Youngdeb: Wellll, I think you nailed the look, color variation or no! It looks really great! It is exciting to see another 4.25x4.25 in a brick pattern, too. (Personally, I don't think your grout detracts from that installation. It is still nice, straight lines, i.e., does not look like an Arts and Crafts bath, for example.) Thank you for sharing it.

I will look at Fireclay, too. I had looked only briefly at them, but thought that they were likely too expensive. Will check it out, thanks.

Deb-do you have any price point ideas on the Fireclay tile. I was going to stick to Daltile since I can get a discount, but that stuff is GORGEOUS!

Website says to expect around $24/sqft. Not cheap, but it's also made here, not in china. So there's that.

Definitely call around on the Fireclay. I got mine at Bluegrass Green in Louisville. The 2x6 subways were $20 sq ft. The local tile store was going to charge me $28 sq ft.

The store is awesome - maybe they can ship to you? :)

I'm in CA, so I'd find it anti-enviro if I had them ship tile made in CA from CA to KY to CA!LOL I'll need to go to a showroom and see it in person before I decide I want to spend that much more than my connection at Daltile. If the colors at Daltile are just WRONG, I'll look elsewhere, though. I'll keep them in mind for bathrooms, definately. And I haven't even MEASURED my backsplash to see how much this would set me back. I have like $400 left in my original budget for stools, lighting AND backsplash. Fortunately I found stools at IKEA and lighting at IKEA that I really like! May save my butt from going too much over budget!

Well - they can actually have the company ship directly. I just meant that they could do the ordering if their prices were the best. :) But, since you're in the area, I hope you can find even better prices!

Good luck - picking the right tile can be frustrating. I went through about 6 choices over a year. But you'll know when you see the one you love!

Hey, everyone: How about Vermeere (from Complete Tile Collection, http://www.completetile.com). Does anyone have experience with them?

From their website, they indicate that they have two lines of tile body: one flat (square), and one handmade ( a bit wonky). Both lines are hand-painted. This sounds like what I was looking for! Here is how they describe it:

Produced in one of the finest ceramic factories in the world, the Vermeere Collection is noted for its soft, subtle colors. All of the ceramic glazes are sprayed by hand, which produces slight color variation on the surface of the tile and gentle pooling on the edges.

The clay body is available in Manhattan Series (for a flat yet crafted look) and Hand Made (for a more traditional look). All colors are available in a wide array of sizes, shapes, mosaic, molding, deco panels and trim. The Vermeere Ceramics Collection is available in 316 elegant colors.

They estimated $13/sq. ft. for these. (Well, $13 "net trade cost" -- what exactly does this mean for me?) This is quite a bit less than the numbers I was getting for Heath, Fireclay, Pratt and Larson, Walker Zanger, etc. Anyone have experience with them?
Thanks! A_D

Oh my word. I just looked at the pics of the showroom. I WANT TO GO TO THERE!

I've been keeping my eyes on the middle tile that Bee had posted. (Bee--where is that first one from?) I think that a backsplash needs to draw you in -- for me it usually means marble or glass. Tami

Glad you've discovered the Vermeere tiles. I've been admiring them online and was going to post about them but you already have, so that's great. They do look beautiful and have the qualities I've been looking for, too. I have a little 1947 cape cottage and need tile for both my bathroom and kitchen; I want to go with something in keeping with the house vintage. I spoke with a sales person named Graham this morning and he let me know they provide one Vermeere tile sample for free; additional tiles are $5, which is alright. They have quite a range of greens, Angie, that might work nicely for your backsplash.

This is a great thread; thanks everyone for posting. I'm in school and it's finals week so I'm pretty busy and being judicious about how I spend my break time. Yesterday evening reading this thread beat out sitting on my front steps and eating a chocolate Haagen-Daz bar.

A possibility, but to me the color variation isn't that wide. Worth a few samples, perhaps.

You might also contact B&W tile which claims to reproduce tile from the '20s to the '50s. Bad website, so you can't see the colors. If you look closely, you'll see they also make patterned deco liners like the ones in your bath.

Mission Tile West also has a revival classics line, and their colors seem to vary. They give no info online regarding allowable grout lines, though, so you'd have to email or call.

At a different point in the spectrum from proper variation is

Fully rectified edges.

