I don't know why the white counter won't look nice. I think it will. Perhaps using the blue glass tiles as a backsplash will make the look more cohesive. I'd also use accessories in the blue/green color as well. I love your pebble tiles.

Don't do the ceiling. That would be odd.

Take a look at this thread that shows a GWer that used the same pebble type tile that you did on your shower floor, as an accent tile too. I have always loved that pebble tile and I think it's a really nice contemporary choice....keep going with it!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg041532224871.html?14

I also love the tans and the pebble tiles. If you keep the blue you will need to complement it with towels and accessories in that color. JMHO...I agree that the pebble tiles would be better in place of the blue. Your shower tiles are beautiful.

Don't panic, there are some tricks to help blend things in and your room isn't finished yet which is can be one reason why the blue is looking so out of place right now. You just don't have anything else in the room to help balance it out. Painting the walls in a light gray blue may help remedy it. I would not put it on your ceiling. It may help to use A LITTLE of it in the back splash but only as embellishment. Can you post pictures that show the counter top, and maybe the room in full view?

I like the idea of replacing the blue trim in pebbles.

My husband won't go for the pebbles as accent tile. He didn't even want the pebbles in the first place. He likes color, and lots of it. He was ambivalent about the tan tile because he thought it was boring but I pushed for something neutral and now that I'm not liking the final result, he feels vindicated. He thinks more blue tile, not less, is the answer. If I tear out the blue tile, I'm afraid it will lead to divorce, unless I replace it with something equally colorful.

Just my taste... now the pebbles are too regular, same-sized, I would be going for a river motif, a-l naturel.

Could you extend the blue to the walls edge and wrap it around the corner, or was there a reason that you stopped it just inside the wall? I think if the blue reaches the wall and you paint a light grey/blue (as suggested above) or taupe, you'll start to see the cohesion. Accent with warm turquoise colors in towels, rugs, etc. Also, I think dark bronze fixtures would tone down the brighter blues a bit (if you haven't already chosen fixtures).

Can you post a picture of the vanity area?

I'm going add a link that is somewhat odd and has nothing to do with bathrooms, but it came to mind when I saw your colors. It shows what I'm doing when I'm not renovating the bathroom :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: color pallet

Ithink you're judging it quick. Add more blue elsewhere and like someone else mentioned, bring the blue tile around to the end of the shower. I did a blue and tan bathroom. We used "Sea Tones" blue accent tiles around the entire bathroom and added blue towels.
Monica

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue and Tan MB

I'm assuming the blue tile ends where the glass shower door will be installed?

I would love to see the vanity and counter. Right now, going by the pic you posted, there is nothing else going on so your eye just ZOOMS right in on that bright tile. I think that when you add the shower glass, paint, some blue (and white!) accents... it will look totally different.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comforting words. I don't know why the tile stops where it does. He did the same thing in the basement shower. That one is plain old cheap 4x4 white tile with green glass tile accent and we love it! He used more glass tile there. (photo below)
Maybe if he could have done something similar in the master, it would have looked better.

Since we're doing a whole house remodel I didn't have time to micromanage every detail, so I just gave him the tile, he suggested a pattern, and we went with it. When I came back, this is how it looked.

Here is a photo of the vanity. It doesn't do it justice, as the counter top is really a very nice quartz with little gray and mirror flecks. But it's very white, compared to the rest of the room. Btw, the color of the walls IS the color we chose. It's Ellen Kennon's Gustavian Grey. It has a very pale blue cast, but looks white to me, probably because we don't have light fixtures in yet. Maybe we need a little more color than that.

Downstairs shower:

Now that I see the vanity I think the white top will completely work, eventually. Just my opinion, but I think you really do need more of a color on the wall. It looks white to me, too, and makes the room look cool. I think the blues should be your cool tones and the rest of the room should warm it up a bit. I think you're going to have a great room when you're done :-)

It took my DH and me a few months to agree on colors and tile schemes for the master. He's color blind, so I didn't hear about color as much as contrast. I wanted something calm and quiet in the bath - he loves contrast and pattern (I think since he doesn't see color!). It was very hard, and I can totally appreciate the amount of conflict you and your DH are having over this color issue in the shower.

