One Room CHALLENGE - Ann Arbor Kitchen Makeover Tile Talk

If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m Jana Bek, an Ann Arbor based interior designer with an emerging lifestyle line of home décortextiles, & lighting. I have a love for bright colors, bold prints, and designing spaces & home décor that help transport you to your dream destination.

I’m so excited to be participating in my fifth season of One Room Challenge & and a huge thanks to Linda of Calling it Home for organizing!

Here’s a look at my most recent past ORC’s (and you can tour all of them in links below):

Home Office / Breakfast Nook & Great RoomAtlanta Apartment / Living Room

This round, I’m taking on our kitchen, it currently has a dark 90s dated look, that's completely out of sync with the bright and airy spaces that surround it.

The granite counters are staying, so the new tile for the backsplash was key to our kitchen’s success. It had to be light & beautiful. The wrong pick would just be another 90s version of what we already have.

I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate Fire Clay Tile into the design! They have the perfect line of stunning tile, and a great company story. 

Justina Blakeney's Master Bath featuring FCT Deep Blue Hex tile

Each tile is made by hand and that level of craftsmanship really shows. They strive to be as sustainable as possible by consistently using recycled materials & local resources; & their customer service is absolutely top notch (with a great trade program to boot)! They also offer free samples, which not surprisingly resulted in the trickiest decision: choosing between so many beautiful options.

I was able to narrow my selection to a few pieces that fit well with our space, but since my photographer assesses color all day, Marta's opinion was the deciding factor. We went with Kiwi; a pale, yet vibrant shade of green that will beautifully complement the tones in our granite counters.

The original plan was to paint all of the cabinets, but the tile selection proved to be the real game changer leading us to replace the upper cabinets with floating shelves.

Now the tile will go all the way to the ceiling!

It’s going to be a ton of work, but it will be so bright, & make for a complete transformation. Here’s an inspiration image of the look we're trying to achieve:

Coffee Bar in FCT prickley pear glass tile, photo by Malcolm Fearnon

We’ve already made a lot of progress, the demo is complete, the drywall has been repaired, and we're starting to build the floating shelves. The kitchen already looks brighter!

Another awesome bonus about FCT? Since they hand craft each tile, you have the option of glazing or bull-nosing the tile edge so you can forgo a separate trim! My choice: a 3”x6” tile, in a classic subway pattern with a glazed edge. This will be a clean and elegant look.

I know I’ve gotten you pretty hyped up about Fire Clay Tile & you are in luck! They’ve just partnered with two other awesome companies (Joybird & Twyla) in an incredible $5,000 giveaway! Head on over for a chance to kick start your own room makeover!

I hope you’ll come back next week to see my plans & progress! In the interim, you can find my scheming on Instagram & pinterest.

Be sure to follow along with the Wednesday group below with my fellow linking participants!

 
 
One Room Challenge - Ann Arbor Kitchen Makeover

If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m Jana Bek, an Ann Arbor based interior designer with an emerging lifestyle

line of home décortextiles, & lighting. I have a love for bright colors, bold prints, and designing spaces & home décor that help transport you to your dream destination.

I’m so excited to be participating in my fifth season of One Room Challenge & and a huge thanks to Linda for organizing!

Here’s a look at my most recent past ORC’s (and you can tour all of them in links below):

Home Office / Breakfast Nook & Great Room/ Atlanta Apartment / Living Room

I didn’t think the timing would work out to participate in this season, I literally found out today that it would, and I could not be more excited!

You see, we have wanted to update our kitchen for the longest time and we are finally tackling it. It is the only space in our home that needs real help and it has become the black hole of our abode.

It’s a complete disconnect from the light and airy spaces that surround it:

I’m pretty pumped as I think it’s going to be a total transformation without a major kitchen reno budget. Also, everything is happening very fast, starting with the demoing this weekend. We have AIRBNB guests April 28th so we have to be finished by then!

I hope you’ll come back next week to see my plans & progress! ! In the interim, you can find my scheming on Instagram & pinterest.

 
 
Source Guide - Gregg Irby Gallery

Last year we spent a good amount of time in Atlanta & in learning about Southern artists I came to adore, Gregg Irby Gallery consistently popped as a showcase for their pieces.

When Gregg initially started working with artists, her focus was on celebrating and cultivating emerging talents. Her relaxed approach to representing their work was very well received and many of those artists are now readily known and nationally acclaimed. 

Gregg in front of her gallery, photo by Emily Jenkins Followill

So in her beautiful new gallery, in Atlanta's Westside, works of these now established artists commingle with rising stars and the result is decidedly fresh.

When I look for art, I opt for pieces that bring me joy & I’ve found Gregg Irby to be a treasure trove of such happy pieces.

I recently discovered the artist Laurence Young through the gallery & added “Back Again” to our home. The piece is so beautiful, it’s already traveled between our master bathroom & my office!

Here are a few of the other pieces I’ve been admiring from the gallery, I love the bold colors!

From left, "In the Moment", "Lemon Ice", "Aerial Wonderland"

Whether you are in Atlanta or perusing the expansive offering on their website, I highly recommend checking out Gregg Irby next time you’re looking for the perfect piece. (Their Instagram account is also a delightful source of eye candy!)

Photos by Marta X Perez

Design Guide: How To Achieve Big Impact In A Small Space

Small spaces should never be underestimated. With a bit of thoughtful planning and attention to detail, a petite place can pack a punch that will make square footage an afterthought. Whether you live in an apartment or smaller home, my tips will help you make your spaces feel airy, open, & appear larger than before.

Head over to Glitter Guide to get my top tips as illustrated in our Atlanta apartment!