choosing tile

The basement bathroom is coming along. Slowly but surely.

We have gone back and forth a little bit about the materials we wanted to use throughout the bathroom. We know there's a possibility of this room getting water in it from the basement walls, or through the floor if there's a high amount of rain...so we have to choose something that won't get ruined if it gets wet, and won't mold.

For a while, we were talking about putting a bunch of loose rocks at the bottom of the shower. Hey, rocks don't mind water, right? But then I came across a polished sheet of rocks at The Tile Shop and have started to build the room around them. The grout will be a concrete mixture...which also doesn't mind water on it. Rocks and concrete. It might sound weird but it's shaping up beautifully!

I have chosen three tiles so far.
The rocks for the shower floor:

We want the walls to be light and bright...and cheap! We don't want to spend much in this little bathroom. But we also want it to look great. After searching through cheap ceramic options, I fell in love with a white ceramic that has a very subtle gray stripe in it (almost impossible to photograph - but beautiful in person). It's bright, and still interesting. The price is also right. Retail it's only $3.99 per square foot.

 

Then I wanted an accent tile to put about eye-level in the shower. I thought of something sparkly, like glass but couldn't commit to a color. I didn't want clear glass. I love the look of blue or green glass in a shower, but wanted to stay as neutral as possible so I wasn't stuck with that color scheme forever. I stumbled across a mirrored mosaic and it seems perfect! Although, you should have seen the look on the salesman's face when I asked if it would stand up ok to being in a shower. Ummmm...you want mirrored tile all over your shower? Ha! Yes, but it's an accent - I'm not mirroring the whole thing! I think it will be interesting and reflective to put a couple rows of this tile around the whole shower.

It's very pricey - but since we're using such a small amount it should work just fine.

Here are the three together:

I still need to choose a main floor tile. It will probably be a dark ceramic or maybe even a slate like our kitchen floor. We will be using a gray grout everywhere, even with the white tile. We've learned how difficult it is to keep white grout clean in our other bathrooms. I'm still happy with the white grout with our marble tile, but I don't want to fight and fuss with keeping white grout pristine in a basement. So, gray it shall be.

I'm starting to think about light fixtures for this bathroom too. We are reusing a pedestal sink and mirror from a bathroom we gutted, but instead of reusing the ugly lights, I'm leaning toward a mercury glass fixture similar to the look of our bedroom pendants.

I love the design process. I just wish I was spending someone else's money. :)

Smitten with the Kitchen

Update: The poll is now closed and was pretty split down the middle...6 for the dark blue and 6 for the light gray. No one voted for white and there was one vote for 'Other.'

Your opinions are requested once again for this kitchen project...the poll is to the right and the details are near the bottom of this post. You all are the best and I love hearing what you think! :)

The house is looking more and more finished all the time and soon we'll moving back in. Lots of projects are in the 'not necessary to move in' phase but still need to be done later...like having doors...and a kitchen sink. But all in all I'm loving the progress. Great job Michael!!!

Here's a recent kitchen picture. My brother-in-law came to the rescue a couple weekends ago to help get the floor tiles down. Unfortunately, we were short by about 30 square feet of tile because my wonderful husband decided that all of the appliances needed to be pristinely tiled under. So...more tile is on order and should be here soon so he can grout.

The floor is slate and we're using black grout and a sealer that makes the tile darker. So when it's done...the floor will all just look dark gray/black-ish. We looked at all kinds of tiles and wanted to find larger sized tiles for the floor...but slate is so uneven we were afraid our chairs wouldn't sit straight on it and...we got this tile for a ridiculously low price...so it was a no-brainer choice. I really like it and love how it goes with the countertops.

 M also put up the backsplash as you can see in the pictures. We chose the glass/travertine mosaic from this post. It's not grouted yet either (the grout will be white) and it's hard to see because I added a bunch of stainless steel tiles to it (as well as white and clear glass ones) and they're covered up with tape at the moment. But...you can start to imagine what it will look like. And when I think about the old kitchen...I just fall in love with this one more and more!!

Now to the poll on the right...what color would you paint the walls?

Here are my options: (leave a comment if you come up with something different you think would look better)

Option #1: A semi-dark gray/blue...I know this would break all the kitchen design 'laws' because blue is supposed to be the least appetizing color...but the backsplash is gray/blue and it would be the same color that is in our upstairs bathroom. Also keep in mind that the dining room is directly off the kitchen and has gray walls with blue accents on rug, curtains, etc.

Option #2: A light gray...It would pick up on the light gray in the countertops and still keep the kitchen light feeling overall while making the white cabinets stand out since the walls would be slightly darker. Most of the first floor has some variation of gray on the walls (semi-dark gray walls in the dining room, dark gray in the master bedroom, light gray in the lower bathroom, and black in the living room).

Option #3: White...I love white kitchens. M doesn't. But with the backsplash we're bringing in colors to contrast with the light countertops and cabinets so the white could be nice and bright.

What do you think?

I splash, you splash, we need a backsplash

Updated...the poll is closed and the votes were:
3 votes for the long white tile
1 for the white penny tile
12 for the glass tile
and 1 for something else

Okay my opinionated friends...what do you think of the options below? Keep in mind that we have white cabinets, white/gray countertops, and the floor will be a dark gray/black slate. Vote in the poll on the right and, like always, if you have a strong opinion leave me a comment and let me know why you chose what you did. Thanks!

My 'safety-zone' is white. If I choose a simple white backsplash I can paint my kitchen whatever color I want at any time. But, it's not all that fun and unique...it's pretty boring actually. The long white tile you see in the picture below is Option #1.

Option #2 is also white but a bit more fun. It's a white penny tile that has a vintage feel.
Option #2

The final option is one that I love, but it limits the color choices I can use in the rest of the kitchen so I've been a bit unsure. The picture doesn't really do the tile justice. These glass tiles are various shades of blue and gray. The stone tiles are the same as the countertop. If I chose this one I'd actually choose the same tiles but in longer lengths, more of a mosaic. I also might pepper in some clear and stainless pieces too.
Options #3

Which would you choose?

Tile love

My 'master' bathroom floor is now in and it is gorgeous! I am in love with the tile and can't wait until the shower is tiled too. In this bathroom there will be a total of 5 different shapes of marble with a few different finishes. It's clean and sparkly and really makes us feel like we're moving back into a 'new' house instead of a slightly updated old one. (if that makes any sense)
This picture was taken before the tile was all cleaned up from the grout and sealed. But you get the idea. Also since this picture was taken, the base trim has gone on and the walls have been painted a very light gray color. It's coming along...slowly but surely!