To Tile or Not To Tile…The Kitchen Debate

There is one thing I have had my heart set on from the very beginning of this GBOGH project, and it’s been this dang tile. This tile is not just ~any tile~, it’s handmade, perfectly imperfect, and if we’re being honest, is not the cheapest tile on the block. It’s like subway tile but elevated. And yes, I realize I sound ridiculous. But I do really like this freakin’ tile.

If you can get past my dirty on-site shoes, this is an up-close of the tile. Like I said, it’s in the same family as subway tile, but not as perfect, the character…the fact that it’s handmade…I mean, I could go on and on!

I really did try to find a cheaper tile but all of the similar and cheaper versions of this tile looked like knockoffs to me. And if there is something I am good at, it’s being able to convince myself that I ~have~ to have something. This tile was actually the first thing I bought for the house. We’re using it in multiple places in the home…the kitchen, fireplace hearth, and the owner’s bathroom. So, we have a lot of it.

Here’s the render for you to see for yourself…

Can you even believe those?! My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw those renders. They look like actual photographs! I learned how to render in college and can tell you that it takes HOURS to get images like the ones above. I told Craig that for the next house we renovate, I am going to hire him to render the entire house.

I do realize that there are multiple differences in those pictures, but I feel like you can get the general gist. The stools will be different too which I think is slightly throwing me off in the second picture.

I’m leaning two ways. The first way is that we already have all of this tile, so essentially we spent a decent amount of money on something that can’t be returned. I also think that the grout color plays a major part. The grout will be white, so will blend more in. I really do think either way that whether we decide to tile or not the kitchen will look really good. It’s just down to which one will look better.

And selfishly, I keep telling myself that if we don’t use the tile in this house, we can use it in Ben and my future home. Which would be a bonus since we probably wouldn’t buy this tile for our first home haha.