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enduring

What is your Opinion on this Combo?

enduring
10 years ago

Hello, I have settled on the porcelain calacatta marble, Atlas Concorde, Marvel, Calacatta Extra. This sample is huge, I will probably order 12x24 by weeks end. It will take 8-10 weeks to get here. It is a matt finish and will go in my shower only. The tile pan will be the Kohler cast iron 3x5 (enlarged it:) in Gray Ice.

The cabinet is a walnut veneer that will run horizontal, and book matched to the drawers below. It will be topped with a carrara remnant that I found. It goes well with the gray vein in the tile. I will make another soapstone sink, outer dimension 14x22 in a farmhouse fashion with the edge up out of the counter by 1 inch or so. It will be a very plain SS with a very slight rust colored veining and spots throughout. The base color of the stone will be a darkish gray blue-green. Fixtures - chrome.

The floor tile is by Florim and called Jewel in the Petrolio color. This tile picks up the soapstone darkish steel teal gray, and medium wood tones beautifully. I like the high contrast with the marble porcelain.

What do you think of this combo? I have finalized on the marble porcelain, cabinet, fixtures in chrome, soapstone, and counter. The floor is in question. I love it with the wood and soapstone. I would like a medium tone but I just end up always going to the dark multi colored tiles. It just looks more alive to me with the variety in color.

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Comments (9)

  • ChristaM
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the color tones work very nicely together. I also think all three have a similar level of movement which will compete - the eye won't know where to look first and in my opinion, the overall effect might be a little busy. The Calecatta porcelain is your primary tone--it's lighter so you eye will see that first. But the wood and floor tones are quite similar in tone and movement. If it were my bathroom I would probably look at a quieter, subtler floor tile in the same color that you picked, just less active lines. However, I am just a person on the internet looking at a photo, so you should do what pleases you.

  • raehelen
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I personally don't like all three together. I love the floor tile with the walnut. I like the marble with the walnut. Since you have decided on definitely the marbles (am including the porcelain tile as a 'marble'), then I'd have to say nix the floor tile.

    What are the dimensions of your room? What are the proportions of each colour/surface? How will the soapstone sink be configured?

    Can you use your drawing program and show us a mock-up? The porcelain tile won't actually be up against the walnut as you have shown, right? We will only see the edge of the countertop and then the vanity will be at right angles to the marble.

    To me the top two say formal, the bottom two say earthy/casual (surfaces, not pics).

    (Might be safer to have a Van Gogh print on the wall rather than those flowing lines in the tile?) :>)

  • lillo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I completely agree with christaM and raehelen , your three choices each has movement in it , with more than one color . in my opinion , you need to have one solid color in there . the porcelain marble for the shower and the floor tile are going into two separate directions . Your veneer can go either way .
    I would go with a floor that has less movement and has any combination of gray , white and the blue gray of the soap stone minus the brown . Keep the wood tone to the wood.
    However , if you really like the floor then get a different tile for the shower in one of the earthy tones of the floor tile . I know sometime we like each individual piece on its own a lot , but putting them together often doesn't work . Good luck .

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks you very much for your in put. I hear you all saying too busy, colors work, formal vs rustic - I need to choose.

    I want to combine some rustic elements in the room. The colors are working. The floor may be too much. I am having trouble finding contrast for the floor that still has color and doesn't look dead.

    Here are my drawings.

    Plan view, room 8x8 after 4 revisions and expansions :) BTW that is my interpretation of an average sized person standing at the sink:

    North elevation, utility on the west end will have cabinet and door to match the vanity but the color rendering doesn't want to copy. Marble porcelain in the shower. Cast Iron pan either the Gray Ice, or if I go dark to blend with a dark floor possibly the Thunder Gray:

    South elevation with the vanity that is 5' long, real marble top, soapstone sink farmhouse style peaking up over the counter edge 22x14", chrome fixtures:

    There is a lighter version of the floor tile I posted but missed it when I was at the shop, I saw it on the website when I got home last night. The tile manufacturer had it pictured in a room with horizontal match booked cabinetry that was modern (i'm a genus hey?)

    If you click on the Petrolio and the Grigio, you will find images that show it with modern elements.

    I'll keep looking, and I need to check out the Grigio too.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Florim, Jewel line

  • lillo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Enduring , I have no problem with the floor combined with modern elements. My problem is the combination of colors . Since the floor is very busy and dark you need to go with the same warm colors for the walls preferably one color . as shown in the pictures the walls and furniture are a solid color from the same colors in the tile . My biggest issue is the combination of this floor with the porcelain calacata . In my opinion you need to choose between one of them .

