I've seen lots of showers with the back wall one tile and the two side walls another tile. As long as the tiles work together it can look lovely! As for tiling the vanity wall couldn't you just tile the area's that would be seen? If you need to "build out" the areas behind the mirror and vanity couldn't they just be a cheap tile? Good luck!

Thank you both. We've decided two things - we're going to go for the snazzy wall of tile in the shower, and based on the pix Christine posted, we're also going to lay the large format tiles vertically instead of horizontally! Yay, one more decision down (or is that two?). I really appreciate the help.

(P.S. Christine, I love your shower and can't believe how well you put together 4 different tiles! Want to come do mine?)

Thank you very much!! I stressed over tile layout for a while....vertical or horizontal? Brick pattern or not.....looked at lots of houzz pics, and vertical brick pattern was most appealing to us. I'm so glad you can be inspired by my shower!! My update: just finished 6 weeks and we are back in the bathroom except for the shower....glass was cut wrong and couldn't be installed this past Thursday as planned, so now maybe Tuesday or Wednesday....we are so close!!

Christine, as it turns out, we're even more inspired by your design than I said - we went to look at the accent tile yesterday, and just couldn't figure out how to make it work (floor of shower would be very difficult) so we've decided to go with the cpvertical stripe idea in both bathrooms!

Apparently it's called a waterfall, lots of houzz examples,.....I am a very semmetrical person and centered it on my wet wall...centered on the wall and in the shower head/valve. My inspiration pic shows it off centered, i have seen centered and wide and centered and narrow also. To bring in a tad more accent I put a 4" splash of the glass bar tile behind the sink. Best of luck with your tile hunting!!

Well, we almost killed each other today, or at least almost got divorced, but I think we've picked tile. They're checking availability so we won't know for sure until Tuesday, which gives us tomorrow and Monday to do the layout. For one bathroom (with a regular white tub and Carrara on the floor) we went with a light grey large format field tile with faint vertical lines, and a very deep color vertical mosaic for the "stripes". For the other, also with a Carrara floor, we chose a dark grey large format field tile, a multi-color multi-size glass circles for the "stripes" and a mini-basketweave in white marble with tiny tiny very light blue dots (the light blue picks up the colors in the glass) for the shower floor. We're not going to do it now, but keep an open mind as to whether we want to redo they whole floor in the basketweave. One thing at a time!

Sounds like a very successful day! I probably brought home 8 different things before we decided! I'll post some final pics later this week, shower glass goes in tunes or wed....

christine, i hope your project is going better than mine. We picked out the tile, and guess what, it's not available - for 9 to 10 weeks!! Back to the drawing board, and soon.

oh no! not cool at all! Mine was all in stock tile, no special order--we were lucky, both on availability and price! My shower doors finally went in today--after waiting 2 weeks for install! I can finally use my new shower tomorrow afternoon (and use it I shall!) I will post pics when i am able to clean the class.

christine your tile work is lovely.

sjhockeyfan I hope you can find a good replacement for the back-ordered tile.

I have a similar thing going in my master bath. Fairly neutral large-format tiles with glass tiles set about 1/2" out from the wall.

This close-up shows that there are 3 tiles on the side of the waterfall "box".

We found a field tile much like AnnKathryn's today for the second bath. If the accent tile we chose is available, we'll know in the morning, at least we'll have one working bath! I'll keep you posted.

AnnKathryn, the glass tile protrudes from the wall? Interesting (and very pretty).

I just realized I have another question. Since we're going with large-format field tile (installed vertically) and a vertical stripe (or two) in both bathrooms, one of which is a shower and one of which is a tub.

In the bathroom with the shower, you walk in on one of the long walls, facing the vanity/mirror and the shower is the the right - so when you turn right and are facing the shower your're facing the long side of the shower. We were thinking if putting the accent stripe or stripes on the long wall since that's what you'll see. Does that make sense, and if so, would you do one stripe or two (the shower is 3 x 5).

In the other bathroom, you walk in on one of the short sides - the vanity is on your left and the toilet is on your right as you walk in. Next to the toilet is a full-height wall, then the tub in question (there will ultimately be a closet across from the tub). Since this is also a guest bathroom (there is no powder room), would you put the stripe on the short wall (which is all a guest would really see, if they're in there to use the toilet and sink) or would you put the stripe on the long wall? If the long wall, again, one or two stripes?

