Marilyn Monroe's Kitchen Was Adorned With These Decorative Tiles. Here's How To Replicate Them Today

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If you're in search of inspiration for jazzing up your kitchen, it helps to look to icons of the past known for their style. And who's more iconic than Marilyn Monroe? We know she had great taste in the kitchen in particular — Monroe's collection of cookbooks nabbed thousands at auction, for example. And the movie star had a space-age-like vintage refrigerator, too. One of the most statement-making details in her home, though, is one you'll want to copy; the good news is that it's an easy design upgrade to make. We're talking about gorgeous painted tiles Monroe hand-picked from Mexico, known as Talavera tiles.

These tiles were in the same kitchen as that sleek fridge, creating an interesting contrast between modern and traditional. The actress moved into her last home in Brentwood in 1962, and traveled back and forth to Mexico to find special pieces to decorate with. Monroe had unique hand-blown Mexican soda glass tumblers from this time, for instance. The tiles she chose were hand-painted and glazed terracotta. In patterns of vibrant blue, yellow, green, and orange, they covered Monroe's backsplash and lined the counters and oven, which you can see on The Marilyn Monroe Site. They popped beautifully against rich wood cabinets and counters, creating an artful, hacienda-style aesthetic. If you're pondering decor ideas to add more personality to your kitchen, you'll be glad to know you don't have to travel to Mexico or spend too much to achieve the vibrant look of Monroe's home: You can order tiles like this online.

Before ordering patterned Talavera tiles like Monroe's, decide where you'll want to place them so you can measure those areas and figure out how many tiles you'll need — this will also depend on how big the tiles are, as you'll find different sizes. These are the best tiles to give your backsplash a vintage feel, and they look great lining counters and doorways. 

At Custom Made Home Decor, you can find Talavera tiles at $250 for 80 4-by-4-inch pieces, or 40 6-by-6-inch ones. They're just $3.29 each for 4" x 4" tiles at Mexican Tile Designs, which is a real bargain considering these are hand-painted ceramics — it's one of the wonders of the internet that we don't have to travel for tiles like Monroe did. If you want true, hand-made Mexican tiles, you can find them by searching terms like Mexican Talavera, ceramic, and hand-painted.

Being able to buy single tiles is a great decor opportunity — if you're not ready to commit to a backsplash, you could incorporate just a few tiles into a kitchen gallery wall, or if you can confirm they're heat-tolerant, use them as trivets. Renters can also add stand-out flair to their kitchens with this look. You can find peel-and-stick Talavera-style tiles on sites like Home Depot and Etsy. On Amazon, MurArtis sells 24-packs of peel-and-stick Talavera-inspired tiles that create a vivid floral pattern.