Tile shown: Chaine Homme in Rosemary
After winning our Kitchen Backsplash competition a few years back, DIY couple Rickey and Angela Crum of CrumMade finally put the finishing touch on their complete kitchen remodel–our tile! The project features Chaine Homme in Rosemary, and our jaws dropped when we saw how beautiful the color variation of the tile turned out! We loved the project so much we took a minute to chat with Rickey and Angela about their remodel and their Fireclay Tile experience.
Hi Rickey and Angela! First of all how did you hear about Fireclay Tile?
Rickey & Angela – We had been thinking about renovating our 1950’s kitchen for a couple of years. As we searched for inspiration images online of modern/vintage kitchens, we came across a few that featured your tile. I fell in love with the Joshua Mogal historic kitchen with Kelp subway tile.
What did your kitchen look like before the remodel?
Rickey & Angela – As a young, energetic, DIY couple - we purchased our first home, a 1955 cottage with ‘potential’. We started a series of small renovations and knew we would eventually make it to the kitchen. The kitchen had a few superficial updates, but with peeling old cabinets, cracking floor tile and NO backsplash – it was in need of a facelift. The owner before us put a lot of effort into the kitchen by replacing the flooring, appliances and countertops. However, the 1950’s cabinets remained and were repainted – again. We liked the updates but overall the changes were superficial and it was still an old kitchen with quirks.
When we saw that Fireclay was hosting a Backsplash competition we knew it could be the start of an amazing kitchen! We hounded family, friends and coworkers daily to remember to vote for us. The final day of voting was on Angela’s birthday so winning was a great gift!
What type of look were you going for?
Rickey & Angela – The kitchen needed to be completely updated with modern amenities but we did not want to lose the character that it brought to the home. We had to find a balance between a modern clean aesthetic and one that maintained the integrity of a 1950's cottage.
How did you come up with your color scheme and design?
Angela – The scheme started with the granite countertops from the existing kitchen that we removed and planned to reinstall. We designed a neutral backdrop with traditional white cabinets and beige walls which were anchored by the dark counters. The palette allowed us to highlight the backsplash as the main feature. We selected the Chaine Homme pattern in color Rosemary, which coordinated well with the green flecks in the granite, and worked well with the mid-century feel of the house.
Did you work with a tile installer? Were there any challenges with the installation process?
We hired professionals that were highly recommended from Pinnacle Marble & Granite in Dallas. We prepped the walls by installing the Schluter Schiene metal perimeter trim and the installers took it from there. It took two professionals two full days to install and grout our backsplash which was over 75 square feet. We requested that they work from multiple boxes since the intensity of color seemed to vary box to box. The installers were great and even completed a small area for us to take a look at to make sure we were okay with the amount of variation. We actually increased the quantity of darker tiles!
Rickey & Angela – We decided to install the tile with Custom's new Fusion Pro grout in bright white. The grout is a hybrid of epoxy and sanded grout which eliminates the need to ever seal the grout and makes it antimicrobial and stain resistant. We also used Schluter Schiene metal perimeter trim at the exposed edges of the tile for clean aesthetic.
Rickey & Angela – Obviously this did not happen overnight – there was a lot of thought put into the new design. We looked at the housing market in our area as well as our finances to see what the extent of the project scope should be.
The couple completed the kitchen remodel with Ikea cabinets, and Ozolock flooring.
Love this look? Shop Rosemary now. Need some help? Simply call, chat, or fill out our Design Assistance Form and one of our talented Design Consultants will get back to you shortly.
