Glad you like it, Amy. I was looking for something that looked kinda vintage 50's, but kinda modern and simple and I'm pleased with the selection.

It's worth a visit to see Interstyle tiles in person. The gallery photos on their website look nice, but the individual product photos don't really capture how they look in person.

Well here's a picture from my last home. I wanted colorful and just went a little crazy with it.I'm in the process of doing a backsplash at my new home which is also incorporating mosaic, and color, but not to the same extent.This has lots of color, but I thought it was just fun and cheery.

Here's a bad pic of my new backsplash. It's actually paintable wallpaper. On the left is plain orange paint. On the right is a test piece I did with a little blue stain. The orange is just a little too bright.

I put this up with thumbtacks so it's very easy to change whenever I like. I had some fabric up there - it was fabric that actually looked like little bitty tiles. It was up for a few months, but I got tired of it. It takes me less than two hours to tack it all up!

Here is a link that might be useful: Blurry pic of Orange Backsplash

Klinger, that is great! Did you do the work?

I personally like color, but usually not the same color for long enough (unless it is blue) to want to go through the expense of replacing expensive and harder to replace materials such as flooring, backsplash, and more permanent fixtures. I prefer using a neutral as a backdrop and bring color in with accessories and fabrics etc. This way I can change things around with each season too. Walls are easy to change color on, ripping out tile because I tire of it is not.

I think people learned their lesson with all the avocado green, harvest gold, peach, mauve, etc. on permanent fixtures and want to be able to keep their homes not tied to a particular color trend. When looking to buy houses I really appreciated the harder to change items being neutral in color vs. those where I'd have to rip out because their particular color choice wasn't a color I'd like.

I love all the kitchens posted here btw. amysrq old kitchen and vixens have always been some of my favorites.

hi, yes I did it myself, used old dishes, tiles, pebbles, stained glass, beads etc. I thought it was a perhaps a bit to colorful for some people so did it all on panels that could be removed when we sold. The new owners loved it and so I guess it's still there.

Klinger, I was going to ask you how resale went. Glad the new folks appreciated your hard work and creativity!

I shudder to think of what my buyers did with my house. I know they were in touch with my painter before closing. I would love to call him and ask, but I don't want to put him in an awkward position.

I will say that my house stood out in a sea of neutrality and we received a lot of positive feedback on how refreshing it was to see something different. Most of those neutral houses are still on the market.

Oh, and I was wrong about Interstyle. I have an Original Style dealer near me. Now I will have to schlep. But, a quick look at the website makes me think it is worth it! I want a soft green and they might have it.

Your kitchen was gorgeous Amy. I love Housevixen's too. Someday I will have glass tile like that!

Klinger, that is one fantastic backsplash.

I think many people are cautious about using bold color in areas like tile backsplashes because it's so "permanent" and if you decide you hate red two years later, it's not easy to change. I used color in my kitchen but not bright color. Counters are green granite, backsplash is a slate mosaic in golds/greens/beiges, and, well, the floors are hardwood. Here's a small shot of my "subtle" colors.

sueb, I love your backsplash because it has so many great colors in it.

klinger, that backsplash was crazy cute. You are brave I must say.

Here's mine, not too exciting. I have the same tile in a smaller mosaic on the floor of the master shower, minus the insert tile.

{{gwi:1417446}}

Thanks Boopadaboo. The whole kitchen evolved around that tile. I sometimes wonder if I would have grown tired of it eventually. It was so right for the house itself, I think it could have had staying power. (I thought it was my forever house.) I haven't stayed anywhere long enough to see if things get old...maybe this time.

Amy, yes, I think I'm chickening out on a going with a color for the sink. I'm afraid of overkill since I'll have bold color on the floor. I don't want a plain white sink, so I'll probably go with a bisque or something.

Ditto with the backsplash which I think I'll use a cream subway tile with maybe a deep red square thrown in for good measure. Or a square tile if I can't find the subway.

Here's what I want for behind my stove, but the red needs to really be a deep color.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red and White tile

oak, that's very pretty. What color are the counters going to be?