Personally I love the blue tile, and against the tan I think it is pretty. But it looks lonely. Especially with the tan pebbles on the floor (which i also like). It's like your bathroom reflects all the conflict btwn you and DH on this issue.

A marriage counselor might help, LOL. Eventually you are both going to either compromise or be equally unhappy with the final result. Will you be comfortable adding more color (on the walls, in the accessories)? I like monicakm's bath. But I'm sure my DH would not!

I'm okay adding more color. I think it's too late for the shower, unless I agree to the tile ceiling. But after looking at it again this morning, I don't think it's practical. We don't have a drop down separation between the shower and the rest of the room. The ceiling flows directly out from the shower, so I think having a rectangle of blue glass tile there would look strange. I have agreed to the blue tile as a backsplash above the counter. I think that will look fine. And will also paint the room a different color as well. Maybe one of these:

I have a bath painted in EK's Gustavian Grey with creme field tiles accented in bright blue. We love it! You *may* need something deeper, but wait until the room's all done to see. (And paint the ceiling that same color.)

For right now, try to breathe and give it time. It's not all in, and it WILL come together -- Adding more of the blue in a backsplash behind the vanity could work, but I don't think it's necessary. Or a skinny strip of blue around your mirrors. Your fixtures are chrome? (That's what I'd use.)

I'd look for a few complementary accessories to add more blue (and/or it's complements -- brilliant orange or tomato red) to make the space LESS neutral. Ceramics can bring in that vibrant brilliance -- I'd go to your local garden centers and find a fabulous ceramic planter to use as a trash can. Find another one or two for plants -- real if you can, silk if you can't. Don't go so far as to clutter your space, but just enough to spread the color around.

And the right artwork. Something with some brilliant colors -- maybe tropical beachy, Mediterranean, or rainforest themed?

I really like the accent in your downstairs shower. What a great way to dress up an inexpensive plain white tile.

I wouldnt bother with replacing the blue tile or adding a ceiling tile.
I would add the same blue tile behind the vanity either as a backsplash or a mirror frame or even larger expanse.

The way to draw attention away from the large tan tiles is to add a dramatic GLASS light fixture or a chandelier. It will tie everything together. something modern and sculptural.

The vanity and coutners are gorgeous!

With the beige colors and the blue tile, you could go for a spa look. Layered towels in beige and aqua and plant/decor/art that accents the blue.

{{gwi:1427395}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Pebble Mat

Maybe you should try to match one of the blues in the tile. Then they'll have direct relation to each other and it will help to tie them together in the room. You could do the softest pale blue on the walls, then a darker blues and tan or white for the towels. It was hard to see the blues in the tile on the monitor, thought was a visual would help. If you paint your walls blue I honestly think a white back splash is your best bet. I would have done a lighter color as well but they don't translate well on the monitor. These are all Sherwin Williams colors

SW Aqua Spear:

SW Ebbtide (a little bright):

Needlepoint Navy:

Reflecting Pool:

I think the problem is that the blue tile and the tan tile have a different esthetic and, I'm sorry to say, that paint color and accessories aren't going to get you where you want to be. this is just my view, which you can disregard. the blue tile is modern, and shiney. The tan tile is earthy and matte. My view is that these elements aren't going to look like they belong together no matter the paint color, or, accessory choice. If the blue tile has to stay, the fix would be to replace the tan tile. I'm sorry, probably not what you want to hear. is your DH absolutley sure that the blue tile can't be replaced? It would be the least expensive solution. you could find some tan glass tile that would be really pretty, and give some sparkle, but blend with the existing tan tile. I think the white countertop will be fine as long as it's not stark white. You have some white in your pebble tile and that will pull the look together.

