Normal is what pleases you. Do your bathroom for you and not for what strangers think.

Personally, I think it looks funny when I see pictures where shower tile keeps going outside the shower for no apparent reason.

its for children's shared bath. i have no idea if tile is functional past the shower/bathtub.

We installed wall tile all around the room in our kids' bath. The old bath just had paint and it was pretty beat up after a few years of use and scrubbing.

Normal is what pleases you. Do your bathroom for you and not for what strangers think.

I couldn't say it any better. BOTH are actually normal, but usually when the tile is continued around the room, it's only +/- 4 feet high. In the past 6-7 years, I think I've done only two bathrooms where the tile was ceiling height all the way around. Even my own bathroom, when I go to do it this winter, I'll go full height, but I'm going to use two different tiles separated by a chair rail, giving the illusion of a wainscot. As for functionality, it WOULD have some function, especially with young children, that being much easier to keep clean than paint.

But when it all comes down to it, it's up to the likes and dislikes of the homeowner.

thanks. this thread helped me alot.

Tile in the non shower area is classy and rich.

Maureen, welcome to the forum!! Are you involved in the tile industry at all, or as a designer?

I think Maureen's right. I went back and forth on this one on the first bath remodel (which we're just finishing). We stopped at the bathtub in the first bathroom, but did at least went all the way to ceiling. In the master bath, I think I'm going to do the whole room for that "classy and rich" effect.

Like this?

really like the look, Bill, not for my house...too grand and I worry about the staining marble

Although, what is the deal with the 2 different colors above the tile wainscotting? or is it in the middle of installation of the wallpaper/fabricing?

That's a good question. In the first picture, on the right side is a 1/2" polished marble mosaic (the same tile used to create the "dots" in the floor). I tried to talk the homeowner out of it, because to me, it threw the whole room off balance, but the wife was adamant-- she wanted it there, and only there. They're the ones that have to live with it, and if they like it, then I'm happy. :-)

Although very "rich" looking, Bill, I was thinking more like floor-to-ceiling. Whole-room, floor-to-ceiling, in the same tile. I've seen this motif used in a lot of contemporary hotels and commercial bathrooms lately. I really like it.

Believe it or not, that's actually a traditionalist look. Used to be when I was a kid, ALL bathrooms were floor to ceiling tile, all the way around.

Really? Didn't realize that! Are people tiling the ceilings too, these days, Bill? I mean, in "fancy" remodels, are the ceilings typically tiled as well (in cases where they tile the walls, floor-to-ceiling)? Thanks for any replies!

We did our shower floor-to-ceiling, and then the one shower wall that's not glass is also floor to ceiling tile. It's one wall of the toilet alcove. Then we ran the same tile (from the other side of the shower) around about a strong 1/3 of the way up the wall, to be a backsplash for the vanity, and a surround for the soaking tub. That covers MOST of the wall area. The little that's left has regular baseboard. We were going for a modern look but within a traditional cottage-y home, so this worked for us. To my eye, it looks contemporary and high end. The one monolithic wall of tile to the ceiling (with no art or anything to break it up) looks really cool :)

I'll try to get some more photos up today... some progress photos can be seen on GW on other threads.

The only place I've done any ceiling work (with one very notable exception) in the last 10-15 years has been inside the shower areas. The home I grew up in, though (built by my father in 1967-- first place I ever set tile), all the bathrooms were completely tiled- floors, walls, and ceilings.

That one exception I just showed in another thread, and is the master bathroom for a retired architect that used to work for Donald Trump.

We actually didn't do any wall tile outside of the shower. Partly because of cost and also because I was still traumatized by all the pink and baby blue tiled everywhere bathroom of the 1950's (including half-way up the wall) when I was househunting. I like the look of more tiling - like someone said it can be very classy and rich. But if you think you may sell down the line, you would want something appealing enough to someone with different taste.

Just like anything else, it depends on the tile used and the decorative sense of the designer. I can make a bathroom look like it's been there since the 50's, or take that very same bathroom, use the same amount of tile, but with different formats and accents, and make it look just as luxurious as can be.