All images courtesy of Katherine McLaughlin. This week’s customer spotlight will take us through the process of a successful kitchen renovation piece by piece. Katherine McLaughlin, who used our 2”x6” Natural White Zellige on her kitchen backsplash, emailed us about her home project with our Zellige tile. She told how her dream kitchen came to life with the help of Riad, her family, and a little bit of elbow grease. Explore her reno masterpiece with us below. 
Our 2”x6” Natural White Zellige is lined up and ready for the backsplash. We recommend pulling tiles from various boxes for optimal variety. “We did our best to mix them up while laying them out,” Katherine writes. 
Katherine’s son, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Caroline, placed the tile with a laser level. 
A perk of DIYs: leaving proof of your legacy in top-secret style. 
Patrick and Caroline used spacers for some tiles but not others. 
The Zellige, pre-grout, with tile spacers to ensure the mortar dries in place. 
Katherine was thrilled with the final product, pictured here with grout and finishing touches in place. Shop the look here. Follow us on Instagram at @riadtile for more inspiration, and tag us in your designs for a chance to be featured in our Customer Spotlight series!
The Setting
Katherine and her husband bought their dream cabin in the woods, tucked away lakeside, but it needed some love. With the help of her family, she began the dedicated process of turning a cabin from the 1970s into a contemporary home. It all started in the kitchen.The Process
“At the heart of every home is the kitchen,” Katherine told Riad. “After demolishing in a very HGTV style with sledgehammers…it was time to build it back up.” And build it back up, she did. Inspired by the Taj Mahal quartzite she knew would occupy the countertops (chosen in honor of a beloved family member), Katherine went into full-on research mode. She looked for a backsplash tile that would complement the subtle beauty of the quartzite counters. Katherine tells us how she entered her local design store, saw Zellige, and was captivated by it. The variety of color and shape in each Zellige tile was enthralling, and Katherine was in love. “I had to have it,” she said. Opting for our 2”x6” Natural White Zellige for the backsplash, when it finally came, Katherine told us, “I drove as if I had explosives in the back and took each turn and bump so slowly. I didn't want anything to happen to [it]!” Zellige has an iridescent quality that brings a glistening dimension to any space. Katherine writes that when her tile arrived, "It seemed as if the tile changed colors in different positions.” Light bounces and plays off the glaze on Zellige in beautiful, tantalizing ways. “I couldn’t stop staring,” she said. “I knew I had made the right decision. Even without the grout, I was in love. So pretty. So unique. So wonderfully irregular.” When it was time for grout, Katherine opted for Mapei Alabaster grout, and, like the tile, it was the right choice. “It made the tile even better,” Katherine said. “Filling in the gaps gave on overall lighter appearance.” At Riad, we love helping people with their projects, big and small. We believe style and luxury should be accessible and aim to bring that chic comfort to as many people as possible. Hearing from our customers is a light in our day, and we live for the moments when we can see our Zellige in a forever home. If you’re interested in ordering or sampling our Zellige, click here for our options. Before we show you pictures of the renovation project below, we’ll let Katherine have the last word. “I'm so proud of all the hard work our kids have put into this overall project, and I am so grateful I chose Zellige from Riad Tile, who even wrote to check on how the project was going. I hope to use their products again when we tackle the bathroom in the fall. Keep up the great work, Riad, and best wishes for continued success as you help people see beauty each day.”The Look
Our 2”x6” Natural White Zellige is lined up and ready for the backsplash. We recommend pulling tiles from various boxes for optimal variety. “We did our best to mix them up while laying them out,” Katherine writes. Katherine’s son, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Caroline, placed the tile with a laser level. A perk of DIYs: leaving proof of your legacy in top-secret style. Patrick and Caroline used spacers for some tiles but not others. The Zellige, pre-grout, with tile spacers to ensure the mortar dries in place. Katherine was thrilled with the final product, pictured here with grout and finishing touches in place. Shop the look here. Follow us on Instagram at @riadtile for more inspiration, and tag us in your designs for a chance to be featured in our Customer Spotlight series!