For me, the availability of any appropriate trim piece I can think of for the installation. I am kind of annoyed that there isn't a standard 3x3 with a bullnose edge offered with most 3x6 because fully half of the end tiles in a running bond are going to be 3x3 and I Hate looking at that cut edge on the inner grout joint.

You couldn't give me $300 a sq. tile if it didn't have trim pieces that would work for how I wanted to use it.

Last,-- apropos of both nothing and everything in this discussion-- is suitability. Some houses are just 4x4 tile houses. If the house doesn't have other $150 per whatever finishes, that one pricey finish is likely to make everything else look a bit cheaper, and neither will benefit from the other. There are exceptions to this of course, but Phila is a tile crazy city and I have seen some pretty ordinary real estate with some pretty price tile installations and when the rest of the house doesn't measure up it just looks kind of ostentatious or something.

I just discovered this very interesting, slightly older thread and just wanted to add a thought to Angie's original "theory"--if you don't mind me resurrecting an old topic. Angie's thoughts on what makes a tile look "upscale", and wanting variation in the glaze color, but with a perfectly rectilinear shape reminded me of something I learned about determining what makes a valuable piece of American Indian hand-painted pottery:

Years ago, my husband bought a hand-painted pot from an older American Indian woman in Taos, New Mexico. My hubby thought that it looked very authentic, and not made in some souvenir factory, because the lines were not painted quite perfectly straight or with an even thickness, and the design wasn't quite perfect around the pot,and the pot itself wasn't quite perfectly symmetrical, etc. However, when he later proudly showed that pot to his brother, who happens to be an avid collector of Indian artifacts, he learned that his pot was not a good or valuable example of Indian pottery after all! In fact, what makes Indian pottery so special and sought after in the first place, he explained, is the (usually) high level of precision and craftsmanship shown by perfectly painted lines and designs, and the perfectly symmetrical overall shape of the piece, etc.

Ever since then, I have had a better understanding of what good, handmade craftsmanship should entail. And some of the very wavy edges of machine made tiles, designed to look "handcrafted", now just look like "sloppy craftsmanship" or "fake handmade" to me! There is a diference between handmade by a good craftsman, and handmade by a poor or inexperienced craftsman!

By the way--another thought--one kind of tile that definitely says "downscale" imho is fake stone tile--especially on a backsplash, since it is viewed, of course, up close and at eye level, where you can really get a good look at it. As one poster above commented--sometimes you can even see the pixels from the "photo" engraving (or whatever they call it in the tile world). Some fakes are better than others of course... and if I can't find a tile or natural stone that is just the right color, I may resort to checking out the myriads of "stone-look" ceramic tiles out there!
Just thought I'd share my 2 cents, fwiw.

Just one small data point: I did contact B&W, but there colors are not variegated. (There are three exceptions: You can get "kiwi" and "root beer" variegated, and "cobalt" slightly variegated.)

They also sell bisque (unglazed) tiles for about $5/sq. ft. I could glaze them myself and be SURE to have color variations!

Fun2learn: I agree, wavy edges on machine-made tile screams "FAKE" to me now.

Here are my samples of the Vermeere tiles by Complete Tile Collection, which run about $13/sq. ft. I am favorably impressed with them.

The edges are straight and look like they could withstand a pretty tight grout line. Maybe 1/16" but I think that would be pushing it. Probably settle for 1/8" if I go with these. They are available in many sizes, including the 4.25x4.25 that I want.

The color variation has not been ANSI-rated, but my contact there estimates about a V2 for the glazes I am interested in. They have so many glazes available that I am somewhat tempted to try to "roll my own" by ordering, say, 1/3 each of 3 different glazes. I don't think I trust my eye enough on the tones to do that, though, and then there is the knotty problem of distributing them quasi-randomly.

Any thoughts? Which color do like?

Thought if might be helpful for folks to see your whole kitchen and put the tile options in the larger context of the colors and textures you've selected so far. Plus give us all a chance to admire your kitchen again. :~)

My first take is that the white tile is too white, and if it where up to me I probably would eliminate that one. I think it's lovely on its own, but the lack of color stands out. So is seems it does not play well with your warm/colorful wall, floor, cabinet and stained glass elements.

