When people walk into your kitchen their eyes are looking straight ahead.
They must look up or down to focus on the cabinets, and the counter top, as elegant as it may be, sits on a horizontal plane.
You almost have to be on top of it to really appreciate its beauty.
It is usually the backsplash that captures the attention first.
It is, so to speak, your kitchen's first impression.
If your kitchen backsplash could speak it would say, "welcome to my kitchen, please, let me introduce you to our beautiful mahogany cabinets and elegant granite counter top.
" (OK..
I'm a little tired and my imagination is getting the better of me.
) What I would like to discuss in this article is how to deal with the open space over a cook top or sink.
These are areas that lend themselves to larger and more complex design elements and can provide the opportunity to create a stunning focal point.
When dealing with an area like this here are a few options to consider.
One of the most common features is an image that is fired, hand painted, or transferred onto your tile through a process called sublimation.
Most tile stores deal with local artists and companies who specialize in this.
I've seen everything from Tuscany landscapes to jumping dolphins.
The images are endless.
One of the advantages to image transfer is that, in most cases, these images can be put on any tile you choose.
The one disadvantage, and something to think about, is whether or not you'll be as fond of the image you pick five years down the road.
You may fall in love with that basket of apples tile mural because it matches the dish towels or curtains you've picked out.
What happens when it's time to change the curtains and the dish towels have worn out? Those apples will still be looking you in the face every time you walk into your kitchen.
Another popular tile design option involves using the field tile you've picked out and simply changing the direction it's set.
There are many tile and stone manufacturers that offer a rail or pencil moulding of some sort.
You can use these pencil or rail pieces to make a picture frame.
If you set your tile in straight rows outside the frame, change the direction and set your tile on a diagonal inside the frame.
This subtle change of direction can create a beautiful and unobtrusive focal point without locking you into an image motif that may become out dated.
Take it a step further.
There are hundreds of companies out there who make decorative inserts for tile.
I could probably think of twenty or so off the top of my head.
The mediums are just as prolific.
Artists are creating decorative tile accents out of glass, metal, plastic, cement, resins, ceramics and porcelain.
If your setting your tile on a diagonal inside a frame, you may want to consider one of these options.
You can cut the corners of four tiles in your frame and insert one of these decorative inlays.
You may want to pick a metal that ties in with your cabinet hardware, or maybe a glass mosaic that pulls out a color in your granite counter top.
These are just a couple of ideas to help you pull things together.
You can find thousands of examples of these ideas in action on the web and in the many kitchen and bath publications that are on the market.
Hope this helps to make your kitchen remodeling project a bit easier and more enjoyable.