Picture is needed :-)

Ok, I can post in the a.m.

TBH, he recovered pretty well from the lack of pre-planning. No tile should ever be Utah or Idaho - if your tiles and design force you to that, you should change your tile selection - but I'd lazily be tempted to leave it as is rather than try to think through all the work of fixing it.

Next time, consider that shower niches are common sources of layout trouble, and not every tile is a good fit for every situation.

You might be able to make it look like one piece by tiling the inside and just below each shelf with your contrast tile. However I think I was told glass tile should not be used for a shelf (because it may scratch or be slippery). You could look for some stone tile to use for the shelf, and maybe extend it out a bit from the wall so that it extends over the flush “apron” like a window sill. Think through the entire niche tiling before making any decisions.

I am planning a similar subway tile installation using a beige mosaic glass/stone tile as an accent. I found 4x12 tiles in a matching beige stone (limestone) that I can use as shelves, and they have the clean edge so I don’t have to worry about a bullnose.

Or you could look for 3” wide bullnose to match your subway tile, or do corner round, etc. (My biggest challenge is figuring out how to finish off the niche sides where they meet the shower wall.)

>>following>>

Looks pretty good to me.

So if "he had planned better" what would he have done, in your opinion?

For the piece between to be one width tile, then the uppermost (next to ceiling) and lowermost (next to floor) tiles will be different (I don't know, you are there to look at them).

Would that make it good "different" or bad "different"?

So if "he had planned better" what would he have done, in your opinion?

Penny, I know your question wasn’t directed at me, but I am struggling with a similar challenge: how to make the niche look seamless with 3x6 subway field tile.

We did it successfully with the first remodel, using 8x13 stacked tile and a custom niche where everything lined up on a grid. The niche was exactly two tiles wide (16 x 13) and centered. The inside walls were exactly the depth of our bullnose tile width.

The offset pattern with smaller tile is more challenging. I am picky and I love a grid.

I am leaning toward custom niche size to match the grout lines, and substituting larger similar tiles to fill the small spaces with minimal grout lines. It’s still hard to get the design as nice as the first remodel, probably because it’s a new design challenge for me. And because I am picky.

Since the tile has a bit of a bevel(?) and is randomly cut off, you have to think through how to make each outside corner edge look seamless. It’s hard if you are trying to avoid a frame around the niche.

Whats going inside the niche edge? Bullnose cut at 45% angles in the corner?

I do appreciate all the responses. Some mixed opinions. I think I'm going to just live with it.

I think if he had planned better the opening for the niche would have allowed the middle section to be all one tile rather than the idaho/utah pieces which are fragile, and a couple are already chipped /scratched. I will ask him to replace those.

This was as simple as customizing the prefab niche. Minimal effort and no "L" cuts. Set bottom edge on a grout joint and build top down to the nearest joint and your done. If the shelf needs to be moved then cut and move it. It's only foam. Personally I would only install removable glass shelves. Place them in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. Option #2 would be to picture frame. (which I believe Marta was stating above) Yours is a case of an inexperienced tile setter, contractor, etc. For all that say it looks good. You would be paying good $$ for poor workmanship.

Not sure if it's too late now but would most people just use a different design in
the middle section? Seems like that would be easiest solution once niche was installed...

I did. I used mother of pearl in one and black penny round in the other, but just on the back. It adds a little visual interest.