That is simply beautiful! A "kid's" bathroom that an adult would love! Congratulations. Gorgeous!
I'm interested in the beautiful dropped ceiling over the tub/shower. Was it part of your design or a preexisting structure? Is there an advantage to having it dropped?

Thanks!

The dropped ceiling was a necessary evil -- it was there before and had pipes & stuff in it so we could not remove it. It does make the tub seem cozier, though. The ceiling has 6" square field tile set on the diagonal, outlined with the same black liner that goes around the floor.

I'm installing a tub/shower in my bathroom redo for resale purposes only since I strictly a shower person. I can't decide between a steel/porcelain and a cast iron. Would you please tell which tub you chose, hoffman?

Mine is the Kohler Villager -- it is cast iron and only 30" by 60". It is a very inexpensive tub and I believe it is Kohler's most popular model (if not the most popular bathtub model, period) -- since picking it, I have noticed it in every hotel room I've been in. I would have liked a deeper tub, but could not find one in this size, and I could not fit a wider tub in my space. My contractor tried to convince me to get the American Standard Americast tub in the same size (would have been easier for him to install), but all the research I did indicated that cast iron is better. I read some reports that the Americast finish can chip. If you search the bathroom forum, you'll find many discussions on this.

Actually, since you don't plan to use the tub, this would be the perfect choice for you. The shallow depth makes it easier to get in & out of the shower (some people say it's easier for bathing kids, too), it's as cheap a tub as you'll find (although you may have to pay a few hundred $ more to have the heavy cast iron tub installed), and I believe cast iron would be better for resale (since that's the whole reason you're putting in the tub).

Thanks so much for the info, hoffman. It helps clarify my peding decision. I've been getting confused by contractors giving me mixed messages and I'm beginning to suspect they are slightly biased to spare them tedious jobs.

The Kohler Villager was my first choice of tubs. Home Depot sells it but I'm hesitant to purchase there. Where did you purchase your tub and drain kit?

I purchased all my plumbing fixtures & supplies through my contractor. He passed along his discount and -- most importantly -- he would have been responsible for any problems.

Really beautiful. Reminds me of pre-war apartments in New York. Any problems with cleaning the tile at tub ceiling? I'm planning 2 re-dos and would prefer tile all around. Noticed the button/electric switches. How old is your house?

Thank you -- my house was built in 1939, so prewar is exactly the look I was going for! I have friends who used to live in the London Terrace apartment building in NYC and they still had the original subway tile.

I have to admit that I have no idea whether cleaning the tub ceiling is a problem because no one take a shower in that bathroom and we have a cleaning lady! I also have a tile ceiling in my master bath (where we do use the shower) and it's been fine. Actually, the original ceiling tile was still in great condition (other than the pink color...) when we ripped it out a year ago.

The pushbutton switches are not original -- I've been adding them room-by-room as I renovate (I've done 3 baths + the kitchen in a little over a year). They come in a dimmer version, which is really nice. I started buying them from Rejuvenation but eventually found them for less at their supplier's website - google "classic accents."

Beautiful Bathroom! We are doing a very similar bathroom and were "stuck" on how to do the ceiling. Great inspiration. What color grout did you use on your walls? It looks like a light grey in the photo. Also what color of DalTile?

Thanks!

Yes, the grout is grey -- I think it's Tec "Dove Grey." I did another bathroom with crackled white subway tile and used Tec "Silverado" there, which is a bit lighter than this.

The DalTile is the K101 color which the tile store told me would match my white Kohler fixtures -- I have to admit, though, that the tile is darker than the fixtures so I have wondered whether one of the other shades (arctic white?) would have been a better match. The lesson learned is to compare a tile sample to your fixtures.

Thanks for the response. One last question about the width of your black tile. The one under the chair rail looks like a 1" x 6". Are the ceiling and the floor black liners a different width?

Yes, we used two different kinds of black tile (both from Daltile). The one around the floor and the outline of the shower ceiling is 1/2" x 6" quarter-round (I think that's what it's called -- it's rounded) and the one under the chair rail is 1" x 6" and is flat.

Great Bath! Quick question - who is the mfg. of the B/W checkerboard floor tile? I'm looking for same for kitchen backsplash. Thanks for your help.

Cheers...

askalthea,

Sorry, but there wasn't a manufacturer listed on the B&W checkerboard tile. We bought it from a local tile store in NJ if you by chance are near here. It's a mix of white thassos and nero marquina marble, if that helps.

Hi again, hoffman! OMG, that bathroom is stunning! I absolutely love it, especially the dark grout lines and that fabulous checkerboard tile. Um, I may copy YOU on this one. :-)

Thanks for sharing. We are building and I'm doing tons of research. Love the way the bathroom turned out. It would be perfect for our beach cottage!

Hi hoffman, I'm not sure you'd be reading this thread anymore since it's almost 2 years old but I was wondering if you could tell me how the floor has been holding up? Is it easy to keep clean even though it's a kid's bathroom?

I know it's been ~2 yrs, but I'm wondering what color grout you used? The "silver white" everyone recommends?

Thanks!

Very helpful thread! Thank you hoffman for posting your beautiful kids bathroom and all of the details!