BACKSPLASH FOR OUTDOOR LANAI

Two years ago while finishing the construction of the home - you can say ... I kind of got burnt out when it came to finishing the lanai.  Some of my choices were the stonework I picked at the local supplier for the fireplace and the neutral tone of the shell stone on the floor which keeps this small lanai light and airy - the stone also continued onto the deck.  It's easy to wash the stone on the lanai but much harder on the deck - it needs pressure washing several times a year. But what deck doesn't.

The backsplash was never finished because I didn't know what to pick out.  I've also found out that if you make a decision now - a few months later more designs appear which you might like better, and then you have buyers remorse.  So take your time.  I didn't want anything gaudy or time sensitive - this whole house is about being classic to an old world charm.  So I chose a boring quartz color for the counters and and even more boring color on the cabinets.  Right now the punch on the lanai is the 10 foot dining table and the dark wood ceiling and hood.

BEFORE

These chairs have since moved outside to the deck.  They are lounge chairs and not dining chairs.  Although they are extremely comfortable - you sit too low at a table. 

Now, I have a 10 foot farm table that can easily fit 8, which means the dining table inside gets little use.  For the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays we have our feast out here weather permitting. 

THE PROJECT

This is the area I need to tile - the backsplash for the grill and hood.  The Chinese paintings were only temporary, I was pleasantly surprised their dimensions worked here.  I'm a believer - if you own something use them, if you can.  These were purchased in China at the art district for $900 rmb in 2008 ($150/pr).  They've been displayed in several rooms, a guest room above 2 twin beads - and then designed my office around them.  I thought these would stay in the garage until a garage sale -but they were the perfect size for a temporary fix.  But only temporary - I'm not in love with these anymore. 

The quartz counter top is a carmel color - again simple because I didn't know what I was going to do with this space 2 years ago.  I wanted the backsplash to sing and not the countertop. Many design with a bold granite but I wanted a backsplash I could wash because I find the wall gets dirty with the grill. 

The lanai is not large for a 5000 sq ft home - so I needed to keep it monochromatic.  Realistically, there is a cozy feeling to the lanai but you still feel connected to the wide space of the pool and my amazing royal palms in the yard.  They're one reason I fell in love with the property. The screens are down 24/7 to create the porch and keep the Florida bugs out. 

BINGO! HERE'S MY CHOICE. 

After searching the internet for 3 days - and then hitting 3 of my favorite tile stores in town.... I came across this one.  Originally, I like another but found out it was $118 sq ft.  
STOP RIGHT THERE!  
This wall needs about 50 sq ft - and that would equal, with tax, about $6200.  

Keep looking. 

The showroom is huge but I had an image in my head of what I was after. Never thought I would find it for $13 sq ft.  About $700. 

So this lovely 24 x 24 porcelain can be cut to smaller 12 x 12 and then played with them to create a mosaic pattern. It has the old world look I'm after and has a touch of turquoise to pop with the pool color. 

PORCELAIN FROM SPAIN

Here's another I thought I liked.  Fell in love with it in the showroom and the price ($14), but after taking it home and doing some Photoshop on it - the colors were wrong and the design too big and bold.  Cement tiles from Mexico and Spain are the rage right now and I wanted to find something like that to use - but I found the ones I couldn't afford were in my color palette - and the ones in my price range were too bright and bold. My goal was to achieve this type of look but wasn't sure how I was going to find it on a reasonable budget in the colors I was after. 

THE LOOK

24 x 24    $13 sq ft

.... and can be used outside.  That was another problem I was confronted with.  Many times I thought my search was done and it was only an 'inside' tile. 

I'm a Happy Camper today. 

You can follow my tile choices on my Pinterest Board. 

TILE BOARD

FINISHED PRODUCT before a dinner party.