To the OP question about beige? I noticed the onslaught of "all beige, all the time," with all the stone moving into every home. Travertine is beige. Beige goes well with all the granites whereas hardly anything else does. I love marble and it can take a lot of color. I am just going to say that I believe the main reason for so much beige was so much granite and then I am going to leave and let the rotten apple throwing begin. I am probably the only person at GW who is not a fan of granite although I have it in two bathrooms and my kitchen, but not because I wanted it. I have travertine in my bathroom and that makes me happy but I would be far happier if I had marble everywhere. But then my DH is a bit controlling and likes granite.

Oakley, you know I'm teasin' ya, right? I think it is all going to look fabu. I so love checkerboard floors. (Have you ever seen KGWLisa's?) I would love to do one in a kitchen, but both of my recent houses have been open plan and I have elected to do wood everywhere.

When we listed I asked the realtor about removing the colorful backsplash, I could have easily taken it down and replaced it with a neuteral more conventional choice. They said why not leave it as is and after a few showings depending on the feedback we'd make a decision. Now I also asked them if I should repaint my orange hallway too, and got the same feedback. My house had two showings before it hit mls, we had two offers that night and sold it for above the asking price by 8pm. Gotta love it, the new buyers also loved the orange hallway. I also had done some mosaic around the fireplace which I wasn't sure if I should change out and that was a hit too.It had a unique arty feel to it and bold colors were a part of that. lucky it sold so fast.

I am actually waiting til we cycle through the "sanitary white" trend and hit the colored kitchens and bathrooms of the 20s-40s. Yeah, I think we're going to "go there!"

Amy-- The blue and green room is a ~ 200 year-old love song to intense color!

It's a portion of The Peacock Room, a room James Whistler "modified" without his patron's knowledge to better show off his painting! Much late-1800s London scandal ensued, but the patron kept the room as-is until he died nearly 20 years later. He either loved color or was too cheap to change! Eventually the room made its way from London to Detroit when Charles Freer bought it; HE lived with it for ~ 15 years, and then upon his death it was installed in the Freer Gallery. Where I and no doubt many others fell in love with it.

Freer Gallery history/virtual tour

Lkplatow -- Thank you, I love it too! And I have about 5 "back up" colors that work with cabs/floor/backsplash if I bore of it (5 years and counting). Devine Color Line Foam (blue) and Feather (sand)

Klinger-- Glad resale went so smoothly! I walk around my neighborhood a lot, and notice that homes sell with bold colors, and then are often repainted in different bold colors! The original shade often helps people who are drawn to, but nervous about, bolder shades see the possibilities.

October--I like both the original and the blue-toned orange, but can see how the latter might be a bit easier to live with.

Also, since Oakley did ask about colored tile...some $$$ eye candy sites:

Mosaic House tile

Pratt and Larson tile

Oakley,

Just yesterday, I wrote about the most popular kitchen this year (as well as the past 5 years) on my blog and, yup, you nailed it -- white. That's one reason there's so little color. The other reason might well be real estate value angst. Everyone was told to "go neutral" in kitchens when they were buying in ("a kitchen can sell a house,") a real worry today, of course. KDs where I live tear their hair out over this as they tell me they are sick of selling neutral and longing to do something bolder but everyone is trying to make the smartest choices.

I went with one of the least popular kitchen colors 4 years ago and a back splash that also runs counter to trends then and now (thank you, Allison for the lovely compliment).

But I also have a blue and orange living room. What can I say?

Did everyone see Marthavilla's red Aga range and hood over on Kitchens? Talk about wow. I've been hoping to see more original kitchens like Allison's and Vix's that express strong personalities and points of view. One of my recent favorites has a burgundy-color island with white and gray-green tile. So it will be fun to see what you and amysrq and other color lovers come up with.

I'm not around very often but I'll try to keep an eye out for the fun.

house vixen~WoW! Picking my jaw up off the floor, that tree tile mosaic over the stove is drop dead gorgeous! Is that Pratt & Lambert tile?? That is for sure going into my dream folder.

oak~The colors in the Watt Pottery that you're inspired by would look astounding in a kitchen! I personally love rich red and green with cream too. It is a timeless combination.

All of you (igloo, klinger, amy, etc) are so fearless, and your originality is what makes your kitchen's sparkle. I think it becomes art, not just decoration, and that is a huge draw in a sea of "normalcy". WTH is normal?? Grow strange, crooked trees! :)

You're welcome, Roc. Your kitchen is one of my favorites. I should show it to DD1. I think she would love it too.

