half-way through installation, my husband voiced his reservations, as did my tile setter.
“seriously, five tile patterns in one space?!”
totally. now, please, carry on.
when completed, they understood my confidence.
the end.
figure out the theme of your room (mine was a modern yet timeless riff on the turkish bath) and mood board it.
mix and layer size and texture while keeping on theme. faux-marble, textured and glossy ceramic tile in large and small patterns, honored the modern turkish bath vibe.
my personal rule is group in odd numbers whether staging a room or choosing bathroom tiles.
when mixing tiles, pay attention to thickness if they are being installed directly next to each other, for example, on a wall or floor.
always order 10-20% extra tile: tile breaks in transit, your tiler may have to make additional cuts to match up designs, your design plans may shift (voluntary or involuntary) after the work begins.
no one ever regretted having extra tiles on hand for the inevitable and unanticipated after installation.
keep within a color scheme and design element: hexagons, starbursts and ogee echo each other within the space. the rust starburst and the teal moroccan patterns are each strong enough to stand alone but together bring out the best of each other and look great doing it. white and off-white tile keep things clean and the deeper colors from making the space too dark. the blush pink ombre ogee mosaic tile works as a perfect neutral while still honoring the overall aesthetic.
reality check: be flexible and open to change. some times, the best laid plans are better in theory.
my mood board changed multiple times because tile samples looked different on the computer screen than in person.
while rated for shower floors, the blush pink ogee tile was too slick to be safe.
the tiler used up all the red star tile for the bathroom floors, including those earmarked for the shower floor.
big box store to the rescue! textured, anti-slip, faux-marble hexagons pulled in the glossy faux-marble of the sink and tub wall tiles and adds to the high-end look and feel.