Let us know what you decide to do!

OP,
The blue wall color is not working at all.

After looking at this for a while, and seeing all the blue wall paint, I realized that the tan tile is the element that is most problematic. The cool colors are making the tan tile look muddy! The white counter, the dark vanity and the blue all work together.
argghh... how to fix the tile?

I respectfully disagree with andreadeg. IMO, those tiles scream 'ocean and sand'. They can work together.

We are in the process of installing similar tile. Different color scheme but very shiny and modern looking. The picture doesn't show the depth and shine.

The huge difference between our tile and yours, OP, is that ours has a small stone tile mixed in. That small stone matches all of the other tile in the room.

Although labor intensive, you could remove random small blue tiles and replace them with small pieces of your tan tile.

{{gwi:1427410}}

I wouldn't go so far to say they wouldn't work and she should start popping tiles that she's already said, her DH would like to keep. Monitors do not accurately reflect colors and the photos are only to give a visual for direction. Admitingly the blues are way too strong, but as I noted, it's hard to match the tiles without a close up.

We have Indian Autumn slate in our bathroom which is all browns, tans and grays. The color I used on the walls, SW Sea Salt which is a pale bluish gray. Looks amazing in person, on the monitor, not so much.

If the OP would like to suggest a couple of colors that she wants to see with the tiles, I'll be happy to mock them up. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are the colors I work with.

While I do love the aqua and sand colors I have to agree that they don't go. The tan tiles and pebble have an organic, natural look, and the glass tiles have a modern, slicker look and fight the pebble tiles for attention. It might work better if you were able to tone them down. Before you remove them, try painting them with a brown translucent glass paint. Do several tests first with different colors. Mask off the other tile before you do that. Some paints don't have to be cured and they can withstand a dishwasher so they should be able to withstand a hot shower. Maybe you can add a thin layer of grout after to bring back the grout lines if you don't want to paint each individual tile.

It's worth a shot if you're going to remove them anyway.

Love your tile. Would you mind sharing who makes the tan tiles and the name of the style. Thanks, and good luck!

The tan tile is called Aisthesis by Panaria. Color is Sabbia. See link below.

Here is a close-up photo of the blue tile. When we held it next to our tan tile sample it seemed to go with it. Only when it was installed did I start to have doubts.

Originally, the designer at the tile showroom had suggested this for an accent tile, applied individually and vertically, in a random pattern. Problem was hubby didn't like it. He thought it was too monochromatic. So here we are.

A couple of the colors I have been considering are BM Palladian Blue, SW Waterscape or perhaps SW Rainwashed.

For now, it seems the smartest thing to do is to accessorize wisely and 'make it work,' as Tim Gunn would say. If I can't stand it after living with the shower awhile, we can always change the tile. Of course then the next argument would ensue. DH would rather see the tan tile go, than the blue. I love the blue, but I think it would have looked better with white tile, like we used in the basement.

Thanks again for all your help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tan tile source

JMHO...I love your tan tiles and think the walls should be painted in a color to blend in with those tiles. The blue tiles are beautiful, so hope you stick with the same color to accent at the sink and then just decorate to pull the tan and blue colors together.

I also like that gray.

Maybe it would be helpful to buy some towels in the various colors and see what they look like in your bathroom now...it might help you appreciate the colors you have in your bath too. I like the tan and blue and think you have lots of opportunity to make it work out well.

I had the same reaction to my kitchen - I took some risks with materials and colors and before it all came together and I was only looking at my countertops without most of the rest of the elements I did not like it. I knew I was taking a risk so I was not entirely surprised. My SIL who is a landscape architect told me nearly everyone hates the garden after the hardscape is installed before the rest of it goes in - she encouraged me to trust my initial instincts and wait until the rest of the elements came together. Now I - and everyone who visits - love the kitchen.

My Mstr has a similar color scheme - creamier than tan but still similar - down to the white vanity top - ours is ice stone but similar to the quartz.

I linked to some pictures - these are actually on move in day and the room is accessorized now - cabinet has frosted glass doors and the hardware under the sink is fixed ;-) but I wanted to show the wall color and our vanity backsplash - I think those elements can go a long way to coordinating your room.

Here is a link that might be useful: mstr 1

Could only include one link in the previous post here is the other one

Here is a link that might be useful: mstr 2

I absolutely love the blue tiles but would have paired them with cool white or gray not warm beige.

You've got warm earthy tones fighting with cool modern ones.

Sorry.

gldnfan - I feel completely validated now for suggesting the blue walls! ha! I'm not the OP, but will thank you for the post anyways! Nice job btw! Looks fabulous!

Ok, so here's the colors you requested, the last two are so similar there is little to no real difference on the screen. Again, keep in mind, the colors may be different in person.

Palladian,

Rainwashed

Waterscape:

Gldnfan, your bathroom looks great, which gives me some hope. Someone mentioned 'sea and sand' and that is really what we were after, only we couldn't afford a lot of the blue tile so we hoped the accent would be sufficient. We have a swimming pool in the back yard just off our master bedroom and wanted to carry the 'watery' look inside. Just seem to have missed the mark a bit. Ideally, we would have done the entire back wall of the shower in the blue tile. I guess the saying 'go big or go home' applies here.

Lukkiirish, thanks for the Photoshopping. All the blue shades look good. I'll probably go with one of them.

I would NOT take out the blue tiles. I think that if you incorporate them into the vanity backsplash, it would work. Can you cut the tan tile into 2 by 12's or so and then add a 3 or 4 inch height of blue tile above that? It would really pop with the white vanity.You would need a pencil rail or something on top of that too. I think the pebbles are great for the floor outside the shower too-maybe in a "rug" in front of vanity?

I like the darker of the turquoise paint.

I love the blue tiles. However, I would continue that band of whatever your final tile choice ism all the way around the shower. It seems choppy because it stops for no apparent reason before it reaches the edge. It's not convenient to do so, but it's worth the wait on the tiles and the cost of the labor.

To me, this is the sort of look that designers strive for.... paint and accessories will tie everything together and it will be beautiful.

To me it seems as if the blue stripe of tiles isn't to scale with the large tan tiles. I think it could work if the stripe was wider and ended at the edge instead of ending where it does. Your downstairs shower with the green and white tiles works because it's all to scale, you have a better proportion of green to white tiles then you do in the tan/blue bathroom.

A word on paint - be very careful to choose something that is not too blue. All of the options shown look very blue and I think that will cause more issues.

I looked up my color - Affinity Tranquility - and thought I must be wrong because it looked so grey. But it went up totally different on the walls. it doesn't overpower but it connects the elements of the room together nicely. Macy's even has some towels - the Hotel store brand - that match it perfectly ;-)

I painted the bathroom twice - once with a bluer more turquoise paint because that is what I thought was right since the Tranquility looked so grey on the card- it looked horrible.

Yes, I agree with gldnfan, the pictures are way too blue, but I couldn't get the lighter tones to display well on the monitors. If I could have, I would have done something much lighter. They're only to give you some ideas.

I would like to second peytonroad's suggestion about the backsplash tile. Use the blue glass tile but also incorporate some of the tan tile into the backsplash. You have a nice, long span of backsplash and I think that could really tie it together. I also like the idea of having your contractor take the blue tile band all the way out to the edge. Even though a door will be going in, that will make the blue accent look more purposeful and finished. I agree with lukkiirish and others that more blue on the walls is a good idea. I like your blue tiles and I don't think the combination is a mistake - you do have the "sand and sea" look and sweeby makes a great point about adding colorful accents. I have a feeling, if you take some of these suggestions, you will love it in the end.