Vix, DD1's apartment in Pacific Heights had a pink and green bathroom. I loved it. Slideshow below.

My paternal grandmother had a pink and green MBath and the second bath was pink and black.

We went to a Mexican restaurant today that had 1 inch red and aqua glass accent tiles - not close together. Personally, I think they could have found something better than the red! The ladies room walls were covered entirely with the aqua glass tiles. Thought of this thread. lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Pink and Green Bathroom

Igloo, I love that honey onyx countertop; it.is.alive!
And okay, even I, with my subway tile phobia, will admit that your backsplash is lovely. Probably because it makes me think of brick rather than, well, *you know what*. ;^)

Vix, if I don't put a commercial SS sink, (that comes with it's own wall to wall backsplash) one day I am going to shamelessly steal your ethereal tiles.

LOL Littledog glad to convert you on some subway. They're not all white or beige heh heh Ours does not show as well in pictures. The finish is irregular, deeper on the edge and lighter somewhat in the middle and it's crackled all over. The pieces are all hand made, so they have irregularities in debth as well as a bit in size (which is why the grout lines are bigger). I had envisioned a tight subway pattern, and when my tile god put them in and showed me the options...I just fell in love with the sort of "Brick" feel of it.

PRarie, thank you :) I'm definately in the crooked tree group heh heh I have alligator tile in my master bath, and monkeys crawling all over DS's room. In every room there is a chicken (some are very subtle...find them when I post rooms LOL) and our family bathroom is done in antique golf posters and whiskey adds as well as a few socks, etc (adds) from the 30's and 40's. I love crooked trees :o)

Now Patricia....I have beige. I have lots of it, and absolutely love it, but my beige is also alive with textures (in the room) as would be yours if you have travertine, which is a great textural eye treat. In my more "boring" rooms (ie the master bath, which is brown, white and beige) I have lots and lots of texture to add the interest to the space that color might do elsewhere. I love beige :) If done right! (And I absolutely adore travertine...it's all over the house, but you know, it also comes in other colors like deep gold and chocolate...which I have as well).

Klinger,
Would you tell me more about your stunning mosaic; what size were the boards you worked on, and how did you mount them to the wall? Did you do any special prepwork to the boards first?

Bru, I think the counters will be similar to yours, isn't your's the "blonde with specs"? I can't remember the name of it. Of course once I get to the granite yard I might pick out something different. But the "blonde" allows you to add color, IMO.

Patricia, I'd rather not have granite either. I'm not fond of many of their "prints", and only have really liked one, which is the one Brutuses has. Personally I'd love to have the old fashioned laminate trimmed in chrome like the old diners used to be. lol But I know they would get torn up easily.

Roco, to this day our builder keeps telling us NOT to go with white kitchens or the white beadboard because it gets so dirty. But he builds homes in the City, where everything in neutral. We live in the country where most people like to design accordingly, so I'm not worried about resale when we pass away and my kids sell the house. I love the Farm Style since we're surrounded by wheat fields and farms, even though we don't farm.

Prairie, I agree about the colors in the pottery, especially with white in the house. My grandmothers were already gone when I was born, and my dad's mom had a Watt bowl with advertising in it, they gave this stuff out free during the depression. When I was only 20 (30 years ago!), my mom gave me the bowl. I've sinced collected many pieces and have decorated around them! I'm lucky that I like the colors and will never get sick of them!

I love other colors too, but I'm too chicken to try them out, except in the bedrooms and bathrooms. lol

Oakley....I think you should get the laminate with the chrome trim!!! Why do you think it would get torn up? I have had laminate in past houses that just wouldn't die. I think the edges are the hardest part and the chrome will take care of that. Think of all the colors!!

(I'm not a big granite fan...sorry...)

Ahhh ... color! Here's mine!

{{!gwi}}

Backsplash are tiles from Susan Jablon, very resonable compared to prices I found in the local tile stores.
{{!gwi}}

Floor is Marmoleum ... the rest of the colors came from the floor.
{{!gwi}}

The main counter is a solid surface formica:
{{!gwi}}

The island is a blue, and I can't remember the name for the life of me right now.
{{!gwi}}

No beige in my house! :>)

Pam

Kudos Pam! That is fantastic!! :-) Did you do the backsplash yourself? You would appreciate my bathroom!

