Vertical Zellige Tile Backsplash, Westside Kitchen

Zellige tile is handmade Moroccan ceramic with a characteristic irregular surface and slight variations in glaze depth from tile to tile. In this Westside kitchen, the client chose a vertically stacked layout rather than the more common horizontal offset, which creates a taller, more linear visual rhythm that suits the kitchen's minimalist cabinet profile. The vertical stack requires more careful planning around the shelf bracket positions because each column of tile must remain plumb independently.

Because zellige tiles vary slightly in thickness from piece to piece, the mortar bed behind each tile had to be adjusted individually to keep the face plane consistent. This is normal practice with handmade tile, but it makes the installation slower than a machine-made tile job of the same size. White polymer-modified thin-set was used to prevent gray mortar from showing through the glaze variations at the tile edges. Unsanded grout in a soft off-white color was chosen to blend with the tile surface rather than define the joints.