  • ChristaM
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You could go lighter or stay in the same color range. The main thing is to cut down on the movement. I would stick with porcelain with small flecking, not swashy strokes of tone.

    Here are a couple options you could take a look at:

    Ann Sacks Summit "Charcoal"
    http://annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=275204

    Ann Sacks Cornerstone Foussana http://annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=2973404

  • pricklypearcactus
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm not a big fan of the floor tile from the pictures you've provided. It might help to see a straight on picture of the floor tile with the other elements. I do like it by itself in the link you've provided. I do agree that maybe a solid mid-tone gray or charcoal gray tile might be nice.

    Also, when you say "Kohler cast iron 3x5 (enlarged it:)", do you mean you can customize the Kohler cast iron pan sizes? I have a non-standard size shower space, but I like the idea of the Kohler cast iron pans.

  • raehelen
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just don't see any shade of the Jewel line working with the porcelain. What about even the Stratos Cenere from Florisa? Since I too am having a vanity custom made with exotic wood, I know how much that costs...I am also having a fairly busy granite, I had to go with a pretty neutral tile. You can't have too many stars competing for attention in one small space. I totally get why you love that Jewel tile. It is gorgeous! But so will your walnut be. For some reason, this proposed combination is bringing back memories of a woman I used to work with in sales. She was an actress, and the life of any party...problem was there was no room or time for anyone else when she was in the room. I loved evenings out with her, but they could be exhausting, and I definitely felt overshadowed and was never given any opportunity to 'shine' myself. I think with "Jewel' in the room, your Calcutta will be 'pushed aside'.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lillo, thanks for your input. I agree with the choosing one or the other. I have chosen the Atlas Calacatta Extra :) I ditched the floor tile. I tried looking at the other color in the Florim line but it had a mauve look to it at times with my elements. I liked the mid tone range though as opposed to the strong tone of the tile above.

    Christa, those are beautiful selections you posted. I was taken by them both. I don't know if I have access to Ann Sacks locally, but I might. As I said I nixed the floor tile above, the lighter color way was off too, as I saw mauve showing throughout. The original one posted above was a killer with the walnut. Just gorgeous. But the marble was the problem in that scheme. One thing that I noticed with looking at plain tiles in the dark/light tone range that I liked was that they all looked dead to me. I think I need to have the magic of color folding through the surface. Every time I put a brownish tile next to the walnut it was wrong. If I put a black/brown it was too oppressive. The tile above was stunning if that is all I used. But for me using only that tile would be too dark.

    Pricklypear, thanks for your input. When I find a gray that looks good with the porcelain marble it looks dead with the walnut. The secret with that porcelain marble is the threads of brown sneaking within the gray veins. I posted a bunch of pictures of this porcelain on Lillo's thread about porcelain. I noticed that the background white is not a stark white but a warm white that reads a hint of brown or red. Not noticeable on its own. But I think that is why I like it. Some porcelains that I've looked at are way too ruddy and are just not for me. Regarding the Kohler pan, no I am buying stock 3x5. I just ordered it today in the Grey Ice and it looks beautiful with the porcelain marble above. My comment about enlarging the pan was in reference to my other post where I had drawn this plan with a 3x4. But as soon as I took another 6" from the neighboring room, I put in the 3x5. My drawings tells me this is the right move. I have such a large shower head going in, I think this works best.

    Raehelen, LOL! Well that calacatta porcelain shall not be pushed aside! I hear you loud and clear. Very nice choice of tile you've provided. I love the wood tiles but I don't love them with the Walnut. I've tried several, grays, grays with browns and I just can't make it work with the walnut. I thought they looked great with the marble though

    Ok so what to do? Well I'm back with the Stone Peak tile I started out with. It is a mid range tone. It is from another tile store entirely. The tile lady with the Atlas marble likes it the better than anything in her store. The Stone Peak is from a store that might have some Anne Sacks tile. So I will go over there to look some more. Because I am not 100% sold on the Stone Peak.

    Regarding the Stone Peak. It has veining that mimic the marble. It is sort of like the negative image of the marble. The tile sales woman said she really liked the highlights and lowlights in the tile. This was not her tile either. It has every color, blue, green, browns, grays, silver blue.

    I will have to go back to the other store to see the larger layout they have installed on their floor to see if the veining that I like holds true over multiple tiles. And I will see what other things they have, now that I have some experience and suggestions under my belt.

    Thanks and I will update in a day or two.