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lindsay_finnerty

Help with bathroom tile design

Lindsay Finnerty
last year

Hiya, we will be redoing our downstairs toilet/shower next year and I'm

looking at tiles now as aware good prices may come up in the new year.


We cant decide how to tile the room though! I’ve attached some photos of the present room. We want to do half time around the room-apart from where the shower will be floor to ceiling tiling. There will be alcoves and the toilet cistern will be hidden with a shelf over it. We feel to keep it simple with whites/greys.


Would you tile the whole shower and floor one colour...maybe a grey then do the walls a separate tile (White).




Or do the shower and all walls same tile and then the floor a contrasting darker tile? It’ll be used a lot!


The labour is costing £5.5k and so we want this to be long lasting in style! The bathroom that’s in now was done so badly and lots of things not done properly. Before you ask-we had several quotes and they were all around the £5k mark!

Featured Answer
  • Sonia
    last year

    I've tiled up to the ceiling in the shower cubicle but the only other tiling I have is a few tiles behind the sink. The rest of the walls are painted, which I like as I can change the look without a huge cost. I’m a great fan of patterned tiles, so you could go with white wall tiles and then a dramatic patterned floor, or put the pattern in the shower enclosure and go for a plain and simple floor. Here’s some ideas encompassing the grey and white you like. I love this look, but of course you might not!







    Comments (28)

    • berrecka
      last year

      There's a similar conversation going on on another thread presently which you may find useful Lindsay https://www.houzz.ie/discussions/6031273/where-to-tile-up-to-on-high-ceiling-bathroom#n=19

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    • Linds F
      last year

      Thanks Sonia. I’d like a pattern but outside in our hallway we have a blacks and white diamond pattern which I think will be overkill. I’m not sure about having it in the shower. Really want something that won’t date either.

    • Dundrum 16
      last year

      In that case, could I suggest you forget grey? It has been done to death and is thankfully now well on its way out.

    • minnie101
      last year

      i must admit that quote seems quite punchy, are you in London? I know you said you‘ve had a few quotes but COVID seems to have pushed the prices up a lot with demand for home improvements.

      I wouldn’t tile all the walls either personally, leave them free to change paint colour or wallpaper when wanted. I think people have also been moving away from fully tiled bathrooms as they can be quite cold unless you use textured tiles, wood etc. If you want something that lasts, you could consider marble tiles, shaker style vanity or even half panelled walls as I’m not sure it’s a look that will date? I’ve added this picture as although it’s on a trend look with the wallpaper, if you strip that away essentially you have something that should never date?




    • Linds F
      last year

      Dundrum can you suggest a neutral colour other than grey?

    • Linds F
      last year

      Hi Minnie, We are in Windsor, Berkshire so i can assume this is one of the reasons why.


      We will be building the toilet cistern boxed into the wall to create a shelf over it, so i'm thinking this would look better tiled-but i'm not sure! Trying to find an image of a boxed in/wall hung toilet not tiles.


      I'm conscious that the bathroom does get used a lot/pretty steamy as the window is small. We plan to get a super powerful fan but would purely painted walls withstand no mould? The vanity will be a wall hung wood effect. We are wanting to get Villeroy & Boch toilet/sink. The sink will be 450 so to try get a wall hung vanity for this isn't proving easy!

    • PRO
      CJ Interiors
      last year


      I would recommend using a different colour or texture tile on the control panel area, it breaks up the tiles all being the same and has a purpose. Also consider matching your statement tile to the colour of you bathroom units.

    • Linds F
      last year

      We kind of have this texture look at the moment which is what I dislike. Our bathroom unit will be oak-eouldvthatblook a little odd as a tile colour?

    • PRO
      CJ Interiors
      last year

      In that case, I would go for a patterned or colour contrasting tile in the shower area, and keep the rest of the space a plain colour.

      To tie in your oak unit I would stick to accessorizing with oak features.

    • Daisy England
      last year

      I would look at Bushboard Nuance sheets. No messy/mucky grout to think of cleaning in the future either. We have it in our shower cubicle and then tiles around the wall half way allowing us to swap the emulsion to freshen the room up without a mega expense.

    • Linds F
      last year

      Hi CJ interiors. I’ve seen some lovely stone in white grey...do you think this would look ok tied in with a marble effect white tile and slate floor?


      When you say oak features-other than the vanity what else could I use it for?

    • minnie101
      last year

      You’re right, most them are tiled with a form of stone, quartz etc top however some are clad. You can always tile it though if wanted, I just meant I personally wouldn’t have 4 walls of tiles. Bathroom paint is obviously meant to be suitable however can only assume it will fare ok if it gets that bad! I always open a window as well but not so practical when it’s downstairs! What’s the depth of the sink and will see if I can find anything?


      why not post the tiles you’ve seen?



