Tile style: Jewelry for your kitchen

Bold colors and geometric patterns such as zig zags and chevrons are the new trend in tile for kitchen backsplashes next year, said Colleen Palakovich-Collins, interior designer and sales representative with MarKraft Cabinets. With 10 years experience designing kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces in Charlotte, MarKraft Cabinets hired her to jump-start its brand new tile department. A range of options from traditional to modern tile are on display in the company’s showroom and selection center located at 5424 Oleander Drive, Suite 9.

“I like to refer to tile as jewelry. It’s the finishing touch,” Palakovich-Collins said. “It’s always fun to bring in the client’s personality or taste and style.”

Gone are the days when your only option was a 4-inch by 4-inch diagonal square. Today, tile comes in all shapes and sizes from circles to 24-inch by 36-inch rectangles. And larger tiles are in.

“It’s a cleaner look. It’s a more simplistic design,” she said.

 MarKraft Cabinets offer free consultations where clients meet with certified design staff such as Palakovich-Collins. Typically, the number one concern about a tile backsplash is maintenance, she said. For example, clients may need to use a sealer on natural stone tile to preserve and clean the area.

Next, she considers the color scheme and style of a client’s home as well as their budget before presenting them with a couple style ideas. From neutral tile with an accent color to a single color tile laid in a pattern with varied matte and glossy finishes that reflect in the light, she strives for fun and unique designs for each of her clients.

“Tile is so much fun because you never have to design the same backsplash twice,” she said. Another trend she is seeing is tile textured to look like fabric such as linen.

Metals including stainless steel and copper are also popular now as tile backsplashes as well as mixing and matching them with natural stone and glass mosaic. Tile’s wide range of styles and shapes span as far as your imagination from penny round to oval to three-dimensional reliefs, she said. And installation of these “jewels” can add to a home’s re-sale value.

“The look is phenomenal what you can accomplish with a little bit of tile,” she said. “There are ways to do a splash very inexpensively and still have an impact.”

One way is to use an inexpensive natural or ceramic tile and inlay decorative borders cut from a 12-inch by 12-inch mosaic sheet.

“For people on a budget, it can still look amazing,” she said.

For projects that are not budget-driven, she likes to get a sense of the client’s personality, style and space and present a range of tiles.

“I think it makes a huge impact on a space. It looks completed and finished and ties everything together,” she said.

Markraft Cabinets specializes in cabinet and countertop design and installation in both new residential and commercial construction as well as custom remodeling projects. For more information, visit www.markraft.com or call (910) 793-2002.