Well I am normally in favor of allowing kids a say in design of "their" spaces in "your" house but in this case I say, who cares what he likes? A bathroom remodel is way too pricey and involved to cater to the whim of your teen child when said child will only be living with you a few more years. Then it will likely be a guest bath someday. I say design the bath that YOU want and let him paint and accessorize the way he wants to. When he gets a job and his own house he can remodel his bathroom anyway he wants it :D

I did a classic b&w bath and it's almost but not quite done. It's also this weird mix of budget and splurge - I splurged on gutting it and moving plumbing to create a better layout and I splurged on nice fixtures, but finishes were as cheap as I could reasonably get them to get the look I wanted. The floor tile is $2/sf daltile octagon and dot from home depot and the wall tile is $1.50/sf subway tile from lowes. The liners are from lowes while the black chair rail was special ordered from a tile store for half the price of lowes. $25 each on clearance black porcelain sconces from rejuvenation (on clearance two years ago, sorry!) The counters are black absolute, it's one of the most common granites and was a remnant, but it still was not cheap. I installed the counters one at a time (there is a second sink in there, I did not want to lose use of the temporary sink I had) and don't have pics of the second counter yet, but here are a couple of pics.

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Lisa, I love your bath -- especially the tile color scheme, and it's specifically one that I have in mind when I mention his melding his and my tastes (and resale value down the road). He wants to paint his room red or dark gray (ugh), and I think we can do his bathroom in a tile scheme like yours, let him paint it some hideous color now, and after he's moved out repaint it a soft, pretty blue just like yours (btw, what is it?).

I think my question has more to do with asking for practical tips than aesthetics, even though I didn't express it very well. For example, even though I love the look of a console sink I'll probably have to go with a vanity to store all his junk.

Blue

Since I've raised four of the creatures (boys that is) I'll weigh in on this one!

I'd be leery of the black and white just because I'm not sure what would show the mess more the black (dust, creams etc) or the white (dirt)! Seriously I think I'd go along the cream colored line for the floor and countertops and maybe a sagey green for the walls. I'd either use a cream colored trim or stain depending on what you already have to work with.

I'd try really hard to agree or have him see the light of good taste (you can never go wrong with streamlined and simple) and NOT let him choose an outlandish color. Chances are that the repainting that you're envisioning won't happen right away and you'll be living with whatever you do now for some time.

Comfort height toilet might help a little with the splash factor. :)

I like ivory towels: they don't show as big a mess as white (I hate to bleach).

For saving money, practicality and ease of cleaning, you can't beat a shower curtain in a kids bath.... just yank it off once every month or so and toss it in the washing machine.

Keeping a big open topped basket in a corner of the bathroom makes it easy for them to throw the dirty clothes somewhere other than the floor.

I have a toddler whom I am designing a bath for, but he will be using this bathroom when he will be a teen too as we do not plan on moving.
here are the options on my list:
1. large format "rectified porcelain" tiles for the walls and the floors - these are the ones with the least amount of grout and hence easier cleaning (and no restriction on the cleaning products used either). I will use 24 inches or larger sizes for the tile. I will also use a beige or similar color for the wall tiles.
2. Toto toilet with soft close lid.
3. A wall mount floating vanity with soft close drawers. (Easy to clean underneath and I love that look.)
4. A hardworking counter top - either granite or caeser stone.
5. A hand shower and a ceiling mount rain shower. (getting rid of the bathtub in there - we have a bathtub in the master suite which will have to do).
6. A linen tower that is also floating (wall mounted) for storage.
7. ceiling lighting as well as vanity lighting.
8. Toying with the idea of tiling all walls full height (still need to work out the budget on that one).
9. Want to choose a shower pan instead of small format tiles for the shower floor, but I still cannot bring myself to accept the looks of it. I have seen the kohler cast iron shower pans and might choose it if going that route.

10. White porcelain sink.
11. Single lever faucet.
12. Lighting fixtures using fluorescent bulbs.
13. Frame less glass shower doors
14. easy clean shutters for window.
    While coming up with the design, I picked what I personally liked the best and what would be the easiest for me to maintain as it is my house and I am paying for it and cleaning it!

I did the edicoughi black series. It is a very nice gray masculine look. Here is my sons bathroom.

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I have always wanted to do a bathroom for a teen boy using the Gladiator system. They even have flooring and a drain for the shower. After raising two boys, I think this could be bulletproof. YMMV.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gladiator Bathroom Inspiration

My 13 yo daughter and 10 yo son share a bathroom... obviously too old for a fishy or ducky theme.