Not sure about the rest. I'm really surprised at the hue differences between the tiles in natural light versus artificial (undercabinet?) light. Need to ponder some more...

Finally came up with tiles that we both like, and that look really nice with our green soapstone and cherry cabinets. I made each one myself. We wanted something special that would compliment the new kitchen and reflect our personalities. It will be a few weeks before I can get them up on the wall, but here is what they look like.

Holy Moley, Loves, you made those? Awesome!

Angie, I can't tell colors from those pix. Everything looks so different from one to the other.

Did you try Mission Tile West? The color varies on each tile, deeper around the perimeter, and the edges are very straight.

The Vermeeres are very nice too but I don't think the thickness will work with the deco liners I want.

Let me just second that Holy Moley on LovesPurple's tiles! Those are amazing!

You made those? Beautiful! Love the fir needles and blue flower ones especially. Such talent...

marcolo, cawaps & deedles - thanks so much! They have been a lot of fun to make. I pressed leaves and flowers from our yard into the tan ones. And, no, that is not a real butterfly that gave it's life for my tile! I used a 6" end cap (air duct) for the cutter - really not that hard. I just bought a used (and cheap) kiln in May and started throwing clay around. Have been "practicing" by making square ones like this one.

If you are having a hard time finding the perfect tile, you can buy bisque tiles and glaze (color) them yourself! There are ceramics shops all over that will fire them for you....just sayin'.

Bee---I think these would look TERRIBLE with your counters. Mine, however, would look spectacular with them. ;-)...... Where do you find these works of art??

Bee---I think these would look TERRIBLE with your counters. Mine, however, would look spectacular with them. ;-)...... Where do you find these works of art??

BeekeepersWife - I recently (duh, since I am in the middle of a remodel) saw those white/black/gray tiles you love up close, and in person, at a place called Stones Unlimited here in the San Diego area. They absolutely take your breath away! Actually, their entire showroom is like nothing you have ever seen..... I just don't remember that tile being $100 sq ft. - seems it was much lower than that.

Floor & Decor also has a huge selection of that type of tile. They have a pretty incredible showroom also...and their prices are good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Floor&Decor

Angie - I love this thread. I had to look up recondite. My definition of a good thread is one in which I have to look up at least one word. Downscale, I know....

So much fascinating thinking going on here; I've nothing to add except (1) I agree context matters hugely to that certain je ne sais pas about what works, and (2) some practical shouting-out. Mission Tile West is my "local" store (actually, one of its outlets is, but a good friend of some 20 years ago used to live literally next door to the real store itself and that's how I learned of it.) While I imagine everyone's good there, I have to say Chris C just walks-on-water for me. He's also nice, definitely no way-no how of royalty, knowledgeable and not at all snobby (and my tolerance for pretentiousness happens to be zilch) -- I can't say enough good things about this guy. I highly recommend just phoning him: 310-434-9697x112 You're welcome to say 'it's that person who loves Gardenweb', though I don't think it will matter much. I'm sure he does his best with everyone regardless.

Amazing thread. Loved your photo examples to go with your text. It made this topic more cohesive in my mind. I read about a third, will ponder it and read some more tomorrow. As you may know, I am in the "everything but back splash" camp. That white primed wall stares me down every time I wash dishes. Here's hoping to inspiration. Or at least a decision.

At long last, I have sample tiles in hand from Mission Tile West. There is a lot to like about them, and a couple of cons. The person I spoke to told me that they are machine made, but the glaze is hand-sprayed. This will generally lead to the color variations I desire, but allow a tight grout line. Here is an overview of the three colors I ordered samples of. (These are 2"x4", but I am interested in 4.25x4.25.)

The edges are very straight. (I only now see that Marcolo already said this above.) This is the most demanding arrangement I could think of to show the straightness and rectitude of the edges. (That odd background pattern is my cutting board.)

Note that there is "pooling" in the glaze, where the edges are darker than the center of the tile. There is likely tile-to-tile variation, too, although they have not been ANSI rated for variation.

So, I claim these tiles meet my criteria, but they do have two downsides. First, they are moderately spendy, at about $20/sq. ft. Second, they do not have a very extensive color selection to offer. Here is their selection; the tiles in the pictures above are green wash, olive, and blue wash. I suppose one of them would work, but am not yet convinced.

