Your design skills are not just limited to print and web. My wife and I have been trying to find a unique backsplash for our newly renovation kitchen. We looked all over the place and then we realized, 'Hey. We're designers. We have tonnes of resources'. Then the idea hit me. We work with a sign guy who has done vinyl on plexiglass for us before. Why don't we see if the plexiglass is durable enough withstand the wear-and-tear of a busy kitchen counter. 'No problem he said. It will last as long as your kitchen will.'

So here's the idea. We will get a custom cut to fit the shape of where the backslash will go. The edges of the plexiglass will be flamed so they will be nice and rounded and smooth. We will make our own design to be cut from a semi-transparent, frosted vinyl and apply it to the back of the plexiglass. We will paint the wall behind the glass white and pin mount the custom plexiglass to the wall, and voila! We have the coolest, custom designed backsplash for our kitchen. This will cost us under $300 for about 12 x 1.5 feet of backsplash. It beats the heck out of tiling and the cost of tiles. And the best part is, if we get bored of the design, we can take the plexiglass off, remove the vinyl and apply another design to freshen things up every so often.

If you know the software and have the resources, there are so many opportunities for you to do-it-yourself when your renovating your home. Try something different. It will make your home unique and will have a piece of you permanently etched in its structure. I'll post some pics of my kitchen when I get it done.