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Yotam Ottolenghi recently updated his kitchen with a hand-painted tile mural by artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad, while keeping the room’s layout and white cabinetry largely unchanged. The design reflects a broader interest in decorative, personal kitchen backsplashes, though designers stress that materials need to suit heat, water and cleaning.
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi recently updated his kitchen with a hand-painted tile mural by artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad, keeping the layout and white cabinet fronts largely as they were. The project, reported by Livingetc, puts a personal form of kitchen decoration in the spotlight as designers describe growing interest in murals that bring color, memory and artwork into a space usually planned around practical use.
Ottolenghi said the tiles were the biggest change in the kitchen, covering the wall above the cooker and behind shelves. The mural was painted on tiles off-site, fired and then installed. It includes small illustrations suggested by Barstad, including a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo and a cartoon portrait made by Ottolenghi’s children of their cousin.
“It makes me so happy,” Ottolenghi said. He told Livingetc he hopes the wall will feel like a collection of memories when his children return home as adults. His account makes the mural’s personal purpose clear: it is not just a patterned surface, but a feature tied to family life.
Designers interviewed by Livingetc described several ways to create a mural backsplash, including hand-painted tile, artwork applied directly to walls, stained glass and wallpaper. Each option has different practical requirements. Harald Donoghue of wallpaper brand de Gournay said textile and hand-painted wallcoverings can receive protective finishes, but those finishes are not heavy-duty and may dull colors or design details. He recommended a glass or Perspex barrier where added protection is needed.
Making Kitchen Walls Personal
The examples show how some kitchen designs are moving beyond a uniform, purely functional backsplash toward a surface that contributes to the character of the whole room. A mural can carry a household’s colors, references or memories into a part of the home used every day. In Ottolenghi’s case, its family details give the installation meaning beyond its visual effect.
That does not make every mural suitable for every kitchen. Backsplashes face heat, moisture, splashes and regular cleaning, so material and installation choices affect both appearance and upkeep. A striking design may need a protective panel, a reinforced wall or careful coordination with cabinets, counters, sockets and lighting. The design appeal and the practical specification need to be considered together.
The trend is also not limited to large, hand-painted tile installations. The Livingetc report describes projects using stained glass and decorative wallcovering, showing that homeowners can choose different formats and levels of visual impact. But the report does not establish how widespread the trend is; Ottolenghi’s kitchen is an example, not evidence of a quantified shift across the market.
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From Tile Update to Family Story
Ottolenghi’s kitchen update involved a limited change to the room’s established design: Roundhouse retained the existing layout and replaced white cabinet fronts with new white fronts. He identified the mural tiles as the main difference. The work, as described in the Livingetc report, places a personal artwork in the cooking area without requiring a full redesign of the kitchen.
Other examples in the report illustrate the range of approaches. Studio Ashby commissioned artist Anna Glover to make a meadow-inspired mural for a London kitchen, using tiles from Balineum. In a Shanghai kitchen, de Gournay’s floral wallcovering sits above metallic cabinets; the company advises covering such paper with Perspex to protect it from splashes and humidity. A stained-glass backsplash designed by JAM Design Works for clients incorporated personal references and colors.
These projects are design examples rather than a market survey. The source describes interest among designers but gives no sales figures, adoption rate or research measuring how quickly mural backsplashes are becoming more common.
““The biggest difference was the tiles.””
— Yotam Ottolenghi, speaking to Livingetc
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How Far the Trend Has Spread
The Livingetc report describes backsplash murals as a growing design trend, but provides no figures showing how many homeowners are choosing them or how that interest has changed over time. It also does not state the date the Ottolenghi project was completed or give a detailed cost for the mural, so its timing and affordability cannot be established from the report.
Practical performance will depend on the chosen material, finish and installation. The source offers advice from designers and suppliers but does not provide long-term maintenance results for each approach. It is also unclear whether every mural material discussed is appropriate for every position behind a cooker or sink; the specific product and its manufacturer’s guidance would matter.
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Planning a Durable Mural
The report does not announce a next phase for Ottolenghi’s kitchen or identify a scheduled follow-up. For anyone considering a similar feature, the designers’ guidance points to the next steps: decide how the mural should relate to the room, test colors and textures alongside other finishes, and confirm that the selected material is rated for heat, water and cleaning.
Jules Gallop advised accurate templating, especially around sockets, switches and cabinetry, and said samples can help because finishes may look different beside one another. For wallpaper or fabric-based designs near splash zones, Donoghue recommended a glass or Perspex protective barrier. The final choice will depend on the kitchen layout, the artwork and the protection required; the source does not provide a single method that fits every installation.
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Key Questions
What changed in Yotam Ottolenghi’s kitchen?
The backsplash tiles were the main change, according to Ottolenghi. The kitchen kept its existing layout and received new white cabinet fronts, while hand-painted mural tiles were installed above the cooker and behind shelves.
Who made the mural?
Artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad of Gilles & Cecilie created the mural. The tiles were painted off-site, fired and then fitted in the kitchen, according to the Livingetc report.
What images appear on Ottolenghi’s backsplash?
The mural includes a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo and a cartoon portrait of a cousin made by Ottolenghi’s children. He said the details were chosen to connect the wall with family memories.
Can wallpaper be used as a kitchen backsplash mural?
It can be used in some designs, but protection from splashes and humidity is a concern. De Gournay’s Harald Donoghue said protective finishes for textile or hand-painted grounds are not heavy-duty and may affect colors, and advised adding a glass or Perspex barrier where appropriate.
How should a backsplash mural be planned?
Designers quoted by Livingetc advise coordinating its colors, pattern and scale with cabinets, counters and lighting, then checking samples in the room. The material should also suit exposure to heat, water and cleaning, with careful measurements around sockets, switches and cabinets.
Source: rss
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