Icestone counters in Denim Moss (not quite as bright IRL):

{{!gwi}}

Susan Jablon in the shower:

{{!gwi}}

I also used Marmoleum in my mudroom, but I wasn't as brave as you were!

{{!gwi}}

Hi, I used boards approx 3 feet long, they were just a very thin 1/4 inch thickness. They were precut to fit in the backsplash area, and the spots were marked to attach them with a screw to the studs. It is so much easier to work on a mosaic flat, than on a wall. I did nothing to prepare the boards, used wellbond to attach the pieces. The boards were left to dry and then screwed into place . We also used sparing amounts of construction adhesive for extra strength.
I'm working on the backsplash for my new place now and using a similiar method. I didn't want to go as wild and crazy with it. I'm doing a focal point above the range of a tree of life, the rest of the backsplash has tumbled slate on the top and the bottom, and I am doing bands of color using stained glass, like this,
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
I love this glass and it'll give me many color options to coordinate with it.

klinger I love love LOVE your old backsplash!!!! Seriously droolworthy - and inspirational!

I have a box of broken dishes & glass - this summer I swear I'm going to learn what to do with them, & I'm going to print out your picture for inspiration.

Just beautiful!

AMy,

I love your counter ... have something similar in my bath. I picked the colors and told Susan to do a random pattern.

Here are 2 baths with her tile and marmoleum also:
Downstairs Bath
{{gwi:1480902}}

Avonite bathroom counter - not as nice as yours
{{!gwi}}

Green Marmoleum in downstairs bath:
{{!gwi}}

Upstairs Bath:
{{!gwi}}

My beach inspired bath:

Vetrazzo countertop (recycled glass & concrete):

I tried to get a shot of my beach-colored marmoleum floors, but for some reason my camera & computer stopped talking to each other :(

Oh, that bathroom looks very familiar! I think you were one of my inspirations when I first started looking at Susan's tile. I should say thank you! I love Avonite and sort of wish I had gone with something more user-friendly than the Icestone. I had Zodiaq in the last house and it was completely bullet-proof.

Moonkat~ In your bath, is that a shadow in the pic or did you paint the wall like that? I love the colors, they're very soothing, please what are they? Beadboard has that beachy quality to me anyways. Wonder where that association came from? :)

What is marmoleum? Looks like something I could try in my floody basement.

prairie, the wall is showing a reflection of the oval mirror. The colors are RH Silver Sage (above) & Light Silver Sage (below)

Marmoleum is an eco-friendly linoleum; uses all natural materials. What is causing your floods? In a floody area you would need to make sure it's sealed well at the edges - if your flooding is coming from below it wouldn't be the best choice.

I'm all too familiar with floody basements lol! Took care of my issues w/ new foundation & a sump pump :)

Moon~Oh that's too bad, as I think it IS seepage, we need to get it sealed or whatever you do. Money is the big issue right now, as my husband is currently laid off. "New foundation" doesn't sound inexpensive, or pleasant.

Anyways, I loved linoleum, I'm glad to hear it's back!

I think I saw Crossville tile on a commercial with Owen Wilson, I'm pretty sure it was for Puppy Chow, or the movie Marley and Me, not sure which. But the tile was yellow, green and brown.

Sorry, forgot who asked but yes, that "Tree" tile photo is from Pratt and Larson's site.

Drooling over Moonkat's Vetrazzo, Amy's Icestone, and Pam's SSFormica tops.

Though Pam is making me very very sad my beloved pale-neutral marmoleum is, well, pale-neutral in the kitchen and bath, ha. If we ever save up for the other bath I will try to go for a 3rd-time's-the-charm mega-colored lino.

Of course I snuck in *some* color in the bath (and hey, since it's me, some bling):

sueb20, I LOVE your tile! Can you tell me its name and where you got it?

TIA
Anne

I came THIS close to getting linoleum until I saw the Crossville. They can lay patterns down with both linoleum and marmoleum (sp)and they have gorgeous colors like yellow and deep red. Sooo retro. Alas, I've fallen in love with Crossville!

