Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

11 years ago

Hi,

I mostly hang out on the Bath forum as I work on our to-the-studs masterbath renovation but I love popping over here to lurk and learn.

I'm about to order tile and thought that you might have some advice. I love the look of travertine but due to the expense and maintenance, we've chosen a glazed porcelain tile instead.

On the floor, we're going with 18 x 18's on the diagonal with 4" travertine deco accents.

The shower tile will be mostly 12 x 18's set horizontally with an inset band of 4 x 4's on the diagonal with 2" travertine deco accents. I laid some of these tiles out on my floor to get an idea of the look and spacing. (Picture all of these "hung" on the wall, with the furthest tile being at the ceiling, etc.):

A closer look at our shower inset:

We're planning to add a narrow 1/2 round at the top and bottom of the inset to give it a more finished look.

My current dilemma (and the reason why I'm posting my question here rather than in the Bath forum) is what to do about the base molding. We happen to like the look of a substantial base molding on a tile floor. I think that would be a nice compliment to the arch and columns in our tub surround. Unfortunately, our tile only has a standard bullnose so I've been looking for a travertine base.

The two best options I've found so far are in the foreground of the shower wall layout photo. Here is a closer view of them:

The lighter one is a pretty good match for the deco accent tiles and would be an obvious contrast with our shower and floor tiles.

The darker one is a pretty good match for some of my shower and floor tiles but I think it reads a little more red(?) so I'm concerned that it will look like we tried but failed to match.

I'm not opposed to continuing my search but it has been surprisingly difficult to find these moldings, particulary since I can't (or rather, I won't) wait 2 - 3 months to get them.

The wall color that you see is a primer coat of SW Kilim Beige. It may not be our final choice once we see all of the elements in the room. (Actually, I'd love some suggestions on paint colors too since I know that there are many color experts on this board!)

The room will have dark granite (Moxuara, mostly black with taupe & copper), medium brown cabinets, polished nickel faucets and satin nickel sconces. The tub area will have a Pottery Barn Clarissa glass drop chandelier.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks SO much!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

forhgtv
11 years ago
Does your porcelain tile come in a chair rail? I was thinking you could use the tile cut in half the long way with the chair rail on top as a base molding.

Otherwise, I would probably consider painted wooden or MDF base molding.
treasuretheday
Original Author
11 years ago
Good idea but unfortunately my tile doesn't come in chair rail.