I think it's all a matter of taste and preference. We put waterfall on our short wall--because our field tile is striated-and i thought the pattern in it was too strong to mix with the glass tile, so we did the two toned with the solid dark gray on the short wall with 12" accent. It also matters how wide the wall is and how wide you want the accent stripe to be. I was thinking rule of 1/3's.......My wall is about 43-44", so we did 12", could have gone 14", but the sheets were 12" wide, and it was less material.

In Ann Kathryn's picture above, she is a lot wider, but her space overall looks larger than mine, so the scale doesn't look off...in my bathroom it would have looked weird. I will post some almost final pics later today after I get kids on the bus!

I'm also putting in vertical large format tile with a vertical accent stripe in my shower. You might want to try searching Houzz for +vertical +stripe +tile or similar combinations in the bathroom photos. Maybe also add +shower?

I saved a number of photos using both Houzz Ideabooks and Pinterest Boards - seeing all my favorite ideas together helped me to see similarities and decipher what appealed to me most. I was also able to better visualize how different tiles, patterns and layouts might play out in my own room.

In my case it all had to be tempered with a dose of reality as I don't have the budget of ANY of my favorite pictures! But I was able to nail down the answers to my burning questions - how many stripes? how wide? where? how much contrast to the field tile? etc.

Now for a moment of Waaaa! (I'm still getting over it) The morning tiling started I gave the contractor the wrong tile layout plan as I rushed out the door to work. Although his helper noticed the discrepancy from an earlier plan review they laid the floor and a 12 foot wall tiled floor to ceiling as per what I gave them that morning. All the balance and symmetry I'd so carefully laid out is GONE. He's just as heartsick as I am and took an unpaid day to help redesign the remaining bit of tile layout - including the striped feature wall - to put some balance back.
Lesson learned: Don't give instructions when you're over-tired and rushed.
End of Waaaa!

Good luck - try looking through striped tile showers on Houzz. Sounds like you need a quick decision, but please don't rush it!

This post was edited by mmcf on Fri, Oct 11, 13 at 3:39

Sorry to hear about your mistake. Very gracious tiler too. Good karma.

In some regards those lessons are the most important part of the design. We never forget about "those" lessons and bring them into all the other aspects of our lives.

mmcf, I'm sorry too! I'm planning my layout right now, so I can order the tile today. I had already searched Houzz using the following terms: large-format tile +vertical +accent +small shower ---- which worked! I found out I don't want a narrow stripe and I don't want a really wide stripe. I want the stripe in the middle of the short wall (we're only doing one, partly because the other short wall is completely blocked from view unless you're actually in the shower and facing it, and partly because the accent tile we picked is $85 per sheet), etc.

I'm ordering it today and it should be here mid-next week. We'll have one working bathroom while we wait for the tile to arrive for the other one.

Thanks all.

Tile for one bathroom is ordered - field tile, stripe (ooooh, it's gorgeous), trim for around stripe, Schluter trim for edges, and grout). Yay!

Thanks for understanding how disappointed I am in making my layout error - I figured fellow GW'ers would "get it."

Enduring - You gave me the confidence to make my own Spectralock color mix and its nearly perfect! Since it blends so well with the tile the layout will be less apparent... Thank you!

Hey sjhockeyfan (the Sharks, I presume? I'm over the hill near Monterey) - please, please post pictures. Did you decide on the multi-color multi-size glass circles for the "stripes" ? I thought I knew the tile you were referring to then when you mentioned the price I became certain. Gorgeous tile! Every time I go the tile store I stop to admire and pet it! But besides the price (I choked when I asked) it just wasn't right for my rural rancher house. Even if you chose something different, I know I like your style... it will be fun to see what you come up with!

Mmcf, you are very welcome :)

Mmcf, yes Go Sharks!

