Why does handmade zellige need to be laid out before it's set?

Because no two pieces are the same size or shape. These 2×2 tiles came on sheets, and as is typical with handmade tile, the variance was significant. We laid out each individual row before cutting it, so the rows stayed true as they ran into the cabinetry instead of drifting from one end of the wall to the other.

Can you tile around cabinets and a wine rack that are already installed?

Yes. On this job the oak-veneer cabinets and wine rack were already in, as part of our clients' recent kitchen renovation. We cut the zellige and placed it methodically around the existing cabinetry, one row at a time.

Is it worth tiling a whole wall instead of a backsplash strip?

In our view, yes: it's always best to tile as many surfaces as possible in your home. Here, a full wall of zellige turned a plain white wall into the standout element of the kitchen, and a backdrop for the oak cabinetry and wine rack in front of it.

CONTACT

HOME/PORTFOLIO/GLASSELL PARK BAR

KITCHENS

Moroccan Zellige Bar Backsplash
in Glassell Park, Los Angeles

Moroccan Zellige + Oak Wine Rack

LOCATION: Glassell Park, Los Angeles, CA

PROJECT NOTES

Moroccan Zellige + Oak Wine Rack

A zellige feature wall in the kitchen of a modern three-story home in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. Our clients had just put in new countertops and oak-veneer cabinets with a built-in wine rack, and wanted a standout backdrop behind them. Slow Hand Remodeling replaced a plain white wall with handmade 2×2 Moroccan zellige, laying out every row before cutting it in around the existing cabinetry.

LOCATION: Glassell Park, Los Angeles, CA
YEAR: 2026
SCOPE: Zellige feature wall
THE HOUSE: Modern three-story home
MATERIALS: Handmade 2×2 Moroccan zellige on sheets, set around the clients' new oak-veneer cabinetry and wine rack

Home wine bar in Glassell Park, Los Angeles: glossy oxblood Moroccan zellige covering the full wall behind oak floating shelves and bottle racks.

The zellige close up, every handmade tile catching the light differently across deep reds, browns and near black.

Zellige carried around the inside corner behind the oak shelves, joints kept tight so the handmade edges read as one surface.

THE SITUATION

This project was in a modern three-story home in Glassell Park. Our clients had recently renovated several parts of their kitchen, including brand-new countertops and a full new set of oak-veneer cabinets with a wine rack. Behind all of it was a plain white wall.

The goal was to turn that wall into a beautiful backdrop, a standout element of the kitchen, using 2×2 handmade Moroccan zellige.

HOW WE BUILT IT

These 2×2 tiles came on sheets and, as is typical with handmade tile, with significant variance in size and shape from piece to piece. A sheet keeps the tiles roughly spaced, but it can't make handmade pieces line up with each other, or with the edge of a cabinet. So we took the time to lay out each individual row of tile before cutting it, then placed it methodically around the existing cabinetry and the wine rack.

We would say the result is a huge improvement on the plain white wall it replaced. In our view, it's always best to tile as many surfaces as possible in your home.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions about
this project.

Why does handmade zellige need to be laid out before it's set?
Because no two pieces are the same size or shape. These 2×2 tiles came on sheets, and as is typical with handmade tile, the variance was significant. We laid out each individual row before cutting it, so the rows stayed true as they ran into the cabinetry instead of drifting from one end of the wall to the other.
Can you tile around cabinets and a wine rack that are already installed?
Yes. On this job the oak-veneer cabinets and wine rack were already in, as part of our clients' recent kitchen renovation. We cut the zellige and placed it methodically around the existing cabinetry, one row at a time.
Is it worth tiling a whole wall instead of a backsplash strip?
In our view, yes: it's always best to tile as many surfaces as possible in your home. Here, a full wall of zellige turned a plain white wall into the standout element of the kitchen, and a backdrop for the oak cabinetry and wine rack in front of it.