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Yotam Ottolenghi’s updated kitchen features a hand-painted tile mural by artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad, including illustrations chosen for their family significance. The design is part of a broader interior trend toward decorative, personal kitchen backsplashes, though materials need to suit heat, water and cleaning.
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi has added a hand-painted tile mural to his recently updated kitchen, using illustrations linked to his children and family memories. The feature, reported by Livingetc, reflects a wider interest among designers in treating kitchen backsplashes as personal, decorative surfaces as well as practical barriers.
Ottolenghi told Livingetc that most of the kitchen stayed much the same after the update: the layout was retained, and the white cabinet fronts were replaced with white ones. “The biggest difference was the tiles,” he said. The mural, created by artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad of Gilles & Cecilie, covers the wall above the cooker and behind shelves. It was painted on tiles off-site, fired, and then installed.
Barstad suggested including small images meaningful to Ottolenghi’s children. The mural includes a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo and a cartoon portrait they made of their cousin. Ottolenghi said he hopes the wall will bring back memories when his children return home as adults.
Livingetc describes the kitchen as one example of designers bringing murals and other artwork into spaces traditionally shaped by function. The report features projects using painted tiles, wallcoverings and stained glass. These are examples, not evidence of a measured market-wide shift; the article gives no sales figures or survey data establishing the trend’s scale.
Making the Kitchen More Personal
A backsplash mural can make a frequently used kitchen feel more individual, and Ottolenghi’s example shows how the design can carry family references rather than serving only as a color or pattern choice. He described the tiles as a source of happiness and a potential wall of memories for his children. That personal purpose distinguishes the project from a purely decorative update.
The idea also changes how a backsplash fits into a room’s design. Muralist Charlotte Fuller told Livingetc that a mural can create a striking moment and influence how someone feels in the space. Her comments express a designer’s view, not a proven effect on wellbeing. For homeowners, the trend offers another way to coordinate a kitchen’s colors, materials and artwork, while requiring careful choices about durability and placement.
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From Painted Tiles to Stained Glass
The Livingetc report presents several approaches to decorative kitchen walls. A London project by Studio Ashby pairs a floral mural by Anna Glover with tiles from Balineum. In Shanghai, de Gournay used a floral wallcovering printed on silver-gilded paper above metallic cabinets. Another project, by JAM Design Works with stained-glass maker Tenby & Penny, used a bespoke glass panel incorporating references chosen for the clients.
These examples differ in both appearance and installation needs. A tile mural can be painted and fired before fitting, while wallpaper or fabric near a sink or cooker may need a protective barrier. The report says the stained-glass installation was heavy enough to require reinforcement behind the wall, and its LED panels were enclosed so they could be accessed for maintenance.
Designers interviewed for the article advise treating the mural as part of the overall kitchen plan. JAM Design Works founder Jules Gallop said colors, patterns and scale need to work with cabinetry, counters and lighting. She also recommended accurate templates around sockets, switches and cabinets, and checking that the chosen material is suitable for exposure to heat, water and cleaning.
““The biggest difference was the tiles.””
— Yotam Ottolenghi, speaking to Livingetc
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Trend Scale and Material Limits
The report does not quantify how common backsplash murals are, identify how quickly their use is growing, or provide market data. Its description of a growing trend rests on designers’ observations and selected projects, so the scale of adoption remains unclear. Ottolenghi’s kitchen update is described as recent, but no exact completion date is given.
Practical performance will depend on the material and its location. Harald Donoghue of wallpaper brand de Gournay said protective finishes for textile grounds such as dyed silk or hand-painted fabrics are not heavy-duty and can dull colors and design details. He recommended glass or Perspex protection. The report does not provide product specifications, costs, cleaning instructions or a universal solution for every backsplash; homeowners would need to confirm suitability with the designer, maker or installer.
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Planning a Durable Mural
No further announcement about Ottolenghi’s kitchen or the artists’ work is included in the source report. For readers considering a similar feature, the next steps are practical: decide where the mural will sit, compare samples with cabinets and counters, and check how lighting affects its colors. Gallop said accurate templating is needed around fixtures and cabinetry, while the material must be specified for the conditions in the kitchen.
Protection and installation should be discussed before work begins, especially for wallpaper or fabric near splashes and humidity, or a heavy glass panel that may require wall reinforcement. The source does not set out a single installation standard or confirm whether Ottolenghi’s project has prompted other commissions. Any broader change in design practice remains something future projects or market reporting would need to establish.
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Key Questions
What does Yotam Ottolenghi’s backsplash mural show?
The hand-painted tiles include a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo and a cartoon portrait made by his children of their cousin, according to Ottolenghi’s comments to Livingetc.
Who made the mural in Ottolenghi’s kitchen?
Artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad of Gilles & Cecilie created the mural. It was painted on tiles off-site, fired, and then installed in the kitchen.
Are kitchen backsplash murals becoming more popular?
Livingetc reports that more designers are using murals in kitchens, but it provides no market figures or survey data to establish how widespread the trend is.
Can wallpaper be used behind a kitchen counter?
It can be used in some designs, but de Gournay’s Harald Donoghue advised protecting wallpaper or textile surfaces from splashes and humidity with glass or Perspex. Suitability depends on the material and its placement.
What should be checked before installing a mural backsplash?
Designers cited in the report recommend checking that the material suits exposure to heat, water and cleaning, coordinating samples with other finishes, and templating carefully around outlets, switches and cabinets. Heavy installations may need wall reinforcement.
Source: rss
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