The one I bought for the second shower us not the circles one - that will be for the other bath, and we haven't ordered it yet. I'll try to post a picture later today of the one we did order for bath no. 2. BTW, this is for an industrial loft in SF - concrete walls, the whole shebang, so modern (or at least contemporary - is definitely called for, although our style is very eclectic.

sjhockeyfan -
Jealous. Mid-century mod/Industrial/Loft style/Eclectic at heart but the decor has to blend with the actual house style too.
I'm taking this bathroom as far as I dare go... :)

Yes, please do share pictures of your tile and any other selections you'd care to.

If you're posting progress pictures elsewhere than GW, I'd love to follow along. If you're willing to let me admire from afar, perhaps you could send me an email with the location of the web site through my member page if you don't want to broadcast it here?

This post was edited by mmcf on Sun, Oct 13, 13 at 2:20

"...yes Go Sharks! "

No. No no no!

PS: Please send Thornton back. lol

PPS: Sorry for the thread hijack!

Mongoct, you can't have him :-)!!!!

well, we are all tile fans, but differing hockey team fans--we are Red Wings all the way!! Used to live on Vancouver, so youngest DS is a Canucks fan....definately not Bruins or Sharks--sorry!

well, we are all tile fans, but differing hockey team fans--we are Red Wings all the way!! Used to live on Vancouver, so youngest DS is a Canucks fan....definately not Bruins or Sharks--sorry!

It's all good - without fans of different teams, we'd have no NHL, and without various tiles, all our bathrooms would look the same! (Go Sharks - couldn't resist :-) )

LOL

Yay - the tile and vanity have both arrived for one of the two bathrooms, and the sink and grab bar will arrive Tuesday. We've decided to focus on getting one bathroom done so we can move in, and then we'll focus on finishing the other one (everything else will have been done, other than closets - barring another major permit/inspection problem -- my husband spent 5 hours at the planning department yesterday).

Not only is the tile in for the one bathroom, but the tiler can start tomorrow!!

Great news!

On the other topic of permits, 5 hours ":o

Still hoping to see your tile selections...
pictures?

OK, here goes. The picture is not great (taken with a phone), but this is the shower/plumbing wall. (The floor is already carrara and is remaining. I do need suggestions for paint -- I'd love to do a color rather than a neutral).

Oops, not just paint, I need a suggestion for a vanity countertop too!

awesome tile, I love love it! Paint color, I see something in the plum/purple family.....countertop--depends on vanity, but I lean either towards something either white or black.

Christine, thanks - we're thinking along the same lines. I picked up paint chips yesterday and they were all in the purple/plum/lavender family!

Have you looked at SW expressive plum. What would a glass countertop or one of the ecostone or other recycled glass resin composite countertops look like? Or maybe a color stained concrete? I'm looking forward to seeing your completed project! Good luck

We got our tile for the second bathroom, and ended up going in a completely different direction. Instead of a large format wall tile and an accent stripe (which is what we did in the other bathroom, as you can see in the picture above), for the second one, we went with a textured semi-glossy white Porcelanosa tile for all the shower walls, and a stacked mosaic in multi-tones (greys and blacks) for the shower floor. Glad that's done, but I'm so tired - I want it to be done!

(Aside: the sheetrocker broke the existing cooktop today - by accident of course. I don't care about the cooktop, since we're redoing the kitchen, but we have to live there for 6 weeks before the kitchen cabinets arrive. So now I have to find a cheap cooktop for the interim!)

Simple cooktop solution: countertop induction hob...I picked one up for $60 dollars at Target...made me love induction cooking!

Thanks Ranton - that's a great idea. I checked the Target website and they have it in stock at my local store.

I just might have to look into those countertop induction hobs.

Christine, I LOVE the tire you used and the design. Can you please tell me the tile of the different tile? I always find things I like online but can never find where to get it. Thanks for your help and im sorry if someone already asked this question.

I have no idea what that tile was, it was all instock tile at Virginia tile, but my bathroom is almost 3 years old, so who knows what they have now??? best of luck! I am just about ready to start my boys bathroom, so I might be back on here for inspiration!

Hi Christine and sjhockeyfan325 your tile works are really awesome. But sjhockeyfan325 Can you please tell me the name of the tile which you have uploaded last? and finally I would like to suggest you'll to Click Here and get more ideas about bathroom designs. Thanks. :)