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As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Tropical Storm Cindy had weakened slightly, down to sustained winds of 50 mph. Landfall projections still show a Texas-Louisiana state line location, early Thursday, as a weak tropical storm, National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said in a email.

"We are still expecting 3 to 5 inches of rain, with the possibility of 10 inches if a slow moving rain band moves across your area," Erickson said. "For people along and south of the I-10 corridor, this rain could easily cause flooding of streets due to the poor drainage conditions with the tides running so high."

For the tides, the danger is increasing for communities near the coast. Tides are running about 1.5 feet above normal right now, and that could go as high as 3 feet above normal during the high tide late tonight, he said.

Vulnerable locations to this above normal tide include Sabine Pass and sections of La. 87 north of them, low areas near Bridge City, La. 82 west and east of Holly Beach, downtown Cameron, Pecan Island, Intracoastal City, Delcambre, Cypremort Point, and Burns Point.

"Wind-wise, tropical storm force wind gusts will start this morning in south central Louisiana, and move into southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas this afternoon," Erickson said.

"Central Louisiana and east Texas will see the stronger winds more likely tonight. The entire region should see winds subsiding by midday on Thursday. Due to the wind gusts, expect to see scattered power outages and a few trees fall down," he said.

There is a small tornado threat for southwest, central, and south central Louisiana today and during the day on Thursday as well, Erickson said.

The kitchen backsplash — that surface behind the stovetop or sink that protects the wall from damage during cooking and dishwashing — has long been used to add color and beauty to an otherwise utilitarian space.
But dramatic, ornately patterned backsplashes, once popular, are being replaced by sleeker, simpler designs, said interior designer Jenny Kirschner. Many designers are using monochromatic tiles arranged in simple patterns to create beautiful backsplashes that won’t quickly go out of style.
We’ve asked New York-based Kirschner and two other interior designers — Florida-based Andrew Howard and California-based Sayre Ziskin — for advice on creating a kitchen backsplash that is as timeless as it is gorgeous.
QUALITY AND HANDCRAFTING
“I make it a point in every kitchen to do a standout backsplash,” Howard said. But that doesn’t mean the project has to be expensive. Because a backsplash covers a relatively small area, he said, it’s possible to use high-end and even custom-made tiles while keeping costs down.
There is usually a space of just 18 inches between upper and lower cabinets, so it doesn’t take a lot of tile to fill that area if you wish to extend the backsplash beyond the sink or stovetop.
All three designers suggest hunting for high-quality porcelain or ceramic tiles, or commissioning them in custom colors and finishes. For ceramic tiles in custom colors, Kirschner recommends Fireclay Tile, a California company that ships nationally. Ziskin is a fan of the handmade tiles by Anne Sacks, which she said offer the beautiful flaws and uniqueness that machine-made tiles don’t have.
COORDINATING, NOT CONTRASTING
It’s tempting to add a burst of color in your backsplash. But by keeping the backsplash neutral and adding brighter colors through more easily replaceable things like curtains and upholstery, you’re less likely to get bored. And if you’ll be selling your home within a few years, a neutral backsplash in classic white subway tile or a pale gray glass tile is a much easier sell than a distinctive color.
Kirschner likes designing backsplashes that are coordinated with the countertop material. By matching the materials instead of contrasting them, she said, “you don’t run the risk of saying, ‘What was I thinking?’”
One way to do this is to use faux-marble porcelain slab countertops in a neutral color, and then use tiles or a solid slab in the same material for your backsplash. You can also choose a tile in a slightly different material than your countertops but exactly match the color.
CREATIVE PLACEMENT
One way to make tiles in a neutral shade like white or gray look more striking is to get “playful with shape, rather than color,” Kirschner said.
If you like subway tiles but feel they’re overused, choose an oversize version or a very elongated one. To make classic tiles look fresh and surprising, try arranging long, narrow tiles vertically instead of horizontally.
Another fresh twist: Ziskin likes lining up edges of tiles so that they are stacked neatly, rather than offsetting them in a traditional brick pattern.
Also popular right now are hexagonal tiles arranged with the top edge left uneven. It’s traditional to cut a few hexagonal tiles in half to create a solid top line straight across. But designers are now using only whole tiles, creating a playful, uneven line across the top.
SLABS AND STEEL
Some homeowners rarely cook, Howard said, so they can choose a backsplash that’s purely about beauty. But the rest of us do give our stoves and sinks a workout, so we need to be more practical.
“If you’re in your kitchen a lot and it’s getting heavy use, I would shy away from marble or a grouted backsplash,” Howard said. “Because you don’t want to spend all your time scrubbing down your backsplash.”
Ziskin agrees: Lots of thick grout lines can be “a cleaning nightmare.”
One solution is using a faux-marble slab backsplash (real marble may pick up stains you can’t remove) rather than tiles. That way there’s no grout to clean.
Another option is using tiles but keeping grout to a minimum. Kirschner has used stainless steel tiles with no visible grout lines to create a sleek backsplash in kitchens that also have stainless steel appliances. It’s a unique look and easy to clean.
Any design that you love can be beautiful, Ziskin said, “as long as the surface is wipeable and it doesn’t stain.”
—Online:
www.andrewjhoward.com
www.jdkinteriors.com
www.svzinteriordesign.com