Jason DeRusha's Dramatic Kitchen Backsplash

What started with a simple, standard design quickly turned into a bold kitchen backsplash for the ages. And who better to have a one-of-a-kind backsplash than the beloved food critic and WCCO star, Jason DeRusha. Working with the talented Construction2Style, the DeRushas knew they wanted to support local businesses during their kitchen refresh, and our handmade tile seemed to be the perfect fit.

Getting Connected

With projects such as this, we love telling the story of how we get connected to such inspirational people. The DeRushas heard about our tile from Jason’s co-worker and WCCO meteorologist, Matt Brickman. Matt has his own Mercury Mosaics backsplash inspired by our famous Bachelor Farmer project.
 Medium Diamonds - 24 Dandelion, 11 Deco White, 60 Silver Lining, 45R My Blue Heaven, 18 Bright Blue.

With Matt’s endorsement and Construction2Style’s recommendation, our tile fell into the mix. Our mover and shaker, Mercedes, says

“If you take care of people and have their interests in mind and focus on doing your best work, in the end they spread their gratitude through referring you to their trusted network of friends, family, and associates.”

We adore the concept of spreading the word of good, hard work and taking care of our Minneapolis neighbors. Working with local influencers and small businesses is always a rewarding experience.

The Inspiration

At first, the DeRushas wanted a small kitchen update, but after meeting with Construction2Style, one thing led to another, and they decided to take their remodel a little bit further. Keeping with their theme to commission local artists, they decided to go with some incredibly talented local Minnesotan businesses including Hennepin Made, Cambria and Nic Frost Cabinetry.

Cambria Skara Brae™, Nic Frost Cabinetry, Hennepin Made Multi-Light Canopy

The tile inspiration started with a simple and standard backsplash but it soon became clear that the DeRushas needed a dramatic backdrop for Jason to do what he does best - cook!

Medium Diamonds - 22E Blue Opal. 2"x6" Subway Tile: 130 White & Medium Diamonds: 130 White, 77E Grey, 60 Silver Lining, 815W Light Grey, 912W Cloudy Grey, 155 Steel, 366 Satin Black, 613 Black.
Geo-Star Pattern - 61 Navy.

Design Process

Jason is not only known for his DeRusha Eats television show, but also for his contagious laugh and witty sense of humor. The city of Minneapolis even deemed September 21st "Jason DeRusha Day." In other words, we needed to create a bold kitchen backsplash to complement his bold and quirky personality.

Keeping this in mind, we started the design process with rich, dark hues such as 65W Amber, 1673 Espresso, 155 Steel, and 1013 Denim. Aiming to add more personality to an already dramatic color scheme, we thought, why not mix shapes? Mixing shapes is one of our new favorite design inspirations. The way the Medium Diamonds fit perfectly into the Large Hexagons takes the overall design to the next level.Read more about our custom design process here "7 Steps to Designing a Custom Backsplash"

After six design revisions with the Construction2Style team, we landed on the perfect backsplash for the DeRushas.

Geo-Hex Pattern - 1013 Denim. Medium Diamonds - 22E Blue Opal, 155 Steel, 60 Silver Lining.

The Result

What we learned from this project is to never underestimate the power of hard work and word-of-mouth. We are so grateful to be a part of the intertwined Minneapolis community, and can’t wait to continue spreading the tile love. 

For more on the DeRusha's kitchen renovation, head over to Construction2Style's blog, "DeRusha Kitchen Refresh"

Geo-Hex Pattern - 1013 Denim. Medium Diamonds - 22E Blue Opal, 155 Steel, 60 Silver Lining.
Photography - Chelsie Lopez

Geo-Hex Pattern - 1013 Denim. Medium Diamonds - 22E Blue Opal, 155 Steel, 60 Silver Lining.
Photography - Chelsie Lopez

Geo-Hex Pattern - 1013 Denim. Medium Diamonds - 22E Blue Opal, 155 Steel, 60 Silver Lining.
Photography - Chelsie Lopez

Order tile samples to see, touch, and fall in love with our handmade tiles in person. We would also love to hear what inspires you! Tell us more about your future project and get the ball rolling. 

The post Jason DeRusha's Dramatic Kitchen Backsplash appeared first on Artisan Tile Company: Handmade Ceramic Tiles by Mercury Mosaics.