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kitchendetective

Is this too precious for a butler's pantry?

kitchendetective
9 years ago

What do you think of this tile?

Here is a link that might be useful: Silverware tile

Comments (40)

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    9 years ago

    awesome!

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    It's cool. Better in a butler's pantry than in the kitchen actually.

  • Mrs_Nyefnyef
    9 years ago

    Totally agree with sjhockeyfan. Very cool!

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    i really like it. It could become tiresome in a kitchen, but butler's pantry sounds perfect.

  • juno_barks
    9 years ago

    Agree with sjhockeyfan and others. Its an amazing tile, and in a pantry would be perfect.
    by the way... SO envious of your pantry. Just saying..

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    I've been to Tempest Tile before and may I suggest... Walk away, now, before you fall in love and get hurt. No backwards glances, a clean break is best.

  • plllog
    9 years ago

    It's cutesy, but actually cute cutesy, and it kind of knocks the pretention out of the name "butler's pantry".

    Caveats: 1) The stencils look hard to line up, and perfect matches are crucial to making it look good. Dry match them when you first get them if they're not netted, to make sure they all match, and hire a tip top pro to install them as laid out. Even if they are netted, check the all stencils for breaks. I notice one on the website is askew, and you'd think they'd be showing their very best. The grout line gives you a little wiggle room, but only a tiny bit.

    2) Butler's pantries are low scrub areas, but you should be able to scrub. Bottles shatter and serving dishes, as they're being dropped, spread sauce far and wide. Make sure that the stencils are under clear glaze, rather than just on the surface, or else they can be abraded and damaged.

    It's very cute. :)

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oldbat2be,
    I have not been there, but I sense you are exactly correct. Actually, I couldn't decide whether that tile was precious in the sense of twee, or great. Still not sure. When I saw one of their other tiles, I thought of you! That damask one. . . How fitting that you know about them.

    Plllog,
    I didn't see your post when I responded to oldbat. Yes, exactly. But I think they might be better in a more frankly modern butler's pantry, or in a self-aware repro-Victorian one, as opposed to an 1800s style stone Texas Hill Country farmhouse.

    This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 21:06

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago

    Perfect for a butlers pantry! I think they're awesome. All of the tiles at Tempest are awesome! If you decide to get them, please show us pics! I'd love to see them up on a wall.

  • rococogurl
    9 years ago

    I like them. But no idea what a "1800s style stone Texas Hill Country farmhouse" looks like. Or whether they would work with that look.

    As you know, there's a lot of really great tile out there.

  • nmjen
    9 years ago

    I love, love, love that tile! I think it would be perfect for a butler's pantry, but agree that it could depend on the rest of the aesthetic. I could actually see it working really well with a Texas Hill Country farmhouse look, assuming the farmhouse has a kind of rustic/elegant thing going on.

    I'd never heard of this tile company, so thank you/curse you for introducing it to me!

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    I usually don't like that kind of stuff, but I have to admit they are pretty well done. My only concern, looking at the picture, is whether the individual tiles are flat. I know you have them laid out on a surface that is not entirely flat, but it looked to me like several of the tiles were warped. If so, you are going to get what's known as lippage, and you will have shadows from lighting above that will detract from the overall look.

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago

    kitchendetective & bakerjen, are you guys in the hill country here in TX? I have family in Fredericksburg so go often. Love the old stone farmhouses there. I'm with you bakerjen, I think these tiles would look great in some of them. Heck, I'd like to see if I could get them to look good in my small humble cottage here in Austin without one stone on it!

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm on a little topographic spit of limestone escarpment, not technically the Hill Country. However, many of the homes around here are Hill Country style, either original or reproduced. Lots of stone walls, steel roofs, rough beams, and some fachwerk. I'm on a perpetual hunt for great tile. Can't help myself.

    And seeing this stuff would be an excuse to visit Kerrville, which also has a nice rare books shop, to boot.

    This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 0:06

  • plllog
    9 years ago

    I dunno. I think the house you describe is kind of perfect for this kind of tile. Kudzu is right, however, about the warping. It's something that happens to long, narrow forms of bisque when it's fired. I had a terrible problem with having to have some of my handmade tiles redone because of that. They were both warped and twisted and couldn't be made to work. Slight warping is to be expected, but it should still be pretty flat.

    The thing about the kind of house you describe is that it's substantial enough to hold up the tile (unlike a standard stucco or clapboard ranch house where it would definitely fall over the precious line into twee), but still doesn't take itself seriously, like Federal or Palladian, so it can stand up to the underlying silliness of self referential tile. You could get some of that Joanne Hudson or Emma Bridgewater, wordy crockery for some further self-referntialiaty, or do some yourself. I saw where someone had used wet area transfer stickers to make letters out of. :) Some of the Emma stuff, especially, is a total hoot.

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    To clarify, those are not my tiles, just a photo from Tempest. Some of the lippage is probably caused by the uneven cardboard on which the tiles are arranged, but all of it--I'm not so sure. These really did tickle me, for a variety of reasons. Can't wait to go see.

    PS
    I love Fredericksburg.

  • mom2samlibby
    9 years ago

    LOVE!!!! I hope you use them and post pictures!

