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Lots and Lots of Tile Samples

The tile samples are rolling in, and it’s starting to feel real. We’re actually going to redo the bathrooms after talking about it for years. We close on our cash-out refi in less than ten days.

Andy and I are in the awkward planning stage of our choices not lining up at all. He keeps telling me my options are boring and too old-fashioned. I tell him, Dude, we live in an 1885 Colonial Revival. It’s old! Classic finishes as the backdrop feel right to me, and I’m trying to create some design cohesion within the entire house too.

It’s a frustrating time. He wants to hurry up and get this done, and I know how many decisions have to be made to move forward. This process is always my least favorite, and as a creative, that makes me sad. For some people, design is the fun part. For me, it’s just stressful. I know; I know. My privilege is showing.

A new box of samples arrives every couple of days, and I feel slightly closer to picking the winners. I’m leaning towards polished marble penny tiles for the main floor and the shower floor in the big bathroom. The small round tile shape feels the best with the narrow and dark wainscoting.

I tried several square tile samples, large and small, and I just didn’t love the look. There were lines all over the place with nowhere for the eyes to rest. Also, the largest tiles felt too modern in the room. The hexagons weren’t much better. One-inch hexagons felt like too much texture, and larger hexagons didn’t improve the situation. Now, IF I painted the wainscoting, it would be a different story altogether, but I don’t think I can bring myself to do that. If I use penny tile on the floor, does anyone have any suggestions for the shower walls that are not subway tile? I’m stumped.

For the smaller guest bathroom, I like the idea of using the same tile for continuity. However, I also like the idea of 1″ black hexagons with a white border too.

So, here we are. Is knowing what you don’t want closer to knowing what you do? In my world, yes. I tend to back into most of my design decisions.

In my previous post, I mentioned that I like the fancy historical patterns. I still do, but they don’t really scream “country house” to me after looking at them more. They seem better suited to a high-style city house or a cute little bungalow instead. With BHH, less is more. So I’m leaning towards the simple English country cottage style overall.

Over on Pinterest, I’m pinning my little heart out if you want to join me. Also, if something on my bathroom inspiration board speaks to you, let me know. I am very open to thoughts and suggestions at this stage.

Hopefully, these little updates, even if they are non-updates, are interesting to read. Home reno doesn’t happen in a week for most people, and we are certainly proof of that.

17 Comments

  • Rosemarie
    Posted August 25, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    Maybe try a marble slab on the shower walls. That is also very classic.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 25, 2021 at 6:53 pm

      Thank you! It looks like a lot of people agree with you. It sounds like a promising idea.

  • Chad
    Posted August 25, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    I was going to say marble slabs, too, but I bet seeing the price tag would be a health hazard.

    I never like working with a blank slate and had the worst time deciding what to do with the bathroom until I found tile I liked on Craigslist and had something to design the room around. I got conned – the seller told me there was twice as much tile per box as there actually was – but it was still worth it to have the decision made for me.

    A couple points for you:

    Is there a ceramic or porcelain tile that looks like marble that you like for the floor? I’ve heard marble is prone to staining especially on the floor.

    I’m not a fan of the flat bullnose tile that’s common in most contemporary tile installations. Older bathrooms have tile that looks thick with this big rounded bullnose on the edges and it makes the room look much more solid and right. But only a few companies make it and contrasting trim may not look right in your house. (I had enough early 20th Century remodeling in this house, including flamboyantly Art Deco door hardware downstairs, that black trim would have worked great here, and that’s the direction I was going in before the Craigslist tiles turned up.)

    Subway tile bores me, too, but I like the much more expensive and historically accurate kind with sharp square edges and very thin grout joints. It still may not be the right thing for your house.

    Your two bathrooms don’t connect to each other so I see no continuity problems with having a black floor in the guest bathroom, and I think having reversed colors from one bathroom to another is fine for continuity anyway.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 25, 2021 at 6:55 pm

      Blank slates are so daunting! I also like rounded bullnose. You and I have expensive tastes. 🙂

  • Chris
    Posted August 25, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    Like everyone else, my first thought was a marble slab or the cheaper manufactured stones that you can buy. If it were my bathroom in that house, I would go full on art deco/art nouveau because I love those looks. https://www.tile-source.com/art-nouveau-wall-tile
    https://www.golem-baukeramik.de/en/Art-Nouveau-tiles/Wall-tiles/Art-Nouveau-tiles-decorated/
    or just fish scale tiles to add some curves.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 25, 2021 at 6:54 pm

      Thanks, Chris. Art Nouveau definitely isn’t my thing, but those tiles are beautiful. I’d like to see them in someone else’s bathroom. 😀

  • Kristina
    Posted August 25, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    House of Brinson has some historical bathroom makeovers/renovations, if you haven’t seen those yet: https://www.houseofbrinson.com/tag/bathroom/.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 26, 2021 at 8:19 am

      Yes! I have seen their lovely work.

  • Downraspberrylane
    Posted August 26, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Stacy, I redid our bathroom in a cottage style as well, and used a vertical picket tile with white grout. When I first saw this tile I thought it too modern because it was light colored with dark grout. Then I saw it in soft greige color with white grout and it reminded me of the victorian window muntin pattern, some of which you have pinned. I went with it and I love it so much. It looks very cottagey and I think it would look great with a penny tile floor.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 27, 2021 at 8:19 am

      I had to look up vertical picket tile. That’s really pretty! I am concerned with white grout in a shower, though. I can’t imagine that we can keep it looking pristine. Have you had any problems?

      • Downraspberrylane
        Posted August 27, 2021 at 9:17 am

        It’s been a year of near-daily showers and looks good so far. The guy at Tile Shop told me that the newer grouts are more resistant to staining, and what he sold to me is Superior Pro-grout which states that it is stain resistant. That said, any grout color will show discoloration over time, especially if you have any hard water stains, which would discolor darker grout. The only way to avoid it is one solid surface!

  • Cristy
    Posted August 27, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    I agree with you that,” knowing what you don’t want is closer to knowing what you do want.” I love the idea for the black tiles with white border for your guest bath. It supports the wallpaper you have and your white wainscoting. Thanks for including your thought process and the back and forth of your and Andy’s ideas. Sometimes landing on the same direction with your spouse is the hardest part.

  • Barbara
    Posted August 31, 2021 at 7:54 am

    This bathroom story made me think of you immediately. I like the details so much, that I don’t really notice the subway tile. It just fades to the background while everything else stands out. https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/malcolms-bathroom-reveal-how-to-restore-a-vintage-bathroom

  • Sabrina
    Posted September 8, 2021 at 12:11 pm

    See, you DO like circles…you just don’t like BIG ones in the foyer.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 9, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      You’re right. Maybe I do! 🙂

  • Heide
    Posted September 9, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    I hadn’t thought about subway tiles being a particular old house era. But I think you are right! I wish I would have put subway in my bath tub, but had white squares that were free. So went with that. I think it looks a bit dated now and they were a pain to put up, all those square lines!
    That being said, have you thought about square tiles for your shower walls? You could lay them in brick style like subway tiles (thus avoiding the pain of having straight lines.). I think laying them brick style would also give them an old house feel. Have you tried different sizes of subway tiles? They make so many now! Maybe a bigger size would look better to you?

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted September 9, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      Thank you for the suggestion. I will play around with some squares.

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