Angie - I have been enjoying this thread as I too am looking for a tile with good glaze variation and straight edges. What did you think of the Vermeere tiles?

So many lovely tiles!
When I was looking, Heath tiles were so beautiful and I just loved the feel of them! I could never get the right color but if I lived in ca, I am betting that I would have been successful. They do run ~$30 per sq foot!

I wanted to go local- so went to Motowi and drooled at the tiles. Them my eyes popped at the prices-over $100 per sq foot! Fortunately, I could not get these tiles to talk to my kitchen either!

I did end up ordering tile from California. When I started- I didn't want white/cream subway tiles as I didn't want grout lines. I also didn't want crackle tile...

Fast forward a couple of months and guess what talked to my kitchen. Not quite subway but 5x5 cream cracke tiles...

Sometimes you have to listen to your kitchen!

Note the accent tiles will be just over the cooktop but the accent band does go all the way around the kitchen.

Gracia rixi crema - they also make tiles with more variation.

This is such a wonderful thread and discusses exactly what I'm hoping to achieve, but could not really put into words.
A few of you have opined on my prior posts about backsplash. Well, I'm still stuck.

I'm thinking a white or gray/greige glossy hand-made type of tile. I prefer an interesting shape (DH nixed the lantern shape like Bee's).

Before I say too much - can any of you tell me what you think my kitchen is asking for? there are some tiles in the background, most have been eliminated.

Thanks again GWers.

DMckee,

I did not trawl the seas and traipse the continent in search of the perfect subway, but I did look at three or four NYC metro tile places. I liked Subway Ceramics the best, as to me they seemed the truest and flattest. I did look at actual vintage NY subway tile, but could not find enough (I made three of 3 of the full bathrooms white subway).

I do think you need to see a sample board.

As per your request, here is a photo of DH's bathroom. It is a wet room so floor to ceiling tile on 3 of 4 walls. I don't have photos of the 2 other baths where we used Subway Ceramics. Personally, I like them. But I think very few people would notice the differences between subways, other than those designed to look handmade. Note, as you've no doubt heard, the smaller the groutlines the better.

It has been so long I almost forgot that I promised to post the final pictures of the tile. We are getting close to finishing the kitchen remodel and I will post all the before and after pictures once we finish. We need to get the outlets switched out for brown ones, and I need to finish the switch plates......wow, this has taken twice as long as we expected.

Wow!

I chanced upon this interesting thread quite late in its run. I love your tiles lovespurple--the sheen, the variation and depth of color and the sense of movement. I tend to focus on size and shape first. I tend not to like square tiles (though my bathrooms are all white square tiles) because they lack the sense of movement (and gentle curves) that so appeal to me. 4x4s placed on the diagonal, however, do create a sense of movement. The Ann Sacks tile you picked Bee, create the movement I so love, though they are quite pricey.

I am drawn to pearlized or iridescent tiles as the light plays on them and creates subtle variation and depth, matte and gloss. But after very prolonged study (all but backsplash four years later), I find I dislike mosaic which is the most common pearlized size as I find it too choppy and small compared to cabinet and counter expanses. What I love now is Ann Sacks 6x9 Haiku in iridized white. I don't know how to post a picture of it.

I chanced upon this interesting thread quite late in its run. I love your tiles lovespurple--the sheen, the variation and depth of color and the sense of movement. I tend to focus on size and shape first. I tend not to like square tiles (though my bathrooms are all white square tiles) because they lack the sense of movement (and gentle curves) that so appeal to me. 4x4s placed on the diagonal, however, do create a sense of movement. The Ann Sacks tile you picked Bee, create the movement I so love, though they are quite pricey.

I am drawn to pearlized or iridescent tiles as the light plays on them and creates subtle variation and depth, matte and gloss. But after very prolonged study (all but backsplash four years later), I find I dislike mosaic which is the most common pearlized size as I find it too choppy and small compared to cabinet and counter expanses. What I love now is Ann Sacks 6x9 Haiku in iridized white. I don't know how to post a picture of it.

LovesPurple, that is amazing! I cannot believe you made those $37-per-sq-foot-tiles by yourself!! That is fantastic!

