Her journey began at . She drove to the local Home Depot and Lowe's . They had options—mostly faux-tin panels made of thermoplastic. They were budget-friendly, lightweight, and easy to glue up, but Clara ran her fingers over the surface and felt... plastic. It was a good "Plan B," but her heart wanted the real clink of metal.

“I need a tin backsplash,” she told her reflection in the microwave. “But where do I even start?”

Clara spent Saturday morning digging through crates of architectural history. There, tucked behind some stained-glass windows, she found it: genuine vintage tin ceiling tiles salvaged from a 1920s pharmacy. They had a slight patina, a story to tell, and a weight that felt permanent.