That is amazing!! :)

It's beautiful--could you give us a couple more views of it and a close-up? (I love, love, love mosaics and am trying to get up the nerve to try it on some small project--like a frame or flower pot.) TIA!!

Wow! And a hood! I think this is the first outdoor hood I've seen. Cool! The mosaic is lovely.

Wow- That is STUNNING! I have always dreamed to have an outdoor kitchen like that with a built in firepit-- now I have an inspiration photo to go by! Truly magnificent! Where do you live? I hope you get to enjoy it for many months through the year!

Another...WOW...that is amazing. Just gorgeous...CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Love it!

Gorgeous!

What an AWESOME space! The backsplash is really gorgeous and I think it's really cool you worked on it yourself. Well done!

It is absolutely stunning!

That is stunning! WOW! You did such a beautiful job. The colors are amazing! it all looks gorgeous. thanks for sharing!

Great job! Your own white kitchen with your own unique backsplash, wonderful!

Doonie,
The tile is divine. I Love it!!
Glad to hear you had a blast working on this beautiful
work of art. Only Doonie could do such a fantastic peice.
A fan of your outdoor kitchen.
~boxerpups

Thanks all! This is a DIY that I could handle. (I remain so impressed with the many of you talented folks that can actually put whole new kitchens in!) I was very happy that it turned out looking so good on the wall (At least better than a solid wall of brick!)

plllog, we wanted the hood to help clear out potential smoke from the rest of the covered porch. I am excited to be able to grill in all sorts of weather!

gillylilly, we live in northeastern Tennessee by the Appalachians. It's zone 6, for you gardeners. We did put in a wood burning fireplace in the other part of our covered patio. We didn't put a fridge in because outdoor appliances are crazy pricey and it doesn't make sense to me when an indoor fridge is so close by.

buehl, I love the white kitchens! It's because of your cute Poodles that I ended up with a new puppy (Standard Poodle/Giant Schnauzer Mix)at the tail end of this renovation!

boxerpups, Thanks for the lovely words.

flwers n co, I ordered a mosaic kit and books over 2 years ago (with nippers and wheeled cutters), but the practice tiles they sent were so utterly depressing I never picked them up. I have always wanted to do a mosaic too! My mom was here during the first part of September and it was helpful to have her artistic eye to help out. Here's some other views:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Doonie, what a great space you created. I love it. The colors in your mosaic are so pretty.My husband would be envious.

Cool. I was surpised on the close up that it looks like the pieces are on end rather than flat. Is that because of the depth of the brick wall surrounding the niche or just your preference or an optical illusion? Will you be grouting it or leaving it as is? I love mosaics but don't think they really fit in my home. This is a great way to get a mosaic. You will never get tired of seeing it and noticing different details each time you look at it. Wonderful!

hockeychik, I'm not sure what you mean exactly about the tiles being on end. Smalti tile is made by using old recipes of silica and various minerals & melting them in a furnace. Then the molten glass is poured onto a slab and when it cools, it is cut into the little rectangles that you see. The side that was flush to the slab is very uniform, but the up side has beautiful color variations and ripples in the surface. Ideally, that is the side you want showing. The little squares surrounding the mosaic are leftover copper slate tiles from our guest shower floor and they are recessed back into the brick niche. I won't be grouting it. That would just add a dull color throughout the tile pieces, which would detract from the vibrancy that I want. Thanks for the compliment!

Thanks for the info doonie. Now I know what Smalti tile is. I had never heard of it before. It does have a very unique look and I love how brilliant the colors are. I guess I was just used to seeing either the little square mosaics or pieces that are all jagged edges which are usually showing the larger flat side. Maybe I will search out some more pictures of designs done with Smalti tiles.

hockeychik...I didn't know what smalti was either until I started researching. I only knew I hated the butt ugly practice tiles they sent with my starter's mosaic kit. I can hardly wait to get my hands on some more smaltis! The colors are so gorgeous, it's really hard to pick palettes!

I have to admit when I first read the post and looked at the small picture, I thought it was a representation of something that I just was not seeing correctly. I thought I saw a piece of pizza in the "picture" but it did not make sense.
Once you posted the close ups, I could see that it was clearly modern art and not supposed to be anything but pretty (which it is!).
I love that you vented out the bbq and think I will copy youi when they put in our screened in porch. I had panned on using the bbq inside but was worried it would muck up the ceiling or "walls". The vent hood is a great idea! Thanks!

Dianalo!

First of all let me say this that my MIL also was trying to figure out what "it" was. LOL!

Glad I can help someone else. The hood seems to work very well. I am looking forward to grilling the winter. I have used the gianormous wok and ring. The second time, I put the wok directly on the grate...a little wobbly, but I was still able to stir fry. I was less than pleased with the temp of the wok when the wok ring was in place. The flame was too far from the pan. This time, tonight, it worked very well. However, I am still not overly thrilled with the wobbly wok directly on the grate, but I think it will be stable enough. It is still not the "ideal" wok.

I am anxious to see what all you are doing! When will you be posting?

Doonie, how wonderful to have such beautiful art and even more so that it was made by you. Now your space is extra special!!!