Brenda's Backsplash

I usually try to keep our backsplash updates over on our S/E Backsplash Website, but this most recent one we painted was a little different... and we think deserves a shout-out! Brenda's getting her house all gussied up to put it on the market, and naturally she brought us in to do our thing in her kitchen! We were a little nervous about painting over a darker 'grout' line:

Brenda wanted long and skinny staggered horizontal tiles... needless to say, the taping took us awhile.

But once we got to the painting, it went real fast! And after removing the painter's tape, we revealed this beautiful and modern... yet subtle backsplash!

The gray grout line ended up being gorgeous!

Doesn't it really look like tile? It's amazing what you can do with a sponge brush and a couple tubes of acrylic paint!

If you're new to our blog, you can see many of other backsplashes we've painted here, or visit our S/E Backsplash website to learn more about how it all works!

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Christal's Backsplash

Christal had a special request for us... she wanted an aged brick backsplash for her "Pottery Barn meets rustic" home to be completed before her hubby comes home from Afganistan on July 3 as a surprise! And I'm not gonna lie... having never tackled 'aged brick' I was a little nervous and did a lot of Google Image research on old brick.

Here's Christal's before shot:

Nick did some research of his own... to determine exact brick and grout dimensions so it could be as close to genuine brick as possible. This meant cutting down painters tape since our typical quarter inch tape wouldn't do!

And with a TON of various red paints, we started experimenting with color combos and other techniques to make the bricks look as old as possible!

It turned out awesome! And Christal loved it too! She can't wait to show her hubby when he arrives home!

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Josh & Dixie's Backsplash

You got it, it's another backsplash. This weekend, we didn't need to travel far for this client! Josh is one of Nick's co-workers, and we were excited to do our magic in their kitchen!

Their only stipulation is that the backsplash be awesome. We took that as a personal challenge, and threw in all the bells and whistles!

Love these little vertical squares!!

We kept things neutral in color so they can feel free to change up their color scheme in the future, but at the same time gave it some custom flair! And they loved it! (or so they said)...

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Janet's Backsplash

I know I'm pretty consistent with posting a backsplash each Monday morning... but yesterday? It just didn't happen. I was tired, uncomfortable, and thought I might potentially be in labor. Turns out the babies have shifted... Baby B has taken over as first to exit. And those naughty girls are both breach. They have about 10 days to get it together before things get too tight to move... around 34 weeks.

So anyway, Janet and her husband welcomed us into their home to give their kitchen a corner on the housing market and make it less...generic. Beings that this was the second backsplash we did that day, I was basically useless and worn out. I utilized Karen's couch on a couple of occasions. So this one is Nick's handiwork:

Before:

After:

We added in some deep espresso brown accent tiles to bring in the dark wood floors.

Before:

After:

And along this tiny ridge, Nick tediously measured/taped/painted it the same espresso to coordinate with the rest of the kitchen! I love how it really stands out, yet still goes with the rest of the backsplash.

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Lynne's Backsplash

I wish you all could see me taping and painting a backsplash. I think I could probably sell tickets to that show. I get in a lunge position with my feet, which puts me at a perfect height to position the edge of the countertop snugly in the crevice between my bosom and belly. I can only do this for so long before I need to sit down and take 5... or even lay down on a client's couch. Nick's responsibilities are growing as fast as those hefty ladies in utero!

It's weird to me that spell-check doesn't recognize "utero" as a word. Cause it totally is. I tried "inutero" too to see if it was perhaps one word. Not so.

This backsplash I'm about to show you is one of my new favorites!! It all started out with just a typical all-American kitchen... L-shaped, honey oak cabinets, unfortunate lack of backsplash.

I was overjoyed when Lynne expressed desire to have subway tiles instead of the always-popular diagonal "grid". Subway tiles just seem so timeless, yet strangely modern. We gave her neutrals with a splash of her green wall color she had leftover! It definitely gives her kitchen some personality, yes?

In other news, wasn't it a LOVELY weekend? If you live in the Midwest, I guess... not sure about the rest of the country. Had I been more mobile, I may have been able to enjoy it more. But I'd like to announce that in addition to painting two backsplashes, I did get in a high energy yard game of Bocce Ball with bro and sis-in-law. And baked some strawberry scones. What did you do this weekend?

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Melea's Backsplash

Melea loved the idea of having a backsplash in her kitchen, but didn't love the price tag of expensive tile and labor, not to mention how long and messy a process it is. So naturally, she loved the cost, versatility and instant gratification of our painted backsplashes!! We aim to please!

Although her wall was already a neutral color that could have worked as a grout line, we talked her into painting it white... allowing the "tiles" to really stand out and make a statement. See what I mean?

Her backsplash now has that "finished" gourmet kitchen feel. She loved it so much, she took a whole stack of our business cards to pass along to her friends/coworkers! Thanks Melea!

