Not nuts if you can afford it.

What style is your house?

Sorry about the subject line misspelling. It's Studio Moderne.

Yeah, the price. I'm looking at it like it's a piece of art. Art can be expensive, but I'm not sure a watercolor belongs over a bathtub. That big wall will look awfully bare without something on it. I'm going to look around a bit tonight and see if there are any other large-format interesting tiles that could work that are cheaper.

My house style? Boring, boring 70's suburban rambler. I'm trying to give the house some style and charm with this reno. Kitchen will have Carrara marble tops. Floors in the main part of the house will be medium brown oak site-finished. This bathroom is at the very end of the house, separated from anything else except the master where we have an antique English oak bedroom set. My tastes run from funky antiques and retro to elegant and classic with a modern edge. I think this tile looks elegant and retro, but also modern.

I LOVE that tile!! I really wanted to do it for my kitchen backsplash, but I just didn't have enough uninterrupted wall space to warrant it. Go for it!

I love that tile, but I don't know how I'd feel about running just the 2 rows of it up the middle. I think part of the drama of that tile is seeing a wall of it.

I saw it at the tile store and it's a gorgeous tile. If you can fit it in your budget, it would make a wonderful accent wall behind the tub. I wouldn't ever want to put it in a shower unless I was rich and had a live in housekeeper to keep it clean, but behind the tub, cleaning it wouldn't be an issue.

WOW! these are gorgeous tiles! I love that green which I would pick.

Can I ask how much are these tiles per square feet?

I don't think anything is nuts if you really love it and you are only going to do this reno once in your lifetime.

Thanks Malhgold! They're so stunning.

Sas--I was thinking the same thing since I posted. How about the Paramount tiles 3 across instead of 2? If I'm going to spend a ton of money to get most of the look I want, I might as well spend a little more and make it RIGHT. I'd kick myself later for not spending a bit extra to get the full effect.

Alku--I couldn't imagine it in a shower either. You'd need a maid.

I meant to add that the bathtub underneath is rectangular. The vanity sink will be also. The circles work with those shapes, right??? (please say yes!)

I think they are beautiful. If you can afford them and they make your heart sink, why not?

*LOVE*

I meant heart SING! (not sink)

They're beautiful! If I'm reading this correctly, I think you would be better off with 2 tiles side by side up the wall--you'd have a large circle completed in the middle with half circles running up on each side. If you use 3 tiles across, I think it's more likely to look like you didn't have enough to complete the wall because the pattern will be off.

I think they are spectacular! I can't imagine doing them in a row like you are thinking though. . . it might look funny (you can tell this by laying them out) but it also might look like you didn't have the money to do the whole surround. The drama is in the whole wall, I think, so I think you will lose lots of that if you do it in a stripe.

You could treat it as a piece of art and use them as an inset (with some sort of matching moulding around) and then do the field tiles on the rest of the tub surround. . .

Braque--I didn't see your question. List price is...get this....$99 each!! I'm hoping the designer at DH's office can get it at a discount. She can most other tile lines at a discount. This is a once-in-my-lifetime reno. I'm not into that cheap builder-grade tumbled faux-stone ceramic tile.

Francoise--LOL at your typo! The price makes my heart SINK, but the tile makes my heart SING!

Kate-- :)

Flwrs--Very good point to consider. By my math, 3 columns of tile = 45". Wall is 71.5" long. 71.5 - 45 = 26.5". Divide that by two, and I'd have 13.25" of plain field tile on either side of the 3 columns. Hhmmm. I'll have to mock it up somehow to see if that looks wrong. Depending on how much of a discount I can get, I might only be able to afford 2 columns anyway!

I forgot to mention that tomorrow is my birthday. Maybe I can talk DH into them being my birthday present?? They may have to be my Christmas present too at this rate! ;)

Athensmom--I will have to lay them out and see. Laying them as you describe would definetly define them as a work of art! I generally don't go for that look (like behind a range), but will consider it. I do NOT want this to look stupid or ill-considered!

It is not generally my favorite look either but I always see it in very traditional ways. I can picture that in this instance in a much more contemporary manner - maybe with the skinny flat pencil liner defining it - the one from the same grouping? Or maybe with no definition at all and just abutted against the field tile? I am just afraid two lines would look funny and I agree with the idea that 3 lines might look off center - can't tell from the pictures what would be shown. . .

