I just got off the phone with the tile contractor, and he is going to start demolition TOMORROW on my master bathroom. So, I have got to go into overdrive and make some decisions fast.

My house is like a Country French cottage. It is only about 1900 square feet, and is one story. I am not at all into any of the off-white, masking tape colors, or dark depressing colors, either. When we moved in, the house was horrendous! It had purple paisley wallpaper in the foyer, with mismatched border wallpaper at the top. The living areas were all painted a steel-grey blue, and the bedrooms were painted the color of masking tape. Since we bought the house, we have replaced the plumbing in the guest bath, redone the kitchen, and repainted the entire house. The walls in the living area are sort of the color of butter (a kind of bright, happy yellow). Lily's room is painted a pretty lilac color, and our room is kind of a bright pink or burgundy color (but not a dark burgundy).

So, our master bathroom is really small. I would say about 5 feet square. Right now, it has a shower that is as big as a tub would be, just not as deep. When you stand in the door looking into the bathroom, the shower is to your right, the toilet to your left (facing shower) and the vanity is directly in front of you (You are looking in the mirror).

When we replace everything, I think I am going to put a pedestal sink directly beside the toilet, replace the toilet, and put a tub in the place of the shower. What is now a small hall with a closet that goes from the MBR to the MBA (about 4 or 5 feet long) will be replaced with a single sink vanity. The closet will be lost.

So, that is a rundown of what I am about to do. Now, I have to pick all the pieces, including the tile.

Tub: 5 feet long x 30 inches- 32 inches wide x 20 - 22 inches deep
Floor Tile: white hex
Tub Surround Tile: ?
Toilet: ?
Pedestal Sink: ?
Vanity Sink: ?
Vanity: ?

I want my toilet, tub and sinks to all coordinate.

So, what I am wondering is, is there going to be TOO much white if I do all the tile, plus the the toilet, tub,etc. in white? How can I add some punch that would still be neutral enough for most people to like it?

Does anybody have any tile websites they recommend?

I love bathrooms that have all white "stuff" (they aren't appliances...what are they?)

White toilet, sink, and tub. Accent with colored countertop if you want (but white would be nice, too). You can accent with rugs and shower curtain and things on the wall in any color you want. AND it's easy to change color schemes later with everything permanant being white.

You could pick out some paterned tiles you like and have them interspersed in the tub surround or the backsplash.

I think pedestal sinks look very classy. And since you will have the vanity, you aren't losing any cabinet space by going with the pedestal sink.

What color wood cabinets do you think you will get?

My father is a tile contractor. If you are going to go with all white tile, I would try and find a grout color that will pop. You can also have color inserts put into the floor in a random pattern. With the tub surround you can add a border that will have some detail.

I would recommend going to a tile showroom and looking around for something that just catches your eye.

I love your idea of doing some cobalt blue in among all the white. That sounds gorgeous to me! I agree with going to a tile store and seeing what catches your eye, though. But, do you have time for that?

Cobalt blue would look nice.

The first thing that came to mind, and what we plan to do with the guest bath... all white fixtures (meaning tub, toilet, pedestal sink -- that's what we are planning as it really will make it look so much bigger) and then a sage-y green wall. I saw a pic in a magazine once that I just loved. The tile we have bought is a tan and creamy white marble.

I found a picture on Pottery Barn of what I have been envisioning:
http://a451.g.akamai.net/7/451/1713/0001/image1.styleinamerica.com/pbecimgs/products/200405/0002/img67m.jpg

Actually, that cabinet is exactly the cabinet that I have been picturing next to the tub.Notice how the grout isn't plain white? I think I like how it is more of a grey... won't show dirt as easily! I like the way that the wall tiles look next to the hex tiles, too...

What do you guys think?

We finished the bathroom in our basement about 1 1/2 years ago and we went with white tile, shower and surround and the toilet. The vanity has light maple wood and the vanity top is a very light marbled beige. The bathroom isn't that big and I was worried about it being too white but we painted the walls a blue that is close to cobalt blue and I love the way it looks. I wish I had some pics to share.

I love that little cabinet from PB!

Thanks, Jenn! I bet your bathroom is GORGEOUS!

Cecily

I really like the tiles on the side wall. They look nice with the grayish colored grout. But honestly, that honeycomb floor tile looks dirty to me. I think a darker floor would be a better call, then it wouldn't look so dirty. I would never do white grout on the floor - too hard to keep white! :)

Great PB cabinet by the way!

i like that!!! we have the white hex tiles w/ white tiles on the wall in our bathroom. except they have a few blue tiles in the floor to add some color. i think it looks nice!

