Did you supply a drawing or written notes for this project? Did you buy the tile or was it supplied by the contractor (who figured out how much to order?). Having a detailed drawing of all aspects of your renovation is especially critical if you are not able to be at the site on a regular basis. That aside, yes this looks awkward with the crown molding. However, it may look even more awkward if the tile ends up being a small sliver of a strip of tile at the top. Detailing how the tile butts to the crown molding is also critical. All these details have to be thought out and worked out before work starts. At this point you may be better off redoing the paint in a tone that matches the tile so the area at the top is less noticeable if you decide to leave well enough alone.

I second @edwards4four's comment. Always make sure you and the contractor are on the same page before
starting a project. Detailed drawings and notes are critical.

Honestly, I don't hate it. The more popular way that shower tile is done now is to have the tile go all the way to the ceiling. I believe the crown molding looks a little awkward in this space simply because of the un-tiled space below. Here's an example from a bathroom I designed where we took the tile all the way up to the crown molding. Granted, this ceiling is probably at least a foot higher than yours (and the shower curtain was not my idea... )

However, at this point, there is little that can be done apart from
pulling some of it down and redoing it, since they already have the
bullnose trim pieces up. If the two of you hadn't discussed this (and
gotten it in writing) prior to starting the job, he's probably going to
charge you for the additional labor & materials.

Good luck!
-Jennifer

-3 years designing kitchens & bathrooms

It's not that hard to pull out and extend the tile. The question is, did they do the right type of waterproofing behind it so you can?

This is a conversation you needed to have with your contractor before the install. Never, ever assume anything. And you know what they say about assuming.

I, too, don't hate it. It may not be standard, but standard just means everyone does it that way. The paint color works well with the tile. If anything, it's the pale corner shelves that stand out; they seem much lighter than the crown molding. Of course, a photo doesn't always convey color truly. Regardless, I find nothing wrong with the paint between the tile and the molding.

What's done is done. The tile job itself looks very good. I would suggest that you mount the shower rod just an inch or two from the ceiling to lessen the number of visible horizontal planes.

I don't hate it either, but it isn't necessarily standard. But so do those white corner pieces against the color of the tiles. And I'm not used to crown molding in a bathroom either.

That said, you could measure the tiles to see where you'd end up at the top (as someone else said, you don't want a really skinny piece at the top), remove the crown and the one bullnose, tile to the top (I wouldn't worry too much about waterproofing way up there), and reinstall the crown to the tile edge.

Mind you, the crown will extend a bit beyond the bullnose tile edge. So youngish want to think about removing all the crown.

You see, nothing is perfect. Might as well leave it as is! You'll get used to it especially if you choose not to obsess over it.

Nice tiles!!!!!!

I would replace the two shelves or remove them completely if the tile can be reworked in those areas. Just leave the top alone.

For what it's worth, I think it looks great.

I think it looks great. If you hate it, pay extra and have it fixed now or you'll have to live with hating it forever.

Im sorry to say but I think you need to extend the tile to the ceiling. I think it looks really funny...and you certainly don't need crown molding in a shower.

crown molding in a not powder room / not 'vintage' style bath is odd. it's not a never, just not done all the time. look through a lot of bathroom pics at houzz...just click through.... and decide how you want yours to be, whether the crown comes off, the tile goes up further, whatever. you'll know what you want when you see it.

If you do end up with any kind of a mold problem it will be harder to wipe off of the paint but really difficult with the crevices in the crown molding. Make sure you have very good ventilation nearby, run the fan for 15 minutes or so after each time the shower is used, and if you've had mold buildup before, consider redoing.

As far as how it looks, I think that is just a matter of personal preference. We tiled not only to the ceiling but the ceiling as well when we redid our master shower and I love the look and the ease for keeping clean.

I would run the tile to the ceiling the moisture in there will play havoc with the crown and the paint

Contractors are not designers. The contractor is responsible for the quality of the construction, not the design. If you made a mistake with the design, it is your money that pays for the fix. Any possible question which is omitted from the paperwork is a decision handed over to the contractor and a possibility for an install that you don't like.

I wouldn't have used crown molding in a full bath. But, since the molding is there, it has to be installed either all the way around the room or a logical start and stop point must be found. . Just putting a return on the crown to butt up to a tiled wall surface would probably look more awkward than the crown molding around the top of the shower.

I too was more concerned with the shelves than the paint and crown. Since you probably should repaint I like the color Beverly suggested use BM aura bath and spa on both the wall and trim, it withstands moisture

what are you doing for doors/shower curtain?

I would have them take off that top row and finish it to ceiling. especially if the crown MOLDING is wood.

So, I'm the original poster. We changed the paint color after I posted to coordinate better with the tiles. We moved away from the Monorail Silver and went with Agreeable Gray instead. Here's an update on where we landed. In the two weeks of working on this, the color scheme and vision changed quite a bit to address unexpected developments. My challenge was doing the remodel on a bathroom in a house I own -- and family lives in -- but is in a different state from where I reside. I never saw the floor tiles, shower tiles and paint colors together. Photos, I've learned, do not tell the story. I also assumed certain things (eg, that if I asked to tile a shower, the tile would go to the top) and I just didn't think to ask to see the shelves in the shower until after they were installed. I know now how crazy all of this sounds but I really did spend a lot of time working on plans. I just didn't have the experience beforehand and have a learned a lot.

So, it's definitely different than I first imagined (and has mistakes) but it is much better than where we started.

Here's the old bathroom (a peach and blue combination that existed when