I see. For an inset, by my math, I could only do 3 columns wide anyway without coming too close to the walls. Would shortening it to not run all the way to the ceiling and down to the tub make those 3 columns look better? Again, I need to mock it up. Thanks for your help!

Crazy idea to see how you like it. Can you print out a photo of the tile... takeit to Kinkos or someplace and have them make up copies at actual size? Then play and place to get an idea of how you can lay it out and how it would look. It may cost some bucks but may be worth it to you.

Oh, I didn't see you wanted to do only 2 rows. No.

Agreed....I think it's all or nothing.

Breezy- I am going to totally be a wet blanket. I don't think you should get the tiles. You need to think as a general contractor (IMHO) and keep costs down, to compensate for unexpected costs later...and you will have them.

Don't get the tile, get something simple and beautiful that will not break the budget. I know this is not what you want to read, but I feel that to tell you otherwise, would not be truthful. It's hard being your own GC, because you don't have someone telling you...that's too expensive.

Gorgeous tiles. Ideally I think covering the whole wall is the way to go. If budget precludes that, I would prefer to run a few rows horizontally right above the tub rather than vertically (flanked by other tiles).

It looks to me like in the white shower the tiles are running one way and in the green wall another. Am I crazy or is it an optical illusion? If you are not going to do the whole wall, I think it might look funny.

Remodelfla--great idea to mock it up like that.

Marcolo and Malhgold--I hear ya.

LL--I appreciate your honest opinion. That's why I posted! Funny, my former GC never commented on price at all. I didn't realize they were supposed to watch your budget. In fact, we fired him because his final numbers came back at $40-50K over budget.

Lazydaisynot (great name BTW)-- I hadn't thought of that idea. It may work better for a partial wall than the way I was thinking. If I can't afford a whole wall, I'll mock up your idea.

Ncamy--You're right that they look different. I thought maybe it was the angle, but now I think they're laid differently. Which do you prefer? I saw them in my head laid like the green wall.

breezygirl- I stopped by a tile showroom during lunch today looking for our BS tile and saw the Walker Zanger Moderne. Before I knew it I said aloud, "That's breezygirl's tile." My husband said "Who?" and I had to admit I was talking about someone on GW. He shook his head.

In person the tiles are truly beautiful! The depth and workmanship are incredible. I think it will be very difficult to replicate the same look and quality for less, but I don't know all tile manufacturers so maybe there's someone out there. Good luck and great taste!

Thanks for the good laugh Fromthesouth! I needed that today as my birthday has been a cruddy day so far. Pictures of the tile don't reallly show the deep, rich, yummy colors or the quality of workmanship. They are a sight to behold. That's why I'm thinking of them as artwork. I like them better than lots of art I've seen! ;)

Breezy

Some good news for my birthday! The tiles cost about half as much as I thought they would! That now puts them closer to budget and the front running idea.

Oh breezy, I love those tiles. I think it was marcolo that rec'd them for my kitchen. I didn't think I could do them there, but they would be great on a bathroom wall too.

I agree with Marcolo and others - whole wall or not at all.

I don't think I would do them in a kitchen either. But the 7' tall blank wall behind my tub is screaming for something majestic!

Now tat I found out the price is half what I thought, I would do the whole wall if DH agrees to the extra $. So far, I've only overspent on one thing--Wolf ovens

I've seen them in person, too. In green, like the photo. Completely stunning. I wanted to use them in my tiny powder room, with a yellow, orange and green chinoiserie wallpaper I found and a small Chinese reddish-orange pagoda pendant. What do you want, I look at too many 1920s bathroom photos.

oh yeah, those are V cool! put them somewhere!!!

Marcolo--I had to drive over an hour to the nearest tile store selling WZ. They only had the Coconut Matte, like in the shower photo, in one tile. Yes, they only had ONE tile. Even so, I knew it would look awesome all over a wall. I dont very often "see" finishings in my rooms in my mind, but i did that day. I came home and found those photos above online.

Why didn't you use them?

$99 for ONE 15'x15" tile?!?!?!

That's NUTS! Totally NOT worth it, no matter WHAT it looks like!

