Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Our Home: The Kitchen

I'd like to be the first to welcome you to our new and very improved kitchen!



Um can I just say "wow?!" Actually every time I walk in there I do. I love it!

Here's a close up...


And since everyone loves before and after pictures...





Don't you just love baby Judah, and big Judah?!



Doesn't just 19 square feet of tile completely change the room?! I am so stinkin' happy that we did this!

When I first posted about potentially undertaking this project I asked my dear readers three questions...

1. How much do you think the purchase and installation of a small backsplash would cost?
2. Our granite is a blackish-green color and our floors are a beige marble. What color would you do for the backsplash?
3. Would I need to remove the the granite the comes up onto the wall or just add a backsplash above it?

And now I'm now going to answer my own questions...

1. The tile cost $560 with tax. The installation, grouting, and sealing cost $500. So we did it all for just over $1000. Now mind you that we live in Southern California - I'm sure it would be a less expensive if we lived in say, Texas, or most other places in the US.
(Note: I hate talking about money and how much things cost, but I could not for the life of me estimate out how much this project would cost when I was considering it, so I'm hoping revealing this $ amount will help other people who are thinking of installing a backsplash in their kitchen. And yes, you can save money by installing it yourself, but the Mr and I are just about the least handy people ever, so we knew going in that we'd be getting professional installation.)
2. I ended up going with a tile blend called the "Coto Blend" -- it has beige, green, brown, and orange small tiles in various shades.
3. Nope! It looks just fine with the 4" granite trim.



But our kitchen is not done! Up next... accent lighting and new paint! Stay tuned!

51 comments:

California Wife said...

Wow, it looks great! Can't wait to see it with the lighting and paint!

Jessica said...

Love the backsplash! It looks sharp!

d.a.r. said...

Wow, what a big difference!! It looks amazing!

Brittany Ann said...

It looks great great great!

Sweet Simplicity said...

It looks so sophisticated!! Great job.

Aly @ Analyze This said...

It looks WONDERFUL! Very warm and inviting! It compliments your cabinets and appliances wonderfully! :)

Heather (Live.Love.Laugh.) said...

Looks great, what a change!!

LWLH said...

Wow....it looks amazing...what a change!

The New Mrs said...

Looks gorgeous! I am a huge fan of backsplash! Definitely gives it the 'WOW' factor!

Patience said...

I love it. It makes such a difference.

Brittany said...

WOW!!! Looks awesome! You will totally get a return on that investment (or more!) when you sell it :)

perfectwhitebow said...

It's lovely! And becuase you did it yourselves, price talk is ok...had you had it done and you were willynilly about money then it might be an issue. Your on target girl!
PS the cat matches Puurrfectly!

Lindsey said...

I adore it!! So beautiful!!!

Chardonnay said...

That looks so great!! Very good decision :D

Mrs. Lopez said...

Looks great and glad to see someone's elses cat likes to climb on kitchen counters!

Brittney said...

It looks fantastic! Great job!

michelle ellis said...

I love this! Great choice!

Blue-Eyed Bride said...

wow! it looks amazing! good job!! :)

Red High Heels said...

It really looks so great!! And talk about great bang for your buck when it comes time to resell it!

Chic Runner said...

A. love my kitten judah ha ha ha that picture is hilarious, he is HUGE!

B. LOVE the house!!! it looks FAB and I can't wait to come over and see it in real life. :) You guys really made a huge difference with that and I'm not one to notice home improvements!

the BLAH BLAH BLAHger said...

Looks BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Lucky in Love said...

That looks insanely gorgeous!! We just bought a house and will be putting in our own back splash sometime...so this is definitely helpful!!

Naturally Caffeinated Family said...

wow!! it looks gorgeous!! i love it! great job Newlyweds Next Door! :) (glad you're back :))

Jessica @ Wanting Adventure said...

Wow, that's amazing! It makes such a huge difference. I'll have to remember that for when we buy a house... :)

Belle said...

It looks amazing! I love the baby Judah pic- he is so cute!

Megan said...

Wow it does look really great!! Beautiful!

Meant to be a mom said...

It looks amazing! Seriously I truly love it. Good job. And honestly that really isn't very bad at all cost wise. I think it looks great. I'm happy for you guys that you get to see that now every day several times a day. It sure does making cooking more fun when you like your kitchen. :)

Meant to be a mom said...

It looks amazing! Seriously I truly love it. Good job. And honestly that really isn't very bad at all cost wise. I think it looks great. I'm happy for you guys that you get to see that now every day several times a day. It sure does making cooking more fun when you like your kitchen. :)

Jamie Pickle said...

Looks great!

Anonymous said...

Looks beautiful!! Makes a big difference, so it's a smart investment on your part. It's fun when projects turn out great like that and you are really pleased! :-)

Erin said...

I found your blog by accident following links from other blogs. I'm married to a USC TKE too! (Though hubs and I are way old). I was a Gamma Phi as well, though at Irvine, not SC. What a small world!

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

This looks amazing. I love the tiles you chose. I've been yearning for a backsplash, I wish I'd have done it right off the bat.

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

It looks GREAT! It makes the kitchen look completely different!

Kim said...

Wow!! It looks so good and makes such a difference in your kitchen!

Katie said...

it looks so great! And little baby judah! So cute!

Nicole said...

it looks so rich!

Jodie said...

I LOVE it! It looks amazing!

Anonymous said...

wow!! I love it!

DietCokeStraightUp said...

Wow! That looks amazing! It such makes such a huge difference at your place!

Marketing Gurl said...

This looks so amazing and I love your blog! I am totally following! Loving the before and after pictures!
Love, MG

Fabiola said...

Your kitchen is looking great after the renovation ; )

Perfectly Imperfect said...

That is a HUGE difference!!! It looks absolutely amazing!

Rachel said...

I love it! This looks fantastic!!! If we weren't renters, I'd totally be thinking about this. It makes such a difference in your kitchen.

Shoshanah said...

I love the way it turned out. It's pretty amazing how something so small can make such a big difference.

Liz said...

That is so pretty!

Laura@The Oily Cupboard said...

hey...ran over here from aly's blog!
love the backsplash! totally changed the look of the room! awesome!

The Rohman Family said...

It looks GREAT! And thanks for mentioning the cost, even though you don't like talking about money stuff. I just posted pics of my kitchen on my blog and we are planning the same thing! Just have to come up with the money. I can't wait to get to post our "after" pics!

The Rohman Family said...

It looks GREAT! And thanks for mentioning the cost, even though you don't like talking about money stuff. I just posted pics of my kitchen on my blog and we are planning the same thing! Just have to come up with the money. I can't wait to get to post our "after" pics!

Jamie Kubeczka said...

Your kitchen looks great! What a neat project and I love the results!

Miranda said...

This is beautiful! I love the tile.. Just BEAUTIFUL!!!! :-)

http://hanginloosewiththetuccis.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

It's beautiful! Worth every penny, I'm sure, and now I want to do ours too!

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