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Kathy's Backsplash

YAY!!! We're back at it! This past weekend, we partook in painting our first backsplash since the girls were born. It's been a nice two month siesta, but it feels good to jump back into our creative niche. Kathy was one of my coworkers at the clinic, and she was willing to be our guinea pig for seeing how it would all work bringing the girls with us on the job!

Here's Kathy's kitchen... she described in frightening detail how it was covered floor to ceiling in wallpaper for far too long. But now it's a lovely blank canvas for us to rock our foam brushes!

She really loved this backsplash from way back when, but felt like it was a leeetle TOO blue/green for her taste. She really wanted the earthy naturals, with occasional bursts of color. She has a sagey green thing going on in her kitchen, and let us use her actual wall paint for a perfect match. She also wanted a cheery pop of turquoise to bring out her personality and make her kitchen super custom!

The girls did really well, only requiring minimal attention! Of course it didn't hurt that Kathy felt compelled to love and shnuggle them the whole time! Who doesn't love an abnormally adorable little baby, let alone TWO abnormally adorable little babies?!!! OK... maybe not everyone. But they should.

Kathy! Thanks for letting us paint your backsplash! ...and for entertaining our small litter of baby humans! ...and for the yummy brownies!

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Deb's Backsplash

Well snap, it's Monday again. It's been an interesting weekend, filled with drywall dust, crafting and napping! Also, I felt Baby B's hiccups for the first time... fun!

I'm a little late on blogging today, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Deb was a client who was referred to us by our Interior Design friend, Jodi! Her kitchen desperately needed some lovin'... and lucky for her, we're in the business of lovin' all over people's kitchens!

We've been wanting to try the "Subway" tile look for some time now, so we were stoked when Deb chose subway for her backsplash!!

We're loving the earthy neutrals she chose... she'll be able to accent in any color! And change up her decor at will!

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Lisa's Backsplash

Oh happy Monday. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping... yet somehow I still feel like putting myself on self-inflicted bedrest. I'm sure I wouldn't like that for very long though. But enough about me...

Lisa was blessed with a very impressive kitchen to begin with, but sometimes (OK pretty much always) a kitchen just looks naked without a backsplash!! Her kitchen is so large it took TWO before photos:

(HOW HUGE IS HER KITCHEN?!)

We went with a natural tumbled stone with a few blasts of sage green here and there. Lisa had some funky/questionably textured walls, but it ended up turning out just fine!!

We think it's purrrrrdy.

Here's a close-up over the stove so you can see the sage-y detail.

Have a splendid day!

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Heidi's Backsplash

Lately, we've been having lots of backsplash clients who are... daring to say the least. And Heidi is no exception. Being a lover of orange myself, I immediately fell in love with Heidi's wild orange cabinets! (though you'll probably never see me painting my own cabinets orange... don't need to when I can enjoy them at Heidi's house!)

She wanted the majority of the backsplash to look like natural tumbled stone, but have occasional brightly colored 'glass' looking tiles to bring out her personality, and potentially drive her husband crazy. Heidi made it easy on us by letting us use paint she already had used in various parts of the kitchen. And now the backsplash serves to pull all those elements together, making for a unique, spicy kitchen! HOT!

She loved how it turned out!!! And I'm betting it will grow on her husband. Especially since, a woman who loves her kitchen is more likely to cook delicious meals more often. Score for husband AND wife!

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Jody's Backsplash

This may just be the BIGGEST backsplash we've painted... ever. But it turned out to be pretty impressive with the little black accent tiles coordinating with her black appliances and decor. And... Jody has twins too! So we had lots to talk about. Here's her naked kitchen:

And after we got our hands on it...

It's almost like the backsplash makes the kitchen feel even bigger! And more gourmet! Hope you love it Jody!

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Jane's Backsplash

If you have ever overhauled your entire kitchen, you know how time consuming it can be, and frustrating dealing with contractors and such. It is said to be the most expensive room in a house to remodel. But Jane here knew that throwing a little paint around can make a dramatic difference for a fraction of the cost. Knowing that her cabinets were in decent shape (just a little outdated), she decided to slap on a glossy coat of black paint. She also painted the walls a crisp spring green after removing the horrifying wall paper border. (Have any of you been around long enough to remember how I feel about wallpaper border?) And though I'm sure the appliances weren't cheap,  you have to admit that her kitchen redo is exquisite! Here's the before/after shots:

And though the credit all goes to Jane, we like to think we played a little part by painting her backsplash! She had us use gray, turquoise, pearl, and the same spring green she applied on the wall.

And she even volunteered to be our guinea pig as we tried out this funky abstract tile pattern, using long and narrow staggered horizontal tiles. She loved it... WE loved it... and I have a feeling our clients will be asking for this pattern in the future! It's fun and modern without being obnoxious!

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