    • Sonia
      last year

      I’ve got bathroom paint (Dulux) and it’s really easy to clean and I’ve had no mould or peeling paint at all (it’s a shower room). It does have a bit of a sheen.

    • Linds F
      last year

      These are some ideas...


    • PRO
      CJ Interiors
      last year

      Yes, I think white grey would work well with marble, it will keep the space very light and still make a statement.


      Stone is a great choice too.


      Keep all decor in oak, for example some oak shelves, and if you can find one oak toilet brush and toilet roll holder. It just helps to tie everything together.

    • Linds F
      last year

      Thanks CJ interiors. I think this scheme could work. How high would you suggest making the ledge above the toilet? In line with the window sill? It seems a little high that’s all I’m thinking.

    • PRO
      CJ Interiors
      last year

      I would go with in line with the window, as it creates a sleek finish and keeps everything a-line, if not it could throw off the room.

    • Linds F
      last year

      That’s what I thought too. Thank you!!

    • PRO
      Ravenswood Designs
      last year

      To an extent it depends on the style of the property. We find the part tiled look works well particularly in smaller spaces and, as has been pointed out, you can change the look in the future without taking the room apart.


      Here's a picture of a boxed in cistern we did for a downstairs loo in a farmhouse with a shelf arrangement similar to what I think you're suggesting. We painted the box panel but framed the loo against a large format V&B tile. I personally wouldn't suggest boxing up to the window sill. This box is around 800mm high with a 20mm oak shelf. The paint shade is Fired Earth Cobble.


      For your tiling question, here's a picture of a tiny shower room we did in a cottage in Abergavenny. We used satin white wall tiles with a bronze metallic border which we continued into the shower. We also brought the floor tile up to form a skirting. In a small space you don't want to feel as though you're in a box or that everything is happening in the bottom half of the room. Breaking up the vertical plane helps to keep a sense of space and proportion. The paint shade is Fired Earth Granite which worked well with the lighting. The photos don't do the colours justice unfortunately.




    • Linds F
      last year

      Hi, thanks for your advice. May I ask why not box up to the window sill?


      With regards to the vertical plane..is it the boarder that breaks this up? Is there another way of achieveing this?

    • PRO
      Ravenswood Designs
      last year

      Hi, if you did that, the box would be a very prominent feature and unless the box was the same width as the window sill you would have one surface slightly wider than the other which would look unbalanced so ideally I would leave around 100mm - 150mm between the two surfaces as in the photo. That said, it does depend on the height of the window sill from the floor. These details can be difficult to call which is why we use software and get a 3D visualisation.


      In answer to your second question, yes you could use chrome or satin nickel finish strip or a glass pencil tile to finishes the top of a tile very nicely and avoid that awkward edge created with a ceramic tile. You could use the strip on its own or with a mosaic of some sort - the pink and grey scheme was an Art Deco style set we did for a bathroom showroom. Chrome strip is versatile and can be used to add that touch of sparkle to an otherwise neutral and understated scheme .





    • Linds F
      last year

      Hey,


      Thsbks for the advice again! The other option is to totally conceal the toilet (wall hung), then just put a shelf above it?! I do also think to Boxing to the height of the sill is too high and prob means we lose wall space for another shelf or even a frsame.


      I think ill go for a satin/chrome edging.

    • PRO
      Ravenswood Designs
      last year

      You're welcome.


      Yes that would work but be careful it (the shelf) doesn't conflict with the window. Windows with no reveal on one side can be awkward. I would offset two or three shelves to the left and wrap them around above the towel rail. Depending on the style you want to create, you could hang a cascading plant from the ceiling on the right with more greenery on the left. If you don't like greenery you could go for a piece of appropriate artwork or even just leave the space as it is. It's subjective to an extent but the general rule is to create balance - hard to say without seeing the rest of the room.

    • Linds F
      last year

      So....following a long chat-we are now thinking to add a utility into the hallway and then using the front of then hallway to move the bathroom. Saying that I don’t think it’ll change the layout too much as I think the toilet will stay where it is. The shower will move though. We went to look at some tiles earlier and have an idea on style though. photo attached! I will however be now posting for advice on utility layout in a 1930’s home!


    • PRO
      Ravenswood Designs
      last year

      Lovely period of architecture - one of my favourites.


      As I've just posted on another thread, I would always recommend putting all samples together on a board: flooring, tiles, paint, fabric, millwork - everything. Individual elements often look lovely in isolation but it's only by seeing them next to each other that you can tell if they will work together. Even I've come unstuck in my own home if I've been tempted to skip that stage and wing it. Sample boards are a low tech and invaluable design tool because if it works on the board, it will work in the room. Regards Amanda

    • Linds F
      last year

      Thanks Amanda! I’ll put a mood board together. I do think that this tiling will look quite simple but effective with the oak accessories we want.

    • Linds F
      last year



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