I could go with a nice painted wooden or MDF molding in the room but it is in the shower that we particularly wanted a base molding.
Related Discussions
Help me decide: white carrera or beige travertine bathroom?
Q
Comments (7)
The only thong i'd change to keep either option from becoming dated is to use chrome fixtures instead of brushed nickle (the finish of the day now a days). Chrome has always been and will always be, in style, from victorian days on forward. I'll throw another option in the mix...I have tan travertine in my master bath with chocolate cherry cabinets and a brown ceramic tile (ok it's crocodile skin but we're not counting) with white fixtures. It's a pretty classic looking room due to cabinet style. My counters are crema marble (soft tan marble). In my son's bathroom we have travertine with nordic black antique qranite accents on the floor (baseboard molding) and in the tub surround pattern. His counters are granite in Aquerella (looks like black granite with tan rocks all over it). My take on a black and tan :) White fixtures with chrome because white and chrome is always classic.
...See More
Vote for your favorite Patio Table... help me decide! (Pics)
Q
Comments (24)
Of course after spending quite some time writing my reply and uploading and posting more pics, we have a power outage and I lose everything that I typed.... so here we try again... I photoshopped the tables next to the fabrics... #1 Marrakesh (note once again that the light blue flower is actually pearly off white) #2 Morocco (light blue flower=pearly off white) #3 Honey Ivy #4 Brown Cypress #5 Mykonos Leaf Now onto the questions and comments... equest- there is no rusty red on #1- the points are brown squirrel- thanks for the links, the tables are very pretty. We had originally picked something like those last year, but i fell in love with the mosaic tables when i saw them. I really like the dark brown tile table as well-my favorite of all your links. We are looking for a large oval or rectangular table though... Keep in mind that the medallion pillows will be in the 'chat group' so they won't be directly next to the mosaic table. the only thing near the dining table is the dark orange fabric. sujafr- thanks for the advice.The table we will be getting will be a 72' x 42' oval. They only have pictures of the round ones in the catalog. I believe the table legs are not at the edges. I spoke with the company and the only maintenance needed is to seal it yearly with a marble/granite sealer and to make sure it's covered in the winter to prevent cracking from moisture. Threedgrad- I actually posted a thread asking about the tables about 2 weeks ago. The company is KNF designs and they sell a few of their designs through frontgate(that's how i found them). I'll post the link- you need to download their pdf catalog. They have many beautiful tables in many colors(the colors are more vivid than the pics IRL). The catalog reminds me of an inn we stayed at for our anniversary last year in Santa Fe- called the Inn of the Five Graces. It's courtyard and room decor is what inspired our patio. funkyart- the pillows are from restoration hardware. they come in several colors. I really like the red and orange ones as well. Here is a link that might be useful: KNF designs
...See More
18 mths to decide to paint .. 3 days to choose color. Help!(Pics)
Q
Comments (12)
sundownr, your kitchen and dining room are beautiful! I think your kitchen is screaming out for a rich color. My dining room is a very very dark chocolate (on the top half). I wanted that rich kind of color to come through the kitchen family room area. When I was deciding on my cabinets, I nixed the idea of dark cabinets because I felt that the darkness would just be flowing through the rooms. Not sure if that is clear. So I went with the white cabinets, as you have done too. I knew that I didn't want to use the same paint as the dining room, but I had originally thought to use that same color as my accent color on my fireplace wall, and at the far end of my family room, opposite side of my range (about 40+ feet away). But then I changed my mind. I ended up finding a taupe. The taupe coordinated with the brown in my dining room, and so did the gray (even though it really is a taupe). I would check out that color, in case it does work for you (Valspar Coastal Villa (lighter one) and Italian Leather (dark color behind range and on fireplace wall). My colors work together. I needed a gray with brown in it. I also think you could paint the room the same color as your dining room. The two rooms flow together. I think it would look very yummy to have that rich color in there. By the way, love your zebra rug. (where is it from?) I'm going to do that in my family room area, but I'm going with a gray zebra. Currently the rug choice is between 2, but nobody is voting on the Home Decor forum--I don't think they like me over there. :( Here is my dining room which is right off of the kitchen. Crooked things on the wall...certainly a sign of a renovation going on! I would also try to find "Funcolors", I think that's her name. She is really good on giving you names of paints to use. Not sure where she is, maybe Home Decorating Forum or painting forum. Good luck to you!
...See More
Need Help Deciding Moulding Placement, Please (lots of pics)
Q
Comments (1)
I think that a good hefty crown molding partway up in the atrium area (say to the base of the second floor) might be a good idea to give the eye a break as it goes up the walls. It would also help you however you when you are differentiating one area from another. Especially if you paint above the crown molding in another color, perhaps to match the upstairs hallway area. Rather then molding to differentiate areas you might want to consider paint. different colors for different 'rooms' to break the visual space up. Keeping it all the same color makes it *look* all connected. Say a very light yellow tint in a dimmer 'room', maybe a blue shade or tint in a room that should be more relaxed, etcetera. You could also use your furniture to provide separations so that one area dosen't blend into the next. Rugs (they can be rather inexpensive too) can define a space very well also. As an example: In your living area you could swap the hard wooden chairs for the sofa, put the softer chairs where the sofa was with the round glass top table between them, slide the small table with the glass bowl deeper into the bay window, and place the hard wooden chairs facing the soft chairs and tucked back against that curved staircase. (my thinking being you'll play up the bay window and have a nice backdrop for the bowl, the curved stairs will set off the curve in the wood chairs, and the couch will provide a visual break from the next room.) You could pick out a color you especially like in the couch or rug and paint the walls there that color or a similar shade. From everything I've been reading molding is excellent for setting a sense of formality. I don't know that it would have enough weight to really set one area as different then another though. Hope this helps. I know it isn't quite what you were asking for.
...See More
yayagal
11 years ago
I would definitely go with the lighter one. It all looks very upscale and interesting.
forhgtv
11 years ago
Oh, sorry that I misunderstood. I don't think I've ever noticed a base molding inside a shower. Very clever of you to come up with the idea.
treasuretheday
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, yayagal... I appreciate the feedback!

Forhgtv... Thanks... We first saw this done in a vignette at a local Tile Shop and thought it looked pretty cool. I took a few pics and have been looking for the right molding ever since.
treasuretheday
Original Author
11 years ago
Sorry for the sideways pic... It's the right way in Photobucket but for some reason it rotates back when I copy the link here!
les917
11 years ago
Of the two, I guess I would go with the lighter, as it connectes well with the paint color and will feel like a trim color would in any room. If you go with the lighter one, you might also go that color with the narrow 1/2 round on the top and bottom of the decorative trim area, as you mentioned. That would give another link with the lighter base.

FWIW, I would skip the accent tiles on the floor. I think they add some interest on the trim in the shower, but I think they will be too much everywhere on the floor.
treasuretheday
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, les. I think bringing the lighter color up to the 1/2 rounds too is a good idea. I've been leaning toward the lighter colored base also for the reasons you said.

Interesting that you would forego the accents on the floor. Would you still feel that way if I told you that we only plan to use them on every other intersection in our 7' x 8' main floor space? My husband had wanted some interest/accent on the floor (a border, tile rug, etc) and this was our compromise. ;-)

Thanks!!!
les917
11 years ago
Hey, compromise is always good, so I would hardly stand in the way of that! LOL

I guess for me, in a smaller floor space, the large tiles on the diagonal, with the lighter toned stone baseboard, would be enough. My upstairs bath has open floor space of about 5x9, so I have a sense of what you are dealing with.

Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

Comments (9)

forhgtv

treasuretheday
Original Author

Related Discussions

yayagal

forhgtv

treasuretheday
Original Author

treasuretheday
Original Author

les917

treasuretheday
Original Author

les917

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Help me decide on color of travertine base molding - PICS

Comments (9)

forhgtv

treasurethedayOriginal Author

Related Discussions

yayagal

forhgtv

treasurethedayOriginal Author

treasurethedayOriginal Author

les917

treasurethedayOriginal Author

les917

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

treasuretheday
Original Author

treasuretheday
Original Author

treasuretheday
Original Author

treasuretheday
Original Author