  • plllog
    9 years ago

    The only thing I know about Fredricksburg is love in all its oh so many splendors of opposite genders and thrills of romance. :)










    Edit: typo

    This post was edited by plllog on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 2:45

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    kitchendetective - I couldn't help myself. Wouldn't THIS be perfect for a butler's pantry :) (Oh I just love hex tiles).

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    Lovely 'framed botanicals' backsplash:

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    One more! Love the combination of tiles here. I feel the damask is a little overwhelming on its own (in other pictures).

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have gone there. Chinoiserie with Damask:

  • gr8daygw
    9 years ago

    That is a beautiful website to view their gorgeous tile. I liked nearly all of them and the way they arranged the tile on the walls is so creative. Especially loved the botanicals. I don't see how you could go wrong using their tile. Very clever to use the silverware in a butler's pantry.

  • andreak100
    9 years ago

    I think it would be great in a butler's pantry. But, I really wonder about the line-up issues. Looking at the other photos they have listed of this tile, I see several areas of non-line up that would drive the perfectionist in me INSANE.

    I would think that when showing a sample, the company would not be inclined to show flawed pieces on the website and if they will do it there, it makes me leery of how my order would wind up.

    (sorry, I can't get the photo to post, so I'm going to have to add the link instead)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Line up and missing

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The drawings are done first and then the cuts are made, so the line up should be okay. I will see in person, though. I do not think they really "go" with my pantry, but the not-going would be kind of funny. I have unleashed a tempest here, it seems. I even got DH on board for a trip to Kerrville!

    I drooled over the bee hive, too. Some of this stuff could be horrid, but it is done so well that it is saved. I wanted to establish a hive here, but I am allergic to bee stings, so we decided it would not be prudent.

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago

    I think all of these are beautiful. You're correct kitchendetective, some of these could be really bad, but they've been done so well & w/ great taste that they work.

    If you're into antiques, there's a great antique store in Kerrville. On the main road when coming in, down a bit on the left. Not on the square. This guy has 3 rooms of beautiful pieces for great prices. Have fun.

    pllldog, I love the lounge lizards! They're so wacky, but they always put a smile on my face.

    This post was edited by bicyclegirl on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 11:03

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    That's funny - the beehive creeps me out. Why would anyone want pictures of bugs in their pantry (or anywhere else for that matter)?

  • Shelley Graham
    9 years ago

    Just throwing out another beautiful tile source - www.finearttileworks.com. Here's just one sample of their lovely tiles...

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great! Another partner in crime. ;>)

  • trailrunner
    9 years ago

    Went through Kerrville in 2010 on my bicycle ride across the US. Went through Hunt next...there is another StoneHenge there...didn't notice antiques or tiles ! Miss some things and see others I guess. I do know I LOVE Texas. c

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stonehenge...

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    Love the Chinoiserie with Damask.

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Waving hi to Trailrunner. Hope all is well. Happy New Year!

  • trailrunner
    9 years ago

    Hey KD :)....all is well. Happy New Year to you too ! c

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago

    Hey Trailrunner, waving hi to you too! Good to see you back on here. Have you been out riding somewhere exotic over the summer?

  • trailrunner
    9 years ago

    Hey bicyclegirl !!! just sent you an email through GW....can't find your email address :(...

  • julieste
    9 years ago

    I know what a "1800s style stone Texas Hill Country farmhouse" is like because I have relatives who live in one.

    Sorry, but I am going to be the voice of dissent in this one. I think in five years you will be sick of them and be asking yourself why you put them in. And, I think they may be too much cutesy for the type of look you are trying to achieve. If you really want that type of old farmhouse look, you need to ask yourself how a real farmhouse would have evolved over the years and what types of finishes it would have. And, remember people living in one would not be those who put in something so frivolous.

  • ci_lantro
    9 years ago

    Another voice of dissent here, too.

    I know that I would be sick of that tile around Year 3. And, aren't Butlers' pantries supposed to be kind of spartan? Nothing real fancy for the mere hired help, ya know.

    Aside from that, butlers' pantries are usually tiny little niches. A patterned tile in a small space is going to get kinda' busy, IMO.

  • musicteacher
    9 years ago

    ...or.... the Butler's pantry is the perfect place to have fun with those cute tiles!

  • kitchendetective
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Well, the house is a bit of a mash up anyway. The front is stone salt box, the middle is a big stone barn, one wing is shingled, one part is metal, and the guest suite is stone, plus a steel barn garage, all attached. The homes that were here in the 1800s didn't have kitchens; the cooking area was in a separate building in order to avoid fires. Later, that building was annexed to the main house or a kitchen was added on. I guess the stone fireplace in our family room is about as close to authentic as any cooking area gets in this house. I am always looking for stuff to do to the place, even if the look is a bit eclectic. Yup, I think a butler's pantry can accommodate some indulgence, especially because I am the closest thing to a butler that there is around here. I do all the polishing. Still, if I'm not over the moon when I see these in person, no way will I purchase them.

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago

    After hearing how fun your house is, even more of a reason to use them, as musicteacher says! I would love to see pictures of it, sometime, if you don't mind sharing! It sounds like a wonderful place.

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