www.wandernesting.com.

Bite the bullet and get the Ann Sacks that you want.

Sorry I accidentally hit submit before I finished.

Get the Ann Sacks or you will always look at the compromise as exactly that ..a compromise.

Looks gorgeous! You did the right thing. We all fall in love with something outrageously expensive when doing a renovation and sometimes the forced compromise is still fantastic. your kitchen is GORGEOUS. Bravo!

@Rococo Thanks for your feedback. If you look at our photos, we actually didn't end up with the fancy stuff and ultimately feel we made the best choice. We focused our attention (ie $$) on our counters and are glad we did. Had we chosen a counter with less visual interest, we would have gone with something more interesting in the surround, but once the Super White granite came back in stock at our stone provider (it had been out of stock for months and we'd had our heart set on it), the plan came together. I appreciate your feedback!

Looks beautiful! We can make quality custom mosaics in glass or stone like AS, typically for a much better price. Most orders ship in 2-3 weeks.

what brand of subway tiles did you go with?

Did you use a kitchen designer or architect or did you do the work yourselves?

We used Lowes subway tile (I believe the actual brand is American Olean). It is very inexpensive and frankly not all that different looking from the higher end versions.

Ben Herzog was our architect, however, we did a considerable amount of the design of our kitchen ourselves based in large part on some of his previous work seen on Houzz. His eye and expertise helped us to really polish the final version - photos attached! After living in the home for nearly a year, I'm actually very glad we went with the simpler backsplash. It suits our home and our lifestyle much better than the more expensive Ann Sacks options.

We also worked very closely with our contractor, Naccarato Contracting, particularly in the kitchen. He custom built all our cabinets, including the doors, and he was terrific throughout the process. Really made the remaining parts of the kitchen shine so a fancier backsplash just seemed like it would be more than the space needed.

I will chime in with the fact that I've always had trouble with Ann Sacks...especially with their mosaics. Poor control of subcontractors, little to no quality control, poor packaging / shipping (which led to complete loss) and missed deadline after deadline. Looks gorgeous in the store, but not worth the headache.

I am not missing the Ann Sacks in your kitchen, i think looks lovely, quite fabulous actually.

Your kitchen is fabulous. Bright and sunny.

You have just the right amount of warm wood and cool white and besides ...who looks at the kitchen with such a great view out the window !!! You are living my dream !

Inset doors in cabinetry? Who was the maker?

Hi @apple_pie_order - the technical name for it is beaded face frame cabinetry (just in case you are asking someone). These were custom made by our fabulous contractor, Naccarato Contracting (he's a general contractor who also has a shop to build all sorts of cabinetry, from kitchen cabinets to bathroom vanities and even custom closets). If you are in New York and want his information, my review and his contact information can be found here: http://www.houzz.com/browseReviews/naccaratocontracting280829/naccarato-contracting. Good luck!

Thanks, I will bookmark the contractor's website. Beautiful work.

You are welcome! You can see the full renovation at www.wandernesting.com if you'd like to see more of his work.

Hi I live in Brooklyn and am renovating my kitchen. Who is the stone provider you used?? Thanks
Beautiful kitchen!

Hi there - good luck! We went to marble.com otherwise known as All Granite and Marble Corp. We purchased slabs from their Ridgefield Park location. We've done 2 kitchens and 2 bathrooms with them, and their service and prices are excellent.

what a lovely kitchen! you have done a great job! i have one question...who makes your cabinet handles and living with them for a while, how do you like them? thank you! enjoy your kitchen!!

Fabulous!!!

@mspo Hardware is by Alno. They are wonderful knobs. Very heavy weight and high quality. No flaking, staining or other issues. We had worried that polished chrome might look really dirty all the time from handprints, but it honestly hasn't been an issue at all.

BEAUTIFUL! What are the sizes of the subway tile? We are getting ready to put subway in our kitchen. You all make great choices - classic is always a win in my opinion!

Thanks! Just the standard 3 x 6 subway tile. We did a 2 x 8 in our old place and it was very pretty. We're happy with the 3 x 6 here: it puts the focus on the other elements in the room and doesn't fight the rest of the kitchen. Good luck!

Perfect kitchen!

Julie, I stumbled on this feed because I seem to be having the exact dilemma you had re: artistic Ann Sacks-like tile. The problem for me, though, is that I want it on a bathroom floor and can't leave it "blank" for now :) We, too, are in Brooklyn taking on a major renovation - combining two adjacent pre-war apartments into one. The original hardwood is shot so we've decided to lay new hardwood over the old. I LOVE the floors in your kitchen - they are exactly what I've been hunting for but haven't been able to find. Can you tell me the species and where you purchased (assuming they aren't original?)

Fantastic job on the kitchen... we have very similar taste and I'll be looking into the resources you've listed. Thanks for sharing!

Hi riordanwilner, thanks for your note and good luck with your renovation! You can see full details of all materials used in our renovation on our blog, www.wandernesting.com, but it is 5 inch wide character grade American Walnut in longer lengths (average 7-10 feet), purchased from PC Wood Floors in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. We finished it with a Bona oil-modified finish in satin. If you go that route, you MUST use a traffic top coat. We did not and the floor scratches more easily than it would with it (their online informational materials are frankly not great, but their product really gave the floors a beautiful finish). Also beware that walnut dents easily, so if you are looking for that sleek, smooth finish, you may not be happy with it after a few months. We opted for the character grade (already has imperfections, larger knot holes etc.) because we didn't want to worry (we have small kids) and we're so glad we did. You really don't notice the dings as they just seem like more "character" in the wood. Good luck!

Just checked out your blog. Congratulations on your stunning renovation.

Beautiful kitchen. What color did you use for your cabinets?

Thanks for writing. The cabinet color is White Dove.