5 DIY Tips for Your Kitchen + A Marble Accent Wall

DIY Kitchen Tips: Calacatta Marble Accent Wall

So excited to share tips and progress on the

DIY Arizona kitchen project where we recently

tiled an ugly wall in the kitchen with

Calacatta Gold marble hexagon mosaic tiles.

The plan is to take our boring, dated kitchen

from cookie cutter to custom, and I decided

a dramatic *yet natural* accent wall

would turn up the ooh la la.

In the spirit of DIY love,

I am humbly sharing a few tips,

not because we’re experts but because

we’re real life renovators who care.

We opted for natural stone for the project to complement

cabinets we painted grey (Behr: Classic Silver)

and the Viatera quartz (Soprano).

The Calacatta Gold is a bright white marble

with cool grey and caramel veining throughout,

and know what I really dig about the color?

For me, it’s beachy, and I do love me some beach.

DIY Tip No. 1

Don’t be afraid to order tile online from a good source.

Begin by ordering a sample…easy peasy.

If you have only shopped for tile in person

(like at a big box store), online shopping

may seem scary, but the quality

and condition of these mosaic tiles

greatly surpassed what we became

accustomed to seeing on store shelves!

Calacatta Gold Italian Marble 2″ Hexagon Mosaic

Let’s revisit the “before” kitchen images

from the previous owner.

BEFORE: Cookie Cutter Builder’s Special

A builder’s special kitchen for sure, with maple cabinets,

mottled tan laminate counters, and a crazy tomato red

faux backsplash (see the little trim pieces near the

window trying hard to fool us?). Wow.

The next image shows the whole expanse of the wall,

which was destined to lose the TOMATO factor

and become a whole lot prettier and natural.

BEFORE: Busy and Boring

Since it’s an open concept floor plan,

the minute we walked through the front door,

we were confronted with that red faux backsplash.

DIY Tip No. 2

NO backsplash is better than FAUX backsplash.

If your kitchen is backsplash lacking,

there’s no shame in living without a splash

until you have time and budget…a faux

treatment rarely delivers and can drag

the quality of the whole kitchen down.

 

I was determined to lose the TOMATO factor

and take our wall of shame from faux to fabulous

with beautiful honed natural stone.

BEFORE:; a painted ‘faux’ backsplash

BEFORE: Earthy tones

BEFORE: Just gross.

Things got better with paint! Wall Paint Color: Valspar Salute (7006-12).

DURING: My daddy!

We found a wet saw for the project on sale (score!) and

got to work, and by “we” I do mean “he.”
BTW. Not a single broken tile in the whole caboodle,

so every single mosaic was a keeper, leaving
these DIYers feeling #dangstoked.

DIY Tip No. 3
Before paying big bucks to rent a fancy tool, check the shelf.
If you don’t think you’ll ever use the fancy tool
again, you can sell it on Craigslist or OfferUp.

DURING: My hero!

Calacatta Gold Hex Honed Marble Mosaic

The photo below is unedited, and you’ll notice

the mosaic tile is much brighter and whiter
than the quartz…yet, I knew they would work

well together once everything was in place.

Why?

DIY Tip No. 4
Mix whites.

For successful mostly-white decor schemes,
incorporate various shades of white

(a friend recently asked whether

she should paint her kitchen cabinets the same

white as her walls, and I voted NOPE).

No dropcloth? Obviously I wasn’t home supervising.

We chose white grout for the mosaic to achieve a

more unified and subdued look.

Calacatta Gold adds a warmth in here we may have

forfeited had we safely opted for white subway tile.

DIY Tip No. 5
Think beyond white subway tile.
When living in a neighborhood where
homes exist with your exact floorplan and exterior,
it’s sometimes wise to add customization
which won’t match the neighbors’ customization.
(See me boldly channeling Summer Thornton?).

To set your home apart from the pack for
resale and future marketing,
think creatively about how to keep the
makeover timeless yet distinctly
special and memorable.

Ready to see the makeover?

DIY Kitchen Makeover: Calacatta  Marble  Accent Wall

It’s a gorgeous result, and we love it!

An unexpected sweet surprise is that from afar,

the marble accent wall reminds me of

the lovely work of one of my favorite artists,

Meredith Pardue,

who paints these magnificent

contemporary abstracts in hues I love.

Botania III

DIY Kitchen Makeover Tips

DIY Kitchen Makeover: Calacatta Marble Accent Wall

DIY Kitchen Makeover: Calacatta Marble Accent Wall

DIY Kitchen Makeover: Calacatta Marble Accent Wall

You can see that up close, you’re struck by
the geometry of the hex, which recedes to
become a soft abstraction from a distance.

Calacatta Gold Marble Accent Wall

DIY Kitchen Makeover Tips

DIY Kitchen Makeover: Calacatta Marble Accent Wall

Calacatta Gold Marble Hex Mosaic

DIY Kitchen Makeover Tips

DIY Kitchen Makeover

Calacatta Gold Marble and Viatera Minuet Quartz

DIY Kitchen Makeover

Calacatta Gold Marble Accent Wall

DIY Kitchen Makeover

DIY Kitchen Makeover

Calacatta Gold Marble Accent Wall

From faux to fabulous, yes?

Still adding finishing touches,
and I joyfully welcome any ideas for
a window treatment and rug.

Discover more stories from our DIY whole house makeover,
and let me know what you think of the accent wall
and whether you have a project of your
own where you may incorporate a mosaic.

Curious about what we did for the countertops? Find that scoop here.

Thank you, kindly, The Builder Depot, for partnering with
us on this project and supplying the most awesome
honed marble a girl with big ideas could ask for.

Pin me!

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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