I would not reiterate a Versailles pattern either on the countertop or the backsplash. It's complex and you should only do it once. You can do another layout on the backsplash but I would stick with one tile size and shape.

Thanks! The savvy squares are probably as complicated as I'd get. Four sizes would be pushing it I think.

Pal, what shape? I might have trouble getting spouse on board with squares, and subway doesn't belong a '50s ranch. Squares do...why don't we like 4x4 squares anymore?

How about 2x2?

Do you mean "we" collectively as a current design culture or "we" as in you or your husband?

I dunno, it's right for the house. I am finishing up a third bathroom, all with square tile (two in 2x2, and one in 4.25 x 4.25)

You could do subway format stacked. There is one wall in the one bathroom in 2x3 stacked or grid format. It was a fairly common tile for modernists in the late 50s to the 70s here.

"We" as society! :)

I did recently do a new bathroom in 4x4s based on the pattern of my pink bathroom. Maybe I should see what kind of response I get to that (but in one color). It's possible that I've gone with plywood for so long that anything will be accepted.

Ya know how they used to sometimes edge counters with trim tile that didn't go around the drop, leaving exposed wood there?

This is an original kitchen from my subdivision that sold recently (yeah that's carpet). I have this style in my bathrooms as well (but the cabinets are painted). This is okay, right? I'd have to attach walnut trim to my plywood and I'd use one color tile, but is there anything wrong with it?

This must be regional because I have never seen this type of installation with a wood edge below a tile edge. (And I look specifically for vintage kitchens). But honestly I may not be looking at the price point that some of these houses are in because if I am looking on Estately nationally, it becomes harder to look below about $450K.

I don't know what this one went for. I saved the kitchen photo a few years ago and that's it! (It has my bathroom tile.) It would not have been listed for under $450k, probably not under 800k. It also would not have been advertised using words like "vintage" or "original". This ain't that kinda town.

Now that you mention it, maybe this wasn't so common anywhere else. This is in the SF bay area where they did things weird in ranch houses, like topnail all the hardwood floors. I offended a realtor when I first came out here and asked about the terrible job fixing the floor squeaks.

Our floors are all topnailed here, strip flooring is more typical for site finished for most of the 20th century.

Interesting. I had a ~30s cottage in TX with heart pine tongue and groove and a 20s house in Detroit with oak T&G. They had been installed so carefully to hide the nails, it was a shock the first time I saw hundreds of visible nails on a floor.

Have you ever lived with a tile counter? I wouldn't recommend that at all. If there are budgetary issues, go for solid color laminate or Corian.

Yes, I've had tile and don't really mind it except for being sort of hard. This won't be on a working counter however, just a bar counter and backsplash, so hopefully I won't be breaking too much on it. (The main counters are stainless steel.)

Corian is my last-ditch option, but I don't want it on the wall. I didn't realize it was a budget option, although I would go for the cheapest white because I like it best (which is why it wouldn't work on the wall). I've looked at laminate and not found the perfect one.

We've also looked at stone.

Did I mention it's been almost 2 years? :)

Anyway the spouse is not keen on squares. If you show someone glamorous tiles for 2 years and then mention squares, turns out they might feel unenthused.

I find myself attracted to grid patterns in tile and other materials, so I really like this stacked backsplash. The hand-glazing provides a lot of variation and the soft gray color modernizes it. It's nothing like the blue square tile in the bathroom of the 1950s house I grew up in.

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That is very nice!

We were thinking of this color:

Is that Fireclay Tile in Kiwi? Cool. Can you post some images of your space as is?

Yes it is Kiwi. Funny, it was our choice before we built the kitchen and now we're back to it. Lucky they still make it...We did decide against using it on the sink counters because the crackle finish isn't all that tough. I'll see about photos. It is not photo ready at the moment. :)

I did vertical stacked 2x3 on the back wall of the tub alcove.

I am also hoping for stainless steel counters in the kitchen.

In the bathrooms for the countertops and shelves I did Corian with a coved edge all around that the tile sits on no "corner" with caulk in it to get stained or let water sit on. The Joint between the Corian and the tile is raised from the corner by about 1/4-3/8". I am a big fan of Corian but I am not sure I would want it as a backsplash except in a very particular type of kitchen. (and I don't think that my kitchen will and up being that sort).

What about one of Fireclay's specialty shapes? Without going too crazy...

Elongated diamond

Picket

Wave

Pal, is it safe to assume your Corian counters are a solid color? I got a Kohler cast iron vanity top for my new bath but GC incompetence made it too large. Luckily GC incompetence had also hugely overordered bathroom tile so we were able to tile it.

Anyway, I could do white on the counter but it would be very blah on the wall.

My house isn't cool enough to do stacked subway. This is the type of mid century ranch with cowboy decor, not sputnik. No grooviness whatsoever.

Cawaps, spouse likes the shapes--almost committed to the wave at one point--but there is a bit of the counter that kicks over onto a pony wallish bit of cabinetry where it would be too chopped up. I shouldn't worry about that though. The fat diamond must be new. I kind of like that as a messed-up square. :)

Just FYI, we don't ever see mess, we just see the bones of the space :-)

One set of Corian Stuff is Pearl Grey. The countertop in the other is Silver Birch which I thought looked a lot like terrazzo, so I used it for the shower base first and then decided to match the counter to that.

My house does not have much cool factor either. The architect is well-known for having a strange aesthetic, and it's brutalist-leaning without any concrete on the inside, and the details were pure "builder". The original bathroom (gone before I bought the house) was Daltile Golden Granite (white with gold speckles) with a mustard yellow and black mosaic floor--and probably a Hollywood Regency vanity. I am trying to make it a bit more refined like he tried to do when he was designing for a client and not a builder.

But the architect-y bath of the era locally was pretty much 2x2 porcelain all over everything, or 4x4 in grey or white. White fixtures, plywood slab vanity, white knobs. Thats what I am doing here. (Except matching grey fixtures)

Here is the grey stacked tile. It's very plain. This was labor intensive because it was ordered in stacked, came in months later as brick, and when we saw the joint spacing we decided it was too wide even if it had come stacked so these were all cut apart and put up individually. This is not grouted yet.

Nice.

Installation is of course an issue. You never know until it's too late if an installer is any good. I'm half tempted to do it myself...but I just remembered that hole in the guest room wall that I haven't gotten around to fixing yet...

Eam, you can't even see the bones in here. Guess I need to get to work! :)

This is the third bath he's done for me, each increasing in complexity. He is extremely good in the scheme of things although my perfectionist self still finds flaws. I am nervous about grouting. I also don't want to tell you how long he took to do this.

I hope you'll post it when completed!

I have to admit I consider dumbing down projects because I worry about the competency of the installer. I haven't been completely satisfied with the any of the work I've had done on my house (with the exception of the floor guys who did a perfect job patching, refinishing, and topnailing my old floors).

You're lucky you found someone who is willing to take the time to do it properly.