I would never do white grout on the floor - too hard to keep white! :)



We have white tiles with white grout in our bathroom and the grout stays white. I just sealed them really well and haven't had to worry about it. :)

I myself would never do it. It would be too hard for me to keep white. I bet your sealing technique works though, Jenn. :)

Leslie, I was really worried in the beginning but I see what you're saying and in a high traffic area I would never do white grout. That'd be a PITA. :lol:

Leslie, I totally get you on the white grout thing. I wasn't planning on using white grout for the floors. And, I also worried about white getting dirty. This is not a high traffic area, and most of the time, we will be in there barefoot as well. I think we'll be ok as far as dirt goes...

Jenn- I would LOVE to see a pic of your bathroom. It sounds like you used a lot of the same colors I am thinking about.

Karri- PLEASE PLEASE show me a pic of your bathroom! It sounds exactly like what I am picturing in my head. I want SOME blue tiles, but not a LOT of blue tiles... just accents.

The bathroom:
First, Here is the damage: Isn't it aweful! And, insurance is not covering ANY of it. This really ticks me off, because we only bought the house in December 2002. We had the home warranty, too, but they refused to cover it, because they said there was no problem with the plumbing to cause the damage. AND, the sellers must have known about it, because they used the shower in this bathroom every day, and they lived here for 10 years. Also, there are marks on the wall where it is obvious one attempt has been made to fix the problem. Arg! That is so slimy! They knew they were obligated to disclose such a problem, but "forgot"... or "didn't know about it"... :rolleyes: Whatever!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc30b3127cceb8309c483dfc0000001610

I went and got quotes for the plumbing fixtures today after work. I'm glad I did, because my estimate was really $200 off of what I expected. Apparently, there is an "apron" that I need for a soaker tub, which is basically the front panel that is not there if the tub is just dropped into a spot. This apron thing costs $200!!!! Can you believe that?? Well, I couldn't. It took a while for them to explain to me what piece they were talking about, but at least now I know what I am looking for. AND, when I was at Home Depot, I found a tub that I like BETTER than the one they were trying to talk me into, and it is the price I had expected! Woo Hoo! Can't beat that. So, now I have some pics of what I am looking at:

The tile I am leaning toward:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc30b3127cceb8309f8d7da00000001610

The white hex tile with cobalt mixed in: I just feel like this is too much cobalt. I think I want SOME cobalt blue tiles in the floor, but not nearly this many.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc30b3127cceb8309c7e3dca0000001610

The standard white hex tile configuration:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc30b3127cceb8309f94fc890000001610

I can't decide if the smaller or the bigger tiles would look better in such a small area. I am looking at about 60 feet square (50-55, actually). The smaller is the one that the Pottery Barn pic used, I think.

Any ideas?

The tub we are looking at: Kohler Davenport
http://store.faucet.com/prodimages//kohler/1184-LA.jpg

The tub that the Plumbing supply store was pushing had a contemporary wave design on the front, where this one is more traditional with the rectangular detail. It caught my eye the minute I saw it, AND the price was right. Can't beat that :lol: :victory:

I love the tub! And from the way you describe your house, it seems a lot more *fitting* than a contemporary design would be. I like the white with cobalt, but I agree that that is too many cobalt tiles. What about doing every other small tile in cobalt... or even every third? Or a border around the floor with the white hex and cobalt, and the rest the plain white hex, or white with white?

Update, Copied from my journal:
Ok- So the tile guy/ contractor came over this morning (@ 6:30 AM :sleeping: :eek: ). We went over his estimate in detail, and talked about the tile. He said that he had had another person who liked those same tiles, and what they did was get mostly the white one (#1 above), and some sheets of the small blue tiles. Then, he just took some of the white squares out and replaced them with blue ones so that wee can pick how much blue we want. Also, we are going to do a decorative accent in the wall tile wainscoting (sp?) about 6 inches down from the top all the way around the bath. I am thinking about the 1 inch wide rope tile, but may decide on something else. Anyway, I think it will be really nice when it is done.

So, I still have to pick out one new ceiling mount light fixture and 2 new vanity fixtures, plus the vanity cabinet, and the faucets for the sinks and tub. Other than that, I have everything picked out! I can't believe I got all that done in 24 hours! I ROCK! :lol:

He is going to start the demolition tomorrow, and figures he will be through in 3 weeks.

Wow! I'm impressed! You work fast! :lol: It sound gorgeous. I can't wait to see pictures when it's all done!

Wow - I am impressed!!! You work fast!!!!!
I like the tub...it looks relaxing!!!

Well crud...you know what? I thought we had hex tiles, but we dont...we have rectangular ones (the hex ones are on the floor of our MBR shower). Anyway...here is a picture of the blue and white: ( i was too lazy to rotate it. sorry :lol: )
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc33b3127cceb83e0838d5b10000001610

:lol: Karri- I really like your blue and white. I think we are going to end up with something similar. Except, we are going to have blue interspersed throughout instead of the border. On the wall, it will have the border about like yours.

Thanks for the pic!
Cecily