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Countertop & BS decisions - Carrara Marble or Cambria Whitney?

beeps
11 years ago

I need to nail down my bathroom decisions on my new build. In the first pic below the top two samples are going in the master bath, the bottom two in the guest. In the second pic they are together and the top left are guest, bottom right are master. They are resting on a sample of Cambria Whitney. At the bottom of all the samples is the silvery-gray floor tile. Espresso cabs with stainless and BN hardware.

Both bathrooms will have the tile run vertically and alternate field tile with accent glass.

The guest bath tile is Kimono Silk (Morning Dove 12x12) with glass tile that will be linear, not the mosaic as shown. Those colors, but linear tile. This accent tile has white, taupe or griege, and gray glass.

The master bath tile is Fabrique (Blanc Linen 12x24) with the glass tile. Again, I won't be using the squares but will be using linear tile. This accent tile has carrara marble, clear glass, and mirror-like reflective glass.

Undermount sinks in white:

Guest bath - 42' wide vanity:


Master bath - 90" double sink vanity:

Faucets - touch sensitive in Stainless:

Figuring out a countertop has been excruciating for me. I have trouble mixing and matching. (Kitchen granite BTW will be Alaska White.) I had decided to go with Cambria Whitney for the countertops and BS, then I decided on Carrara Marble for the countertops and backsplash. I don't have a Carrara Marble sample here, but have been living with the samples as pictured on my dining room table. They have grown on me and I'm thinking that the Cambria may be better. I won't have any marble in the house except in the accent tile that is going in the master bath.

So should I go with:

1) Marble vanities? I think etching may really bother me.

2) Cambria Whitney vanities in both? Initially I thought it was too "fun" and "playful" for the rest of the house, but it has really grown on me. It has little mirror sparkles that are hard to capture in the pics.

3) Marble in master and cambria in guest? (I had planned to keep the the same so there was some consistency between the bathrooms but that is certainly not necessary. But the marble might work in the master because of the marble in the accent tile.)

4) Some other idea? I have thought of just doing white countertops and then using the accent tile as the backsplash also.

5) The accent tile as the backsplash or the countertop material?

Help! I'm driving my designer and builder nuts. Well, and myself too. It is SO hard to select EVERYTHING before the foundation is even poured.

Thanks.

Comments (8)

  • phiwwy
    11 years ago

    I think the Cambria is lovely and I love your choices. I think it goes better with your selections for the master. Personally I would do something different in each bath, so they stand on their own. The tile and mosaics are similar enough. What about a countertop in Crema Marfil for the guest bath? I think that just may be your answer.

  • beeps
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hmm... I think maybe you have hit on two things bothering me - 1) that the Cambria goes better in the master and 2) trying to constrain myself to doing both countertops in the same material. Maybe that's what I need to change.

    Although the opinions I've gotten on here like my choices and the Cambria - my designer and the builder's rep think I should go Carrara. And, the accent tile in the master will show much more Carrara than my samples do so I think I'll do that in the master. But, I'm sad about the Cambria. :( It has really grown on me. And, in the back of my mind, the Carrara is about 1/2 the price so if I really don't like it in a few years I can replace it. It's not like having to tear the floor up. =)

    Throughout this process of picking everything out when something keeps nagging at me I know I've got something wrong. Once I find the "right" answer it feels comfortable. Not to say I don't continue to see beautiful things, but I feel content with my choice. And I haven't quite felt that contentedness with the bathroom selections yet. I'm content with the tiles and accent glass, not so much the countertops.

    I'll check out the Crema Marfil. Thanks for the suggestion. If you or anyone else has an additional suggestion for the guest countertop please let me know! Thanks!

  • kmcg
    11 years ago

    I think the cambria looks great with both tile sets. It's a little edgy, like the tile, but not overly busy. I can see doing marble in the master and cambria in the guest bath, on the theory that you'll have an easier time keeping the counter free of etching in the master. (But if this is a guest bath that rarely gets used, maybe this isn't a useful point.)

    I've had cararra and quartz samples sitting around my bathroom for a long time now, and I react this way: the quartz is zippier, more modern, more fun, and the cararra is more suited to my vintage house and would look really good. But I did the etching tests, and the quartz wins by a mile. At this point, I'm leaning toward either the quartz or a gray green marble that I recently discovered. It's a tough decision!

  • kaysd
    11 years ago

    I would do Carrara in the master and Whitney in the guest bath, with the glass tile from each shower used as the BS.

  • beeps
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback!

    The plan was initially to use the glass tile from each shower for the BS and then I kind of chickened out. I've seen some I don't like, but I think mine would work. Thanks for the vote of confidence on that plan kaysd!

  • Lanie79
    11 years ago

    I LOVE the silver tile at the bottom of the stack in the picture. Can you tell me what that is called, or who makes it?

    Thanks!

  • Condoleeza
    7 years ago

    I would love to see the finished bathroom! I am planning something similar with glass mosaic tile laid vertically and also the same cambria countertop. I am stumped with the floor choice and your silvery gray tile must be nice for my master.