Before The Bar is a new series that will feature a design project that totally transformed a space using TileBar tile. Be prepared for content that will inspire, and entice your own design tastes.

Jason Hibbs, the manpower behind Bourbon Moth, a woodworking studio that specializes in handmade, high quality furniture sourced from reclaimed wood. With an Instagram feed that inspires anyone, Jason caught our eye for his unique style and taste. When he reached out to us to work on renovating his kitchen, we couldn’t help but be excited. Don’t see why? Check out Jason’s work here.

That being said, there was a lot for Jason and his wife to do to transform their home. It was an early 90’s style that had outdated counters, flooring, backsplash, and cabinets. It took them both a decent amount of time to implement, but the time was well spent, as you can see below.

Read on and learn everything there is to Jason’s Before The Bar story!



What Drove The Renovation?

JH | “The house we bought was actually my wife’s childhood home. Aside from the fact that it was built in the 90’s, and very outdated, we really wanted to make the space our own. Our goal was to transform the space enough that it would be completely unrecognizable to the original look. One of the biggest ways we accomplished this was by adding more windows which would bring in a ton more natural light.”

Did You Hit Any Roadblocks?

JH | “When doing any remodel there is always a question of “How far is too far?”. This question was very true with our own project. We wanted to transform the space, strip it down so we had a fresh canvas to work with. But we also didn’t want to take away so much of the original structure that it would be hard to recover the space.  One of the big questions we had was whether or not to remove the drop soffit that wrapped around the entire kitchen. (Why these were popular in the 90’s, I’ll never know). In the end we decided to rip it out and I am so glad we did. It really opened up the space and allowed us to take the tile all the way up to the ceiling for a much cleaner and more grand look.”

How Did You Work With The Original Space? Did It Complement Your Vision Or Hold It Back?

JH | “The one thing we actually liked about the original space was the overall layout and flow of it. Even though we completely gutted the entire thing down to the studs, when we replaced everything we pretty kept the original layout with the exception of a few slight changes. It just worked for that space so we left it alone.”

When the space was renovated, did you have a hard time choosing the backsplash? What made you choose the tile you did?

JH | “When we got the space all put back together and were trying to choose a tile it was hard to pick because TileBar has so many awesome options. Our overall goal for the remodel was to pick something very light and organic feeling that would pair well with the concrete counter tops. This is why we went with the Cadenza Salt Cellar Tile (shop below!). It is a hand-painted tile, so it has natural imperfections that made it unique. So it paired perfectly with the concrete which is also a very natural material. We love the end result and couldn’t be happier with our experience at TileBar.”

Shop The Tile From This Before the Bar Remodel:

white clay subway tile used on wall with branch in a vase
Cadenza Salt Cellar Clay Tile