Help with tile/design for master bath remodel
We are remodeling our master bath and I need some help with my final tile/design choices. This is a tiny ensuite bath with a shower only, in a modest Victorian-era foursquare home. I want to use fixtures and tile that fit the general era of the home without being a slave to Victorian style - classic but updated, if that makes sense. I also find myself leaning toward fixtures with a slightly industrial edge. Here's the layout (100" ceilings; some measurements may change by an inch or two depending on what we find when we demo):
The shower will be tiled on the two larger walls and on the chimney; the remaining shower walls will be frameless glass. I plan to do a simple wood wainscot on the walls outside of the shower with paint above. Overall color scheme will be grey, white and probably pale green. The side of the brick chimney behind the vanity may remain exposed if the bricks are in good shape and we can find a way to protect them from moisture; we'll see when we demo. If they look like the rest of the brick in the house, they will look like this:
I am still on the hunt for the right vanity, but it will probably be Bertch's graphite color with a white porcelain top, in a door style similar to this one:
All fixtures, pulls, etc. will be chrome. I plan to use the Brizo Atavis line for faucet and shower. Still deciding on light fixtures but I pasted some top contenders below (pendants or sconces for above the vanity and one central light fixture).
Now for the fun part - TILE. I know running brick bond white subways are THE most typical Victorian-era tile/pattern of all time, but I have had them in my last two bathrooms and I'm kind of tired of them. I really love the patterned, encaustic-look tiles that are so trendy right now, but although they were also popular in the Victorian era I'm not sure I want to fall into the HGTV trap with this remodel. So, what's a girl to do? I had the following ideas:
Scheme 1: Super simple. Marble-look 2" hex on room floor and shower floor, white subways in a herringbone pattern on shower walls, grey grout. Could include an accent tile inside of shower niche (not sure where this will be yet nor how large).
Scheme 2: Gone crazy. Larger (8"?) white hex on room floor, smaller white or grey hex on shower floor, grey/white patterned tile on shower walls. This is my current favorite pattern:
Scheme 3: Somewhere in the middle. Marble-look 2" hex on room and shower floor, white subways in running brick bond pattern on long wall and chimney wall of shower, grey/white patterned tile on remaining wall as an accent wall. Here's my inspiration for that look:
So, what say you, wise designers of Houzz? I would love some input on how to make this little bathroom shine! Thank you very much in advance!
Comments (10)
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
3 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (7)We are right now doing what you are considering. (Well, our contractor is doing...) We've owned this house for a very long time, and never set foot in the 4th tiny bedroom (really just an office, no closet). But thought we would hurt our property value if we used that office as our closet (our home is our largest asset, so it matters to us if we renovate in a way that lowers value). We live in such a high COL area, we can't move. So we finally decided to (1) add the master closet to the master bath; and (2) put a door from the master bedroom into the office, to make it the new master closet. Turns out in my area it helps value to have a larger master bath and closet - even at the expense of losing the small 4th bedroom/office (tons of homes in my area have this layout). I checked with real estate agents and watched sales for a couple of years to make myself comfortable with this decision. As to layout: similar to your drawing, ours will be 6'x12' with the closet added on). We have a 3.5'x6' shower at one end like your drawing. Left the toilet (saves about $4k in my area, party b/c old house plumbing issues). Then, do a short wall about 30" wide x 42" tall at the shower: (1) have the shower door pivot (both in and out) there, so you can reach the shower valve on the inside of that half wall - no getting wet!); and (2) put the 2nd vanity (30" for us) against your window wall and that 1/2 wall. Your door is at the other 6' end; ours is on the 12' long wall, so a bit different but hopefully this makes sense?! I.e., I think you can fit in two 30" vanities (we have a 30" and 36"), big shower, keep toilet there, and have a huge master closet from your (unused??) bedroom. I personally like the 2 separate vanities vs. a long 60" - and it saved so much for us b/c it kept the toilet in its place - but YMMV. Sorry to ramble! Hope that helps. I'm so thrilled this is happening now to my home, and only wish we had done it a decade ago!PS I, and the real estate market I'm in, prefer a large master bath to large closets if there is a 4th bedroom (as it will get converted to a closet anyway). Of course that varies by market, person, etc... but thought I'd say that as I struggled with this decision for many years....See MoreMaster bath remodel: wood tile wet room help?
Comments (1)IMO wood look tile is already dated and was always best put where you would do real wood so not in a shower for instance. I like a clean look of 12 x24 porcelain tile in a color you like and used for the floor in the bathroom and the walls in the shower with the same color in smaller tiles for the shower floor. Then some white fixtures , chrome metal. FYI to have a free satnding tub you need at least 12” all around it just to be able to clean. Not sure what the last pics are since they do not show a free standing tub. A nice simple modern drop in tub with no wall tile would be nice . Please no tower on the new counter , you have ahuge space I am pretty sure you vcan find enough room for storage somewhere else. Make sure all your lighting is LED 4000K if you want all the choices you make to stay true at night I also would do the new lighting before making choices ....See Morebiondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
3 years agobiondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoThanks Toby - I will definitely choose an encaustic-look porcelain or ceramic if I decide to go that route. I taped up a few actual-size print outs of various tiles last night to get an idea of what it might look like in the shower. DH is a HUGE fan and thinks we should go Scheme 2, but I really think that will be WAY too much, especially if we go with one of the darker/busier patterns. I have to say I like the look of the one on the top right of this photo, though (colors aren't accurate but sizing is) - I think I might enjoy one wall of that!
GreenDesigns
3 years agoLook further afield than the 2018 Top 10 Corpse Gray Trends. Study old bathrooms who used color and tile successfully, and as wainscoting too. That is what you should try to achieve here. Colors with black accents are especially striking, and vintage appropriate.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked GreenDesignsbiondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
3 years agoThank you GreenDesigns. The photos you posted are very striking, but I am actually not a huge fan of that style - it's what I had in my bathroom in my previous apartment (your bottom picture could have been taken in my old place), and I found the amount of super-saturated color simply overwhelming in a tiny bathroom. I actually really LIKE grey, but I don't want an entirely grey bathroom, which is why I am hoping to find a scheme that allows white and a less-saturated green (or other accent color) to dominate. For instance, here's a bathroom I really love (although I don't want to go quite this formal/blingy):
live_wire_oak
3 years agoIf you like gray, use the technical aspects of the above tile layouts as a blueprint, and use a light gray tile with a black liner and cap for the details. Maybe find a chiclet or hex floor in grays with a bit of green, or all green. Green with gray can be tricky though. I’m not feeling the encaustic tile look at all. It’s much too trendy for a Victorian. Especially how you show it.
Something faux encaustic in a more classic, simple shape, for the floor would work better than as an accent wall in the shower. I realize that his is real encaustic, but there are porcelain lookalikes.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked live_wire_oakbiondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
3 years ago
Eileen