Pamg, that countertop is just yummy! It reminds me of the candy Brach used to sell for 2 for a nickle; it was like white nougat with some kind of "jewel" tone fruit gelatin.

What color is that marmoleum?

House Vixen, I remember when I first saw your tile. It inspired me to get the irridescent blue.
This is this year's picture but it doesn't show the tile too well.
{{!gwi}}
This is from Dec 2004 which gives a more realistic view.{{!gwi}}

Linda

klinger, I thought the old backsplash was wonderful, but I am *really* liking the new one. Maybe it's the combination of the rough stone and the smooth glass, maybe it's just because the colors are so fun. :^)

Please post pictures when you get the tree of life finished; it's a great motif.

I know there's a mosaic forum, but while I have your ear, I have a project in mind that I want to use talavera tile around the outside top edge of a tiny greenhouse. I don't really want to attach them permanently, (It's as cute as a bug's ear, but not really built for the ages, IYKWIM) and was wondering about having a metal shop put a top and bottom edge on an 8 foot long piece of flat sheet metal, maybe drilling screw holes every two feet or so. But if wood works, it's got to be a world easier and cheaper too. Do you think I could use plywood or would you recommend something more substantial like a treated 1X4?

here is

Amy .. very cool that my bathroom inspired your bathroom! Some of my pictures are on Susan Jablon's site.

The Marmoleum I used is:
Green Melody - in the kitchen, green, blus and yellow
Lapponia - sea green (downstairs Bath)
Peacock Green - upstairs bath

And I realized the blue counter on my island is also Avonite.

Great use of color by everyone! Would love to see more pictures!

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: Marmoleum

Wow, I totally love this thread! Thank you for showing COLOR. I agree too, many homes it seems they spent all kinds of money for high-end finishes and didn't have enough money in the budget for color. Makes the room personality-free and boring. I know some would say soothing or calming, but blue is soothing and calming too LOL!

meghane, as a conflict-resolution specialist I knew used to say, "there's a lot of fear." That's what I ascribe the neutrality cult to be about. HGTV "it'll never sell" "it's personal to the owner" "it's you"...now *sometimes*, unfortunately, one person's color choice is not another person's taste, and it costs money to change out non-moveable elements like counters and backsplashes as opposed to pillows and lampshades etc., so it really is safer, if safe investment is your primary goal.

That said, if y'all saw my house you'd know I'm not averse to color...The Hallarum cabinets with green-tea-Corian (with pencil edges -- it actually looks good, folks, don't choke!) with the Sicis waterglass backsplash in two shades of gold, deeper reddish brown, and two shades of green/gray, would prove it :) I love it so much that I hate to think that someone else won't, but what I did with the backsplash was to screw the backerboard in on top of the drywall and put tiles over the screws, so that if someone really hates it, I can just take it off and reuse the tiles in my new house. They can have plain painted drywall or tumbled travertine if they want :) They're stuck with the corian, though, but it is such a wonderful neutral green-gray, like concrete almost, that another backsplash would be easy to choose to coordinate with, IMO.

flyleft - I would agree with you about the "fear" factor ... my neighbor walked in after I finished the kitchen and bathrooms, and was totally in love with the color, but then said she could never bring herself to do color like I do ... because she's too afraid!

I don't get it ... but then again, I have very strong opinions about what I like and don't like ... and she can't make up her mind about anything. I tried helping her with her living room, she's in her mid 50's and her living room is a collection of hand-me-down furniture (not antiques or quality) and the room just is unbalanced.

Oh well ... I'm about to paint a bathroom a periwinkle blue, it is a gorgeous color, matches one of the glass tiles in the shower ... bet she'll love that too!

Looking at the Tree of Life backsplash, I have to ask. What type of cleaner would you put on it to get the grease off? LOL. 409? We'll be putting in a tile backsplash also, and my dh loves to fix bacon and eggs on weekends, and let's just say, his grease goes everywhere!

Love green and pink bathrooms,but I couldn't get the picture to come up! That's the color of my bathroom now, but not in the tub, sink and toilet. I loved those old pinks of yesterday. And now they cost an arm and a leg, just like colored appliances. Go figure.

The ad Vix posted? If so, I linked it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: