Mid-Century Modern Kitchen: Countertop & Backsplash

Do you ever make a decision that you are not excited about, but you make it anyway, because of… reasons? Like 200 times a day, right? Being an adult is fun. I did it just this morning when I didn’t hit the snooze button, even though I really wanted to. Then I did it again when I only put one scoop of whipped cream in my coffee instead of two. I’m just super responsible like that.

I made the same super-responsible decision with my kitchen countertop and backsplash. What I dreamed of was a two-scoop of whipped cream decision. The type where you go to put the lid on your coffee cup, and the whipped cream comes out the hole in the top and fills up your lid. Instead, I skipped the whipped cream altogether and just did creamer.

This is a very specific metaphor. Stick with me.

What I’m trying to say is that I got a white kitchen backsplash and white kitchen countertops. It’s super boring. But also…it looks really good. I’m actually very happy with it, and I didn’t make a hot, sticky whipped cream mess on my coffee cup lid.

So let’s talk about these boring but good and responsible selections.

I decided on a solid white tile backsplash for my new construction MCM kitchen, but I also knew I wanted something interesting and unique. Those two things don’t usually go together, but after much online shopping and sample collecting, I found a very cool 3-D triangle from Bedrosians Tile & Stone.

See the tile here – it’s on clearance now and comes in many colors!

This tile is a great example of “don’t judge a book by its cover” because that photo from their website doesn’t do it justice. Also, the chevron pattern… it’s not my favorite. But I ordered a sample anyway, and when it came in I knew it was the one. Just look how pretty it is alongside the blue tile for my fireplace and green tile for the master bathroom.

You can install the triangle tile in a variety of ways, so I played around with it and settled on a pattern that looked like those Mid-Century atomic stars. You know the ones.

Next came the countertop selection. Now if I could pick anything, I would, without a doubt, march my butt over to Concrete Collaborative (virtually speaking, since they are in California and I’m in Texas) and drool over all their beautiful creations.

Then I would secure a beautiful, chunky custom terrazzo countertop for my kitchen. Just look at those last two photos above. How freaking sexy are those? I’m kind of obsessed.

There is a slight problem though. Just a teeny little snafu. I mean, it’s barely even worth mentioning.

Those gorgeous countertops are…pricey. Outta my league. So out of my league that they don’t even know I exist. How dare they, right? Everyone gasp in collective disgust.

So instead of trying to make my own concrete countertops or something crazy like that, I’m just going to move on and find something else. Something safe and affordable, something that will let other kitchen features shine. So….something white and boring. A coffee creamer only decision.

I really did make my own concrete countertops once. And then I wrote a three part series on it. Click the link below to learn all about it!

DIY CONCRETE COUNTERTOP: PART 1 - SETTING THE FORMS
DIY CONCRETE COUNTERTOP: PART 11 - THE POUR
DIY CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS: PART 111 - SEALING

I made a short video of the process of selecting a white quartz countertop, so I’ll drop that here.

I went to the countertop showroom and selected three samples that I thought might work.

Here is a little information I learned while shopping for white quartz countertops. There are six levels of quartz countertop, level one being the least expensive and level six being the most. The whiter and more pure and countertop, the higher the level and more expensive the countertop. The samples above are from right to left, and level one (least white, lots of grain) level three, and level six (pure, smooth white).

I forgot to bring my tile sample with me to the store (amateur mistake), and there was no way I was going to choose a countertop without comparing it to my tile.

So I brought all three samples back with me for further comparison and pondering.

The winner was very clearly the level one. The white matches the white on the tile best, plus it has chunks in it, that kind of look like terrazzo. Not a chunky, colorful, two-scoop dream terrazzo, but a subtle muted terrazzo. A win is a win though. Also, it was the cheapest…love it when that happens.

Here are some of my selections together. The triangle tile backsplash, the countertop selection, the blue tile for the fireplace, the wall color…sorta (this is SW Silverstrand, my house is BM Wickham Gray), and wood for the cabinetry. Also the wrong color, but you get the idea.

And now, installation! Countertops went in first, followed by the tile.

If you are looking at this and thinking “That’s beautiful, but what about the switch and outlets covers?”

Then you, my friend, would be asking a question that didn’t even once cross my mind until I saw the finished product.

Yeeeah. Some of them are flush and fine, but others, not so much. This one is the worst. Trust me when I tell you I have since gone over all the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s of the situation, and I’ve decided that to remedy this I am going to…do nothing. Nada. Diddly squat. There is too much life to live, and adding non-problems to my plate isn’t something I’m interested in.

Now that we’ve coved all the meat of the post, gather ’round for storytime.

After the tile was installed the boys and I swung by the house to check it out. I had already seen it was in love with it, but they were seeing it for the first time. So we walk into the kitchen and immediately my older two boys run their hands over it all over the tile and say how cool it is and how they have never seen anything like it. I tell them I hadn’t either and I really liked how it looks like stars or flowers, which they both immediately agreed with.

It’s about this time that my two little boys come moseying in. My third son, who is the absolute sweetest, most mommy-loving, wide-eyed, sensitive little angel in the world, but also called me “Bruh” walks in, casually looks around, and says “Looks like buttholes to me.”

I look at him for a second, not sure how to respond. Then I look at the tile again, trying to see anything besides that. Then the other three boys look at it with new eyes…and the crowd goes wild. It’s officially the butthole tile.

Aren’t boys fun? I recently bought a bunch of activity books for the car, including mad libs. Need I say more? After hearing the above story, I bet you can imagine how those mad libs turn out. It’s truly disgusting. I mean, it’s hilarious…but also so, so gross.

In conclusion, life is really all about perspective. Sometimes people will look at plain white tile and see a safe decision. And other people will look at that same tile and see a wall full of buttholes. So just make the decision that is right for you, move forward confidently, and don’t worry about other people’s opinions.

And now that I’ve turned a funny story into something much deeper, I’m signing off. I hope y’all have a great week!