We went with a medium tone wood-look tile on the floor, 4x4 white tiles with white grout on the walls (almost 5 feet up). The rest of the walls and ceiling are a semi-gloss white.

The vanities are 3 white cabinets, bead-board style. The countertop is quartz- the black one with a silver sparkle in it. We went with drop-in sinks and it hasn't been an issue. The biggest 'HATE' is the brushed nickel faucets. They always look really dirty, even though it's just water spots. Those are going to be replaced, for sure.

The floor hides EVERYTHING. For the most part, I've cleaned around the toilet and vacuumed. My 2nd regret is not putting a subway tile on the walls. I was nervous about messing it up and the cost was much more than square tiles so I blew it off.

The semi-gloss paint has been very easy to clean... same with the white wall tiles.

We went with a curved shower curtain rod and the curtain is a map of the Chicago "El" system. We stayed with the chicago theme by adding a wire Sears Tower and a cool Eddie Vedder concert poster.

After all that, my pics are on the other computer! lmao!

When it comes to a teen boy's bathroom, I have to very important words for you--

DARK GROUT!!!

:-)

peytonroad,

I really like your bathroom--could you elaborate on that tile series? I tried googling "edicoughi" but did not find any hits (at least not in English LOL). Where did you find this tile, cost (if not too personal), etc.?

And blue, please accept my apologies--didn't mean to hijack your thread! I like your idea of designing around what you like and then allowing him a bit of leeway w/ paint color. Apparently he's not like my (almost) teen boy, he couldn't care less about decor! LOL

As a mom of 2 boys and a veteran of 7 remodels/new houses, I'd go with a classic color scheme on anything permanent, paint the walls any color he wants (its only paint) let him pick the towels, rug, etc. Shower doors keep the water in but get gooey, I'd try a fun shower curtain, you can always add a door if it doesn't work. Do NOT have white grout on the floor. Do NOT have white grout on the floor. (I could continue...) Absolute granite is impervious but shows a lot. I love Caesarstone for that reason. Nickel is a beautiful metal, warmer then chrome, but shows water spots. Chrome is pretty indestructible (important in boy-land)

It was my son's first birthday this weekend and have been preoccupied with planning etc.

I would never use white grout - we used a grey but if you want even more bulletproof, use a charcoal. It would be nicely appropriate with a b&w bath if that's what you want.

Honestly, the color scheme doesn't show that much dirt. We have cats, I have a husband, and we've had the tile in for over a year and no complaints. We do wash it occasionally, though (floors, not walls). I also am impressed that the black granite is not the nightmare to maintain that people said it was. If I miss the sink in my sleep deprived stupor and spit toothpaste on the counter, I wipe it up. Water drips are not so bad and I wipe them before showing someone the bathroom. The granite was my last choice but i am far more happy with it than I imagined, which is always a bonus when you feel like you've settled.

The walls are ellen kenon aqua but I chickened out on doing a luscious coral and opted for serene instead. Any color goes with a b&w scheme though!

Jbrig,
The correct spelling is Edilcoughli Rocks Black, 1/4' joint size. As for the cost, I had it figured in a total package for all my home. I do not have the per foot price. It is really very nice. I have seen it in tile shops on boards.

the website here, does NOT show the true black color, in fact I was worried with the name being black until it arrived. It is a mild gray, beige and reddish tile.

Here is a link that might be useful: tile link

Thanks for getting back to me, peytonroad!

So, blue, have you made any decisions yet as to what you plan to do in your ds's bathroom? Inquiring minds wanna know! :-)

We are also in the process of doing a black and white bathroom in the kids' bath, and they are budding teens (girl and boy). Can't decide between marble octagon-and-dot or big black tiles. We have black marble tiles for our powder room bath, but that's more formal. I worry the black is too ominous for a kids' bath (younger kids will live here someday, I guess). But are you saying I can use a dark grey grout in the marble mosaic?

Here is a link that might be useful: tiles

Okay, I have to try that link again.....to the kids' bath choices....

But, the black tile doesn't look nearly as black when I pulled it from the daltile website. Don't know why that happens; I saw a sample in the store, and it is definitely black!

Here is a link that might be useful: kids bath

I'm doing the kids bathroom right now - they are 4 and 6 but we plan to be here through their teen years. We chose light gray large-format rectified porcelain floors with gray grout - you can't go wrong with a dirt-colored floor. We put in a bath & will put in a shower door for water containment. The bath surround is tiled in white penny round - haven't decided on grout, but can go light gray or white.

Put in paint-grade cabinetry which I'll probably paint navy. Caesarstone in a light color of some sort. Practical, practical, practical.

We can paint the walls any color with this setup, and paint it back once the kids are out.

Deb