The first bath example you have has been one of my faves for a long time. I think to recreate it you will need to keep it simple and probably skip the mosaic. Could you imagine mosaic in that first bathroom?

Also I do love the look of slate, but I do not want to worry about getting slate that will flake apart (I remember a thread a while back where Mongo discussed finding a good quality slate). Anyway I think I had found several porcelain look alike from Daltile. They have lots on their website but it just takes somw times to scroll through. Daltile has the green, mixed earthy tones, grays, and mostly black look slate.

Agree, I'd skip the mosaic and just use the more organic materials.

the mosaic is for the floor in the shower. I want small tiles for the floor as that is what is recommended by the contractor and what DH wants. So I thought if I at least had them in the same tile as the rest of the floor, then it would blend in.

I agree on no glass mosaic - the store designer put that there and I didn't move it before I took the picture.

Where you thinking I wanted them elsewhere? or you think that will not look good either on the floor of the shower?

None of the tiles I am looking at are real stone. all of the above pictures are ceramic/porcelain. I agree- I don't want the headache of actual slate! :)

Daltile has one green dark slate look tile I believe. Brazilian green. I am going to a store tomorrow that I think has that. they at least Carry daltile.

edited to say - I think that sage tile is actually Daltile too. I just looked it up.

Ask over in the bathroom forum about how to use large format tiles in the shower. One way, of course, is to have your tiler cut the large tiles into smaller tiles. But there is another way, and the experts in the bathroom forum can help.

Whatever you pick for the shower surface, make sure that it has a large coefficient of friction. You don't want the floor to be slippery.

Daltile has a nice porcelain slate look tile called 'continental slate'. It comes in both large format and a 3x3 mosaic. I looked at this when I did my bathroom but ended up going in a different direction. I think Daltile has other large format/mosaics as well.

czarinalex. yes they have the brazilian green. I have not seen it in person yet. they have a 3x3 mosaic. the other ones that have a smaller tile above are 2x2.

Would you consider a shower pan!

As long as cof wet is > .4 and you install a proper slope and linear drain you can use larger files on the floor too.

I just don't know how larger tiles would look in the smallish shower....DH does not want a shower pan.

It looks like you have room to make the shower a large rectangle with the short side next to the toilet. That would allow you to use a more seamless approach with large format tiles on the floor continuing into the shower.

When I looked at the Daltile, I was looking at greys so I don't remember what the green looked like.. sorry! There was a Daltile sales service center near me and they had the full line on display. Maybe there is one near you...

justerrilynn - I will mention to DH again. The one thing he asked for was a stone like tile. I don't think he will like the wood, and I wonder how it will look when it meets the wood floor of the master bedroom (that we still need to put in someday too)

Hmm maybe these are bad pictures. I don't think there is room for that fun2Bhere - to make it a rectangle you would have to move the heater that comes up there and block some of the window - unless I am not understanding what you mean. the shower is very close to the toilet as it is on the other side too.

Czarinalex - good thinking. :) I will look on their site.

I have two more places to go. one that was closed on saturdays and open tomorrow and one that is by my office on Monday. I think I might like the sage green one above and then I might ahve to do a river rock thing for the shower, but I feel like that might be dated quickly too. It also isnt what I really wanted. I suppose if all else fails I can switch to my number 2 look. But I am sure you all know how it is when you get something stuck in your head. :)

Oh oh it meets a wood floor in the master...no good. That is not a good picture of that tile plank though. Anyway, it just so happens that I have the porcelain wood plank flooring in my bathroom (not that color) and a stone floor in the shower (different color) and off white cabinets. I did cheap Daltile subway in Biscuit. Simple but nice. I'm very happy and still love after two years. We ran the same floors through the bedroom for flow.

I hear you! I am in the same boat!

What color are your cabinets and counter? Porcelanosa doesnt have a lot of choices, but I think they are a reputable co.

http://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/products/tile/floor-tiles.html

Frustrating right!! I wanted Navy blue for bedding awhile back...looked and looked. Nothing, nothing, nothing till I moved on to something else. Now guess what I see everywhere!!! YEP!!

I was thinking that you had about three feet from the edge of the shower to the toilet, so I was thinking that the rectangle wouldn't be any wider than from the wall to the edge of the window, but could be longer. With frameless glass and a low curb, I thought it might look closer to some of your inspiration pictures.

For the choices you've posted I think the last picture best reflects your inspiration room. If you can't find a mosaic you could have your contractor cut the larger tiles down.

always1step behind - isnt that always the way!

fun2bhere - I was looking last night, and while I dont think I would want to make it any closer to the toilet, I dont see why I would have to cut off the corner, does that make sense? I have to have DH husband look at it too - he was wondering how the door would go. then we would have a rectangle and a slightly bigger shower.

robo - I liked that one the best too. I am hoping DH will like it, he hasnt gotten to look yet.

I didn tmake it to the other store today :( but will try the one in NJ tomorrow I think.

Especially if you use a frameless door that can swing both ways, I see no reason why you couldn't square off the shower. I think doing so can only help make any tile installation easier.

Here is another picture of the dark tile above in the last picture of my original post. it is a bit more brown then you might think. It is kind of growing on me though and would tie in the wood windows and doors.

I also read this article that says you shouldnt' put white or cream with tile like this - but I don't get that.

maria killam article I found confusing

it's confusing until you see a pic of my fireplace that previous owners had when we bought the new place..))

it has(had) this rainbow slate plus white mantel. immediate feeling of something inherently wrong. the feel of the slate is somewhat rustic.the feel of the mantel is traditional. the slate has, like, 6 or 7 colors is in. The mantel is warm white-doesn't correlate to anything in the stone, really, It just reads like a mistake, like a "wut?". they should have gone for a stained mantel if they loved the slate so.

now i'm not a slate fan but i must say-it might grow on me too wasn't it so off with the rest of the space, it was also in the living room-dictating nearly every decision around had I decide to leave it

while bathroom is a separate place, a smaller space, and you feel much more free to integrate there a material like a multi colored stone if you like it

i also feel this "no white" recommendation doesn't really pertain to the fixtures. the baths toilets sinks etc are usually white, that s how we're used to see them..they're also shiny, different sort of surface, and they'll work in any space-they also repeat each other, and one of the main rules(that I find useful lol) of success is repetition of elements

so if your future slate ties with the trim-and it will as we know-that's already a part of equation successfully sold.

what she says in the article basically is "great! don't paint that trim then"

Thanks April - that is helpful. and I would repeat the white in the tub, toilet, shower walls, and then possibly the vanity and counter and sinks. so it would be a lot of white! :)

now, nobody asked me but i'm going to volunteer my opinion anyway..those river stones are slippery as hell..I don't care how much grout is there-it won't help you. every person who swam in the river where you need to go in stepping on these stones will tell you that. now one thing if you're a kid who can't wait to swim in the river, and you're actually walking into the water-walking helps us to keep the balance as contradictory as it sounds. totally different from being an adult standing on these stones in one place under the shower

they can be successful..if they're different shape and size. I remember them in a bath in one of the (luxury) eco lodges we've been to..(we don't like big hotels and we love nature and quietness BUT need different diets menu-so luxury eco lodge it usually is when we travel somewhere tropical, lol)-but a) they were integrated in the tub itself, where you more sit than stand..b) they were several times smaller and much more unevenly shaped. they were more like mosaics-something very different and much more safe