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Yotam Ottolenghi’s updated kitchen features a hand-painted tile mural with images tied to his children and family life. The Livingetc report presents the installation as part of a growing design interest in decorative, personal kitchen backsplashes, while experts caution that murals must suit the room and withstand heat, water and cleaning.
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi has added a hand-painted mural backsplash to his recently updated kitchen, featuring small illustrations linked to his children and their family life. A Livingetc report presents the tiles as an example of a growing design trend toward personal, decorative kitchen walls, while designers say materials and installation need to account for splashes, heat and cleaning.
Ottolenghi told Livingetc that the kitchen’s layout stayed largely the same, with new white cabinet fronts replacing the old ones. “The biggest difference was the tiles,” he said. The mural covers the wall above the cooker and behind shelves. Artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad of Gilles & Cecilie created the design, which was painted on tiles off-site, fired and then installed.
The imagery includes a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo reflecting his children’s interests, and a cartoon portrait they made of their cousin. Ottolenghi said he hopes the wall will feel like “a wall of memories” when his children return home as adults. His account frames the project as a family keepsake as well as a kitchen finish.
Livingetc describes the mural as part of a wider move by designers to treat kitchen backsplashes as opportunities for personal expression, rather than purely practical surfaces. Options cited in the report include painted tiles, murals applied directly to walls, stained glass and wallpaper. Those formats have different protective and installation needs.
Personal Art Moves Into the Kitchen
The example matters because backsplashes sit in a demanding part of the home: they are visible, but also exposed to cooking and cleanup. Ottolenghi’s mural shows how homeowners may use that area to bring family references and artwork into an otherwise functional space. The story is about a design choice and its wider appeal, not evidence of a quantified change in renovation demand.
For readers planning a similar project, the design has to work with the kitchen around it. JAM Design Works founder Jules Gallop advises considering colors, pattern and scale alongside cabinetry, worktops and lighting. She also points to accurate templating around sockets, switches and cabinets, and to specifying finishes for the exposure to heat, water and cleaning.
Protection can affect how a mural looks and performs. Harald Donoghue of wallpaper brand de Gournay said protective finishes for textile grounds can dull colors and design details, and advised adding a glass or Perspex barrier where appropriate. These are practical considerations, not a guarantee that every mural material will suit every cooking area.
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How Ottolenghi’s Tiles Were Made
According to Livingetc, Ottolenghi asked kitchen company Roundhouse to retain the existing layout during the update. The cabinetry remained white, making the tile mural the most visible change described in the report. The tiles were painted away from the home, fired and affixed to the wall, rather than painted directly in place.
The report gives other examples of decorative backsplashes in different materials. Studio Ashby commissioned Anna Glover to create an English-meadow-inspired floral mural for a London kitchen. A Shanghai kitchen used de Gournay’s hand-painted wallcovering on tarnished silver-gilded paper; the company recommends Perspex protection against splashes and humidity. JAM Design Works commissioned a custom stained-glass splashback, with founder Gallop saying the heavy piece required wall reinforcement and access to its LED panels.
Muralist Charlotte Fuller, whose work has appeared on backsplashes, described the appeal as a “commitment to joy” and said she has a tile mural in her own kitchen. She advised choosing a design in light of how people want the room to feel and how its colors relate to existing materials. Her comments describe her design approach, not a universal result for homeowners.
““The biggest difference was the tiles.””
— Yotam Ottolenghi, speaking to Livingetc
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What the Report Does Not Establish
Livingetc does not give the date of Ottolenghi’s kitchen update, the mural’s cost, or details such as the tile material, dimensions and maintenance instructions. It also does not identify how many designers or homeowners are choosing murals, or provide survey data to measure the trend’s scale. The description of a growing trend is the report’s characterization, supported by the examples and designer comments it includes.
The article does not say whether Ottolenghi’s installation needs any additional barrier or special cleaning routine. Requirements will vary by material and by the backsplash’s position relative to the cooker and sink; readers should consult the artist, fabricator and installer about a particular project.
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Planning a Durable Mural Backsplash
The report identifies no further announcement or upcoming milestone for Ottolenghi’s kitchen. For homeowners considering a comparable feature, the next steps are practical: review samples in the room’s lighting, check how the design sits behind shelves and taps, and confirm that the selected surface is suitable for the area’s exposure to heat, moisture and cleaning.
Gallop recommends accurate templates, especially around switches, sockets and cabinetry. For wallpaper or textile-based designs, de Gournay’s Donoghue advises a protective glass or Perspex barrier. The stained-glass example also shows that a heavier installation may require structural preparation and service access. Those details should be settled with qualified designers and fabricators before work begins.
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Key Questions
What is distinctive about Ottolenghi’s backsplash?
Artist Cecilie Maurud Barstad created hand-painted tiles for the kitchen wall above the cooker and behind shelves. The images include a taco, a Dungeons & Dragons logo and a cartoon portrait of a cousin, all connected to Ottolenghi’s children or family.
How were the mural tiles installed?
Livingetc reports that the tiles were painted off-site, fired and then affixed to the wall. The article does not provide further technical details about the tile material or installation method.
Can a backsplash mural be made from wallpaper or fabric?
The report describes wallpaper and textile-ground designs as possibilities, but says they need protection in a kitchen. De Gournay’s Harald Donoghue advises using a glass or Perspex barrier to help protect such surfaces from splashes and humidity.
What should homeowners check before commissioning one?
Designers cited by Livingetc advise coordinating the mural’s colors, pattern and scale with cabinets, worktops and lighting, using samples, and templating carefully around sockets and fixtures. The surface should be specified for heat, water and cleaning exposure.
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