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You can try to scrape them off with a razor blade from the hardware store.

I have a similar problem in the first house we have just bought: white backsplash with blue accent tiles that neither match the floor nor the countertop. I am using a DIY bath and tile refinishing kit to paint the blue tiles white. It's tedious and takes a lot of blue painter's tape, but it seems to work. Still a few more layers to go, though... Good luck!

I covered my country blue inspired tile from a previous owner with a thermoplastic backsplash. I like it a lot and it was easy to put up. You can use tape or glue.

http://www.acpideas.com/index.cfm?XlinkID=12

Why don't you want to replace them? It wouldn't be very hard.

You can always painting them covering the ugly fruits:P There's tile paint specially made for tiles. You can paint them white or maybe another colour.

Love your window:)

you could cover them with tile tattoos. i used these in my bathroom and they're really easy to apply and look great. http://www.2jane.com/tile-stickers-tattoos.aspx

Aren't those tile tattoos transparent in places? Would they actually cover the old images?

I don't see the problem -
They add interest and color to an otherwise bland kitchen.

I would mosaic something right over the top.

We covered up the fruit and sunflower accent tiles in our rental kitchen with stick-on metal flashing, cut to size. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=240932-82801-B48-08&lpage=none
Not sure if it can be removed, but it looks seamless enough that we're not too worried.

tile paint! You don't have too many to cover . . . just paint 'em white. Then you can bring in your own color choices . and not have them fight with those horrid tiles. Good luck!

@kelleyk--the ones i used (the bembridge taupe) weren't. the design is set against an opaque white background.

Even if you scraped the design off, the tiles are a slightly different white.

really... all this fuzz for five 3x3 tiles?.... come on.... replace the whole thing and the countertop by the way, to make it worth the effort!!

Definitely the tile tattoos. Those are cute! It says on the website that they are opaque so they should cover pretty well.

I agree with manu_pty -- just replace the counters if you can. I've lived with the white tile counters in my house for the last seven years and I can't wait for the day when I have a smooth surface with no grout.

I was about to submit the same question, now I don't need to take a picture.

I tried some solvents and elbow grease thinking I might be able to get rid of the designs on my decorative tiles. No luck.

My handyperson told me that I could paint them, but that you need a special primer that isn't cheap and doesn't come in a small container. I think independent research would reveal that there's probably more than one way to paint tile, but his comment sort of put me off the project.

I'm either going to do the tattoos, or leave them as-is to remind me that I want to replace all the tile and countertops. I have also managed to place the toaster, etc in front of most of mine. You don't have that option. Maybe you could put plants with trailing elements on the windowsill to obscure them?

No matter what you do they are always going to look a little different. I think you should embrace the colors in them and add it to your decor like this:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/06/kitchen-love.html

And just wanted to add that I think the covering them is a great short term solution, having lived with white tile kitchen counters I couldn't wait to get rid of them after a while. Maybe I'm just messy, but man, they were miserable to keep clean!

Suction cup herb garden!

http://ontwerpduo.nl/en/werk_windowherbs.html

or....


Suction cup bud vases!

http://www.recreationsbydeb.com/44877.html

Unless it really really bothers you, ham it up, get a few tea towels that play on it and accept it. If it really really bothers you, prop a chopping board in front of it. Its not all that bad?
They stick out right now when the space is fully empty, but once you move in proper they may just fade..?

I don't think the designs on the tiles are superficial. I think they are baked in to the tile and would be hard to cover with paint and match to the other tiles. I think that you might put a lot of effort into this and wind up with something that looks tacky.

Can you consider removing the row of tiles that contain these tiles and replace the row with something you like a little better? Do a composition that is an expected contrast to the other tiles. That way you don't have to retile the whole area.

I just covered the icky flower "accent" tiles in my bathroom with self-adhesive opaque white vinyl from an arts supply store. My last application several months before it started to curl, and that's in a shower. Cost less than $5.

I have not-my-taste tiles behind my sink too. I keep my cutting boards there, upright, to cover them up.

It looks like your tiles are limited to one spot. It would be easy to put something in front of them. Maybe a spice rack hung from the drywall above the tiles? Or even artwork (if it's waterproofed).

Tap out the offending tiles, scrape off the old glue. Find some mosaic tiles that go with your kitch, glue them in and grout. Easy to do and much nicer than tile paint.

I agree with zubop. Embrace them and make them part of your vintage decor. I think they are cute.

thanks for the suggestions! i might try those decals or the suction cup gardens! i like both of those. i have a lot of other color going on now that the faux cabbage has been removed and my own items have been added. eventually there will be an overhaul to a flat surface, replacing the white tiles altogether, but for now a few other things are higher up on the list - privacy fence, new faucet, outlet installation, new washer, etc.

tea towels....yikes.