Decor

Kitchen Mini-Makeover

I am excited to share our kitchen mini-makeover with you today.

 Herringbone Subway Tile

When we moved into our home over a year ago, our kitchen had dark cabinets and there really wasn’t a backsplash (just some really large tile behind the stove).

Kitchen BEFORE

Kitchen Hood BEFORE

I painted the cabinets which brought me one step closer to the kitchen I was envisioning.  But my dream kitchen had a (timeless and beautiful) subway tiled backsplash.  After hours on Pinterest, not only did I become obsessed with subway tile, but I “needed” to have it in a herringbone pattern under my stove hood.  Now, I have done backsplash tile in my old house, and I remember how hard it was to cut the tile.  Do you know how many tiles I would have to cut tile to create the herringbone pattern?!  If I wanted my herringbone dream to become a reality, it was not going to be under my doing.  This was one of the rare times I was going to agree that it’s a “don’t do it yourself” #DDIY project.   Every once in a while it’s nice to sit back and let the experts take over! I went into my local Carpet One store and was instantly greeted with a warm hello right when I walked into the store.  I was impressed with the large showroom filled will carpet, flooring, and tile samples.   After letting them know I was looking for subway tile for my kitchen backsplash, an expert walked me around and showed me all the various tile samples.  I was sent home with several sample boards so I could view the tile and colors in my home.

Rittenhouse Square Tile Samples

I decided on the Rittenhouse Subway tile semi-gloss in Biscuit.  I went with Biscuit because white would have been too stark with my cream cabinets.  Also, the gloss reflects light making a space seem larger and the gloss is easier to clean than the matte.

Biscuit Tiles

The next day, a Carpet One representative come to my home and gave me a free in-home estimate for my backsplash.

Carpet One In Home Estimate

After the estimate was discussed and approved, we scheduled a date to get the tile work done. (!!) The backsplash was completed in a couple of days, and the tile guy was professional and cleaned up his mess after he was done. It could not have been easier!  I could get used to this #DDIY (don’t do it yourself) approach… Here’s the transformation of my stove area:

Kitchen Hood BEFORE

Kitchen Hood BEFORE

Tearing off Tiles

Tile in Progress

Herringbone Subway Tile

Herringbone Pattern with Subway Tile

Herringbone Tile Pattern Backsplash

Glossy Subway Tile Backsplash

And here’s the other side of the kitchen under my cabinets:

Kitchen BEFORE

Kitchen BEFORE

Subway Tile in Kitchen*

Gold Canisters

Subway Tile in Kitchen

Subway Tile Backsplash

Biscuit Subway Tiles

I can’t say enough about the people at the Carpet One Store in Anderson, Indiana.  They were professional, friendly, and knowledgeable.  They made the backsplash installation and process so easy.

  Kitchen Subway Tile Backspash

Biscuit Subway tile with Gray Grout

I love my new backsplash, and the beauty and value it adds to my kitchen!

Go create something!

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Before & After Kitchen Hood

Before & After Kitchen                

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17 thoughts on “Kitchen Mini-Makeover

  1. I absolutely love the way it turned out! The biscuit color is perfect for your kitchen! I have been thinking about a new tile backsplash in my kitchen and now know it’s a definite! Gorgeous! #client

  2. I have people tell me it’s a mistake to paint my cabinets because they will chop. What is your opinion on this now that you’ve done it? Honestly, was it a hard job? What kind of paint did you use?

    1. Hi Cheryl! I painted my cabinets over a year ago, and so far they have held up really well with no chipping! I used chalk paint and my only mistake was the wax. I wish I had used a polycrylic instead of the wax finish. You can see the full tutorial here: https://sincerelysarad.com/2014/02/07/painting-cabinets-chalk-paint-edition/ Keep in mind this paint has a more farmhouse look. It won’t look smooth/factory finished.

      As far as it being hard job… It wasn’t hard – just time consuming. I broke my cabinets into 4-5 groups and did a group each week. This helped my sanity and kept me from rushing through it and getting sloppy.

      I hope this helps, Cheryl! Good luck!

  3. I was going to ask if there was grout or if the tile was just set super closet, but from the other comments, I see there is. Looks GREAT! Love your style and fearlessness in trying out things that are slightly outside the box!

      1. Hi Sara! Another follow up question on the grout… did they use tile spacers or just set the tiles next to each other? The grout lines are tiny — I love it! Looks amazing 🙂

  4. Beautiful kitchen! We’re about to remodel our kitchen and are going to use white subway tile with a herringbone accent behind the stove too! It looks great! Where did you find your canisters? I’ve been looking for some with brass/gold tone tops!

    1. Hi Annie! I found the canisters online at Amazon. They were red, and I painted the outsides of the lids with Valspar’s gold spray paint. You can find it at Lowes, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful gold spray paint colors I’ve found! Good luck with your kitchen remodel!

  5. I know this is an old post, but can you tell me if there is a edging between the subway and herringbone pattern?