A Bold Wood and Tile Backsplash Design

I remember the day our designer first showed us a sample of the backsplash she was considering for our new Valencia Reserve model home in Edmond. There were three of us in the room, our designer, Russ our vice president of purchasing and myself the vice president of sales and marketing. I don’t want to be dramatic and say there were gasp when we saw the sample, but there was a definite reaction and it wasn’t good.  It was just….out there. We like our models to be cutting edge, but this was different. Russ said, “Can we even source that?”  I said, “What is that made out of?” I could tell our designer was getting a sick thrill out of our reaction and that she came prepared to fight for her vision.  Great designers are funny like that. They’ll let you argue with them over the big concept, but they will defend the little things with all their might – fireplace mantle width, light fixtures in the secondary bathroom, and in this case, a bold backsplash. Design vision is a tough thing. It takes a strong knowledge of design trends, consumer preferences and some courage. In fact some of the best design elements are things that create a strong reaction. Average is rarely remarkable or memorable. Whenever one of our employees has a negative reaction to color, design elements, or anything else related to the “look” of a home, the owner of Ideal Vernon McKown has a great reminder. “Unless you’re the one making the mortgage payment, your opinion does not count.” His point of course is that everyone has different tastes. The challenge is to be just ahead of the design trends headed your way, but if you’re miles ahead, there are not enough early adopters to appreciate it. So back to the backsplash. I mean it’s just backsplash. So who cares? But as we’ve said before, the backsplash has become one of those design elements where a homeowner can really accent their kitchen. A backsplash used to be so boring.  Now, it’s as unique as people’s phone covers or multi-colored socks. The backsplash in question is a Contour Calcutta tile and wood trails mix. Even while being installed I was skeptical. “Is it supposed to be in that pattern?”  and “How’s it going to look with the stained vent hood?”  I’ve leaned over 15 years to never judge design until you see the entire thing come together. So when it was done, I walked through and looked at the final product that gave me some heartburn up front. It’s bold, it’s beautiful, it’s an incredible focal point, and I love it. I also love that not everyone loves it. But love it or hate it, you simply can’t ignore it. All this tension over backsplash in one model home is the same tension that homebuyers feel 1,000 times while building their very own home. Balancing your style, with current trends. Balancing being bold with the fear that it just won’t look right. That’s where our design team comes in. We set out on a mission to turn a stressful part of building a home into a fun and positive experience. They are experts at helping vision  become to reality. Our design center experience is one of the most enjoyable parts of building a new home with Ideal Homes. So many of our homebuyers enter the process with apprehension but leave completely thrilled. We love guiding our homebuyers thought the process of building a home.