Brief
Hannah responded to my Instagram design challenge with this question:
These are the beautiful tiles available from Capitera (@ca_pietra_)and Artizan of Devizes (@artizansofdevizes)
We have chatted through WhatsApp and she has sent me some photos of her bathroom and a link to her Pinterest account. The bathroom currently looks like this:
Hannah tells me that she is removing the bath and the loo is moving to where the bath taps are; the sink is remaining where it is and a horizontal towel rail is going to either go under the window or moved to where the bath is currently placed.
Hannah is adding built-in shelves either side of the shower, and shared this image with me (but she emphasises that this is for layout ideas as she doesn’t actually like this shower set-up and is having tiled walls, not glass panels):
Hannah has investigated the option for a wet room design but the cost is too high so she will need a shower tray and door. She would like the same tile design on the floor and then run them up the wall behind.
Summary
This is an Instagram design challenge and I have never visited Hannah’s house so I am relying on photos and our messages to make suggestions.
- Ideally it would be a wet room, opening up the space to the max and avoiding any interruptions in the tile design with a shower tray.
- The Ça Pietra Atlas Demin tiles are well chosen as they are a fresh and classic design which will have lasting appeal for all of Hannah’s family (her husband and young children).
- Losing the bath and moving the loo away from the eye line is a great idea and will open up the space considerably, and allow the shower unit to take centre stage in the new design.
- Adding shelves to the alcoves maximises storage opportunities and is a nice design feature.
My ideas
You originally asked me which tiles compliment Ca Pietra Atlas Denim, but we have since uncovered a couple of other dilemmas which I would like to help with. I have 3 ideas to suggest:
1. Slate grey shower tray
A white shower tray will be very stark, but a dark grey tray would blend into the scheme alongside a grey slate floor.
This worked well in another bathroom that I designed where it was also not possible to have a wet room:
The slate tiles in the picture above were purchased at Artisans of Devizes. But I can also recommend Topps Tiles.
Doing this means that you will not have the Ca Pietra Atlas denim on the floor but this design will make the room feel bigger and avoid interrupting the flow of the tiles.
2. Tile all three walls of the shower
You said that you will have tiled walls instead of the glass panels shown in the picture above. You asked for tiles to compliment the Ca Pietra Atlas design and you mentioned metro/brick tiles might go in this wall. However…
I would like to suggest that you use the same design on all walls of the shower as this photo (from Pinterest) shows:
Similarly, our shower @housewithblueshutters has 3 walls of the shower unit tiled
3. Add more tiles to the back wall
The back wall should be designed to have maximum impact as this is the part of the room that greets you on opening the door. The patterned tiles are a very welcome feature but it would be nice to add details to the alcoves where shelves will be built. There are 2 options that I would like to suggest.
- Ca Pietra Atlas Denim tiles on the outdoor edge of the alcove – in this way the design is stretched to the far corner of the wall, offering a nice repeat feature which gives the wall more impact. I wish I had more time to create a visual for you but I hope this this image gives you a sense of how this could look:
- The faces of the new shelves are also tiled. Sheets of bamboo design tiles can work in smaller spaces and are forgiving if you need to resize to fit tricky areas:
Choosing a gentle neutral off white or pale grey will look stylish and not be too overwhelming.
If budgets permit, you could of course, tile the whole shelving unit which would look even better!
I hope that some of these suggestions may be of help, Hannah. I’d love to see photos of your completed project if you would be happy to share with me @housewithblueshutters #suziesuggests
Thank you