I priced out a kiln to glaze my own bisque tiles, but got discouraged by the large number of batches I would have had to have baked to cover 33 sq. ft. I had forgotten you suggested that I could find a ceramic shop to do the actual firing. Any suggestions on what to look for? I am not even sure how to go about finding one.

Thanks everybody, I am glad you like the tiles.

Angie_DIY - Here is a close-up of the tiles. The ones that are shiny with the leaves in them are actually glass. I have been having LOADS of fun with the little kiln I got and have been trying all kinds of interesting things. You can get bisque tiles from someplace like New Mexico Clay (nmclay.com) pretty cheap. You probably have a potters guild or ceramic supply around you. Call them and ask if they know of anyone who can fire your tiles. Most ceramics shops (not those ones in the mall) have classes, rent studio space, and will file your stuff. You need to find out what cone they fire to and use a glaze for that temperature. My tiles were all done with an 06 glaze, and I fired them to 06. Cone 06 is different than cone 6 - confused me at first! I have always found that the ceramic supply places are really good about helping you match the correct clay/bisque with the correct glazes. So just find out what cone the person firing your tiles fires to, and then get the bisque and glaze for the same cone. Let me know if you need help. :)

LovesPurple-I love the tile you made for your backsplash. It is beautiful and unique. I can't wait for your full ''reveal''.

And Angie-I know that whatever you end up doing/making will be lovely as well. Just keep us all in the loop, please.

Leela and Purple, thanks for the encouragement. Don't worry, you will be the first to know!! I was looking at bisque (unglazed) tiles, glaze colors, and local ceramic shops today! Maybe Purple will have inspired me!

Leela4-Thanks!

Angie_DIY- Careful, it is addictive! :) But, the cool part is you can make switchplates to match! Here is the one I have done. This glaze has sparkly copper and blotches of teal/green. The brown leaves on the bottom trim tiles has the same sparkly copper. You can get the bisque switchplates at the same places you can get the glazes and tiles! Here is another tip: For the tiles I had to custom fit, like around the outlets and along the edges, I trimmed them to size before I glazed them. And you don't need a tile saw, I just used my dremel or hacksaw depending on what I was cutting. Then I just used my glass grinder to smooth it and make fine adjustments (you can also use a dremel for that).

LovesPurple, holy carp, your tiles are amazing! I once considered getting my own kiln, back when I was interested in silver clay jewelry, but that hobby phase has passed. I would love to experiment with switchplates. I really miss the creative process and joy of discovery.

Another "Holy Carp"

I vaguely recall reading this thread last summer. Catching up on LovesPurple loveliness is so awesome! Great job! Thanks for my big smile for the day.

Angie_DIY - Can I be more like you when I grow up? You have some mad skills sister!

Oh, looking at a real estate listing enthralled me! Check out this tile!

Angie_DIY - That tile looks really "old school"! But, I think the wallpaper totally trashes the tile.

In case anyone is keeping track, I now own 4 kilns. I have promised my husband I will reduce it to 2! :) Anyone want a cheap kiln to make their own tile?

We are almost done with the kitchen. I have never been so relieved to start painting a kitchen in my life! Wow, we have worked on this a whole year. The worst part of the whole project is behind us - grinding down the concrete so we can put down the bamboo flooring. Here is a tip. If you take tile off of concrete, which is messy enough, you will also need to use a grinder to make the floor completely flat again. In hindsight we should have done it when we pulled up the tile. Anyway, I found that wrapping my cabinets in that plastic they use to wrap pallets with (comes in a roll) keeps the dust from sucking in through the cracks and getting all over the dishes and silverware.

Lovespurple: The tile backsplash looks awesome! I love that it's unique... just think, only YOU have that!
What is your cab wood, BTW?

deedles - our cabinets are cherry. We just have clear coats on them, and the deep richness of the cherry is starting to mature. We made the cabinets, but got all the doors and drawer fronts from Scherr's Cabinets and Doors. Love those guys! They are super easy to work with, everything has arrived perfect, and the prices are incredible. We got their lowest grade Cherry and ordered the doors as we finished sections of the kitchen. After you get above a certain amount they toss in a 25% discount!

So, what did Angie end up choosing for her tile??? And thanks for all this great information!

Alas and alack, I am still stalled on my choice.... Thanks for asking!