Can't you find a similar moulded tile in a smaller size? I think a LARGE factor in the cost is the size of the individual tiles - it is VERY difficult to fire a flat tile that size and not have it warp.

Also, if you do live in a 1970's tract house, I am going to assume that your neighborhood is similar, therefore you will NEVER recoup the cost of the tile when you sell the house. And tile is PERMANENT - you cannot take it with you when you sell!

Natschultz--Thanks for your comments. As I posted somewhere in the middle of all this, the price came back as half of what I expected. Yes, that's still a lot of money. Like I said, I think of that huge wall as a spot to be featured. It calls out for something artistic. I think of this gorgeous tile as a work of art. I've never paid that much for artwork in my life, but plenty of people consider $1600 for a fine piece of art justifiable.

I haven't had a chance yet to look for something less expensive that could make a statement on that wall. Yesterday was my birthday and I had a horrible day.

We plan to live in this house for the next 40 years. I don't care if I will never recoup the cost. I will spend every day of the next 40 years enjoying my artwork at the measly cost of $40 year. Seems worth it to me. But I haven't even mentioned the cost to DH yet..... ;)

breezy, you mean you have enough cash to do the whole wall?

You know I love those tiles and would kill to have them. (I haven't done my powder room yet, it's part of the kitchen to come.) Just be very honest with yourself whether you can afford them. Are you coming in overall at a comfortable place for your budget?

Also, if need be, can't you add them later, when you're out of reno overload?

If you do think you can swing it financially, I think they will look fantastic, but only if you do the entire wall. And yes, they're perfect for a context-less house! ;-D

Well, at $1600 they are worth considering. Like I said, ART. DH hasn't gotten me a birthday gift yet so I thought I'd show him these pics tonight and see what he thought of getting these for me. Definetly more than we'd normally spend on a b-day gift.

Budget is...well...um....difficult to muddle through. Our former GC's pricing came in at thousands and thousands over what we had to spend. His sub bids are much higher than anything I've been getting myself now that I'm the GC. We've also been doing a lot of grunt work to save money. DH and I both are willing to spend a bit more than we have saved to get the final outcome we want without going too much overboard. If you cut GC's profit and overhead out ($25K) and factor in the labor and sub savings, I think we're close. How's that for an answer?

If we decide not to spend the extra money now, I am considering leaving that wall blank at this point and working to fit them into the monthly budget next year. I would hate to put something up there just to be done with it and hate it every second I'm in the bathroom for the next 40 years.

Yes to the whole wall. Thanks for the context nod! ;)

Good news. I caught DH after a couple of beers tonight and he agreed to the expense of the tile. In fact, he was more ready to spend the money than me. He practically had to talk ME into it. And then I showed him the pics above. He thought the wall was "busy." Oh well. He'll get used to it! Sometimes he doesn't get my vision form things until after the fact when he loves it.

Now how do I handle the two shorter side walls in the tub alcove? I need to put some sort of tile there somehow for water proofing, but I don't want those walls to call your attention away from the Paramount tiles. Maybe a short field tile along the tub deck in the same color?

Breezy - did you end up doing the bathroom wall with the paramount tile?

I was wondering if you did your bathroom wall with these tiles? If you did can you post a picture.

Those are beautiful tiles! Not EVERYTHING always has to be about recouping the cost if/when one sells a house. I believe if someone is doing a big remodel they should have one or two "splurge" items that they budget in, just because. Before you sell the house, you have to LIVE in it. I agree, consider it art. If you can afford it, and you LOVE it, then you should get it, whether it's this tile, a certain appliance, an amazing window, whatever. The heck with recovering the cost--get it because it makes you smile every day. :-) I, too, am wondering if breezygirl ended up getting the tile and if she has any pictures to share?

If I had to worry about getting my money out of my house, my only two options would be: a) don't change a single thing, just do the basic things to maintain the structural integrity of the house, or b) get the very, very cheapest of everything, pay handypeople off of Craigslist to do the work. Luckily, I will live in my house for the rest of my life and then it will go to my daughter. While I'm not getting the most expensive of everything, not by a long shot, I'm also not getting the cheapest stuff on the market. And I'm getting some splurges that will make me smile. Every day. :-)