A Kitchen Transformation Using Large Format Tile

We used large format tile to create an impactful makeover in my parents’ Cincinnati kitchen. With my brother acting as the general contractor on the project, it was truly a family affair.

A Refresh for Mom + Dad Vargo

Seven years ago, my empty nester parents decided to downsize a bit and sold the Cincinnati home where I grew up. They moved into a spacious townhome about five minutes away from where they’d spent the last few decades and embraced retirement life with access to a community pool and pickleball courts. They love the new neighborhood and the home’s floor plan, but didn’t exactly love the design details in the kitchen. After dealing with the dated look that didn’t suit their taste for a few years too long, we stepped in to make some moves with help from our friends at The Tile Shop.

This post is in partnership with our friends at The Tile Shop. The Tile Shop is our one-stop-shop when choosing tile for floors, walls and more! This kitchen features Livingstone Bianco 24″ x 48″ tile, and we paired it with Fresh Lily grout.

Luckily, my brother Rob is a talented contractor who lives a few minutes away from my folks, and he was eager to jump in and help with the renovation! We designed and directed behind-the-scenes, while my family in Cincinnati was all hands on deck! With help from my dad, Rob did an absolutely incredible job on the installation. He’s recently started his own renovation business, and we obviously can’t recommend him enough if you’re in the Cincinnati area.

Kitchen | Before

The former kitchen was full of somewhat disjointed details and didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. The tile had a rustic, handmade look with lots of large grout lines and the countertop splash guard closed things off visually. The corner appliance garage ate up an enormous amount of countertop space, and at best, it was hiding a standard coffee maker.

Kitchen | Today

Now, the newly spacious corner and large format Livingstone Bianco Porcelain tile open things up in an incredibly impactful way! We’ll walk through all the details below, but for now, let’s just bask in the glory of this airy, open space.

Kitchen | Before

Kitchen | Today

In addition to tiling the backsplash with Livingstone Bianco 24″ x 48″ tile, we also chose to extend it up the vertical chase at the end of the cabinet run. Initially, we hoped we’d be able to eliminate the chase altogether, but it turns out that it conceals necessary plumbing and mechanical services for the home. Since it had to stay put, we decided to run the tile vertically up the chase for a cohesive look that defines the space beautifully!

Why Choose Large Format Tile?

Definitions vary, but large-format tile (LFT) is generally considered to be any tile with at least one side longer than 15, with popular styles reaching up to 48″ x 48. For my parents’ kitchen project, we selected the 24″ x 48″ Livingstone Bianco for a number of reasons.

Fewer grout joints | First, LFT requires fewer grout joints, which makes the space look more expansive and cohesive. The old tile in this space had almost as much grout as tile! Now, there are only a handful of thin joints that are tough to even spot. We were absolutely shocked at how much bigger the kitchen looked when we saw it in person for the first time after overseeing the project via video chat for a month.

The look of a single slab | LFT, like Livingstone Bianco, also gives the look of a single natural stone slab at a fraction of the price! We tackled this kitchen refresh on a pretty minimal budget and wanted to remain conscious of cost. Since we were keeping the existing white cabinetry in place, we knew the ivory background with faint taupe and grey veining of Livingstone Bianco would be the perfect complement! It’s hard to overstate how impactful this change really was.

Low maintenance | As much as we love natural stone, it does require regular maintenance and sealing to keep it looking great. Stone-look LFT offers strikingly similar details without any of the added effort. Livingstone Bianco, a porcelain tile, will be easy to clean and requires virtually no added maintenance. Since the grout lines are minimized, there are fewer places for dirt and grime to accumulate. Its a win on so many levels!

A More Usable Peninsula

The kitchen’s peninsula has always been a gathering spot for all of the ‘kids’ (me, my two brothers and our wives) as well as the grandkids. My mom loves to bake, so she’s always got something in the oven. My dad also loves to cook, and he has been perfecting his meatballs and sauce recipe for years. We kids always offer a hand in the kitchen, but our help is almost always declined, so we gather around the peninsula with ever-present snacks, treats and beverages to keep Nana and Papa company.

The problem? The peninsula needed a little help to be more accommodating. The stools were starting to show their age, and my dad had employed various cushions and pads to keep them comfortable. We upgraded to a pair of walnut swivel counter stools on the long side of the peninsula and a single, super low back walnut counter stool on the short side for a huge improvement in comfort and style. Plus, the lower backs allow for a more clear sight line between the kitchen and adjoining dining room!

We also made improvement in the lighting department. We nixed the recessed lights in the soffit for something that added more interest while leaning into my Mom’s clean, traditional style. These pendant lights are an awesome deal, and they add the prettiest glow in the evenings.

This may seem insignificant, but the difference we made by replacing the peninsula’s countertop supports make sitting here much more enjoyable! The old brackets were curvy 14″ x 14″ wood supports that stuck out so far they made sections of the peninsula nearly unusable. The new steel supports are sleek and sturdy, and don’t impact the seating area at all. We painted the lower portion white to match the cabinets and they’re nearly invisible now!

Small Changes = Big Impact

On top of the tile and countertop changes, we put the remaining budget to great use and focused in on the little details that would add up to an incredible transformation. We tasked my mom with caulking and painting all of the crown molding and millwork with a color that matched the cabinets better and she executed the job flawlessly! My dad and brother also swapped out the old black microwave in favor of a sleek stainless model. All of the old stainless steel hardware was also swapped out for softer polished nickel handles and bin pulls. You probably know we love mixing metals, so a new chrome faucet rounded out the wet area. New lighting was also installed throughout the ceiling and two pendants were added above the peninsula.

Additional small details like glass + wood cookie jars (because what kind of grandmother would Nana be if she didn’t have cookies available at all times?), wooden utensils, crocks, trays, organizational tools and a washable rug were also brought in to lend some modern touches. We even purchased a cream-colored coffee maker to help make the room feel more expansive!

My parents couldn’t be more thrilled with their newly refreshed kitchen, and we’re right there with them. We spent the weekend visit celebrating Nana’s birthday (can you even believe she turned 73?!?) and broke in the new the new kitchen with – you guessed it – a huge batch of Papa’s spaghetti and meatballs.

This project was truly a family affair with design, styling and sourcing from Kim and myself, tile installation and build-out by my brother Rob and my dad, plus painting, caulking and cookie-baking support from my mom! We had a blast working on this project, and we can’t thank our friends at The Tile Shop enough for their continued support!

Looking for more tile inspiration? See how we used vertical tile in the Red House kitchen, this step-by-step guide for tiling a backsplash, and 5 big things to consider before starting your next tiling project.