Your Meh Backsplash Needs This Removable “Tile” Upgrade

“So much of what we do at Chasing Paper comes from a personal place,” founder Elizabeth Rees said about her company, which she started five years ago in New York City. The brand's offerings—a versatile collection of well-priced removable wallpaper options—were in fact the result of Elizabeth’s own tastes and circumstances. “My home decor projects are always on a budget, and many times I want to try something I see in magazines but do not have thousands of dollars to execute,” she says. “Additionally, up until five months ago, I rented and could not change too much about the spaces I lived in.” The brand’s latest, a peel-and-stick line of six prints that resemble intricate ceramic tiles, came about last year when Elizabeth and her brother were invited on a business trip to Barcelona. After that, the two headed to Portugal, where Elizabeth met her partner for a sailing adventure in Italy. At every stop, there were tiles that caught her eye.

“It was impossible not to be inspired,” she says of the trip. So, as soon as they returned home in the fall, she began working on ways to translate these shades and dimensions into removable recreations for her customers. “We took so many pictures and then referenced prints and patterns we saw with the cement tiling trend in the States,” she recalls. “It was a perfect marriage of traditional and modern.” Elizabeth launched the capsule this month, and its blue, black, and white hues speak as much to Chasing Paper’s longstanding city sensibilities as they do to the carefree views she saw abroad. Each print is made to order on two-by-four-foot panels that go for $40 each.

“We felt that doing bold prints in a simple color palette was what our customers would gravitate toward,” she says. “Teal is a color that I’m seeing everywhere and wanted in my home.” The panels were made to be adaptable, so they work well as a temporary permanent solution anywhere from a kitchen and bedroom to a bathroom or hallway (staying away from solvents makes them last longer). But they don't just recommend this line for standard walls. Elizabeth also says that they can perk up office supplies, serving trays, the backs of medicine cabinets, even the front panels of old refrigerators. Just like her many sources of inspiration, the possibilities are boundless. But if you need more ideas, we asked Rees to give us a few examples of where to use these new prints in any home.

Backsplash

Mudroom

Bathroom

Entryway