This 1950s kitchen underwent a full renovation including new cabinets, breakfast nook extension and, of course, a Julep Tile backsplash! Check out the before and after photos of Julep Tile owners Kirsten and Peter's own kitchen:

One of the major parts of the renovation was taking out the wall (seen above) to extend the kitchen out over the back porch, creating a dining area, as seen below. Kirsten credits her mother for suggesting this idea at Christmas one year (and thus snowballing into an entire remodel) and her husband for agreeing that it was a good idea! God love ’em.

Rather impressively, the kitchen still had the original solid wood cabinets as seen below (a date stamp of 1952 was found when pulling them out!). The cabinets were still in good shape and they were carefully removed during demolition so they could be donated and reused. Not to worry, cute dog in photo was not included in the donation.

Pete & Kirsten loved the look of white cabinets with a beadboard inset so naturally they chose Julep Tile’s Bloom pattern in Cream Crackle to compliment their light, airy feel, and added a darker quartz countertop to add some contrast.

Shown above: Bloom pattern in FC Cream Crackle

The original layout of the kitchen had the refrigerator in the corner where it created a lot of unused space to allow for the doors to open:

…so they moved it to the other side of the stove which allowed them to add corner cabinets in its place as well as more countertop space. There was even enough room to add a kitchen island, hallelujah!

Shown above: Bloom pattern in FC Cream Crackle

Inspired by photos they'd seen of kitchens backsplashes with tile all the way up to the ceiling, Pete & Kirsten decided to try it in their own remodel. An added benefit is the added feeling of space it gave to the kitchen.

Shown above: Bloom pattern in FC Cream Crackle

And for the record, they installed the tile themselves! Documentation here for the non-believers:

This pattern was surprisingly easy to install, despite its complex appearance. Compared to a square tile where it’s obvious if the grout lines aren’t perfectly straight, the Bloom pattern’s rounded shapes make the alignment of each section much more forgiving. Check out the installation video below.

Since finishing this kitchen, Pete & Kirsten have moved to a new house with an equally hideous original kitchen they lovingly refer to as "Regrets of the 90s". Stay tuned as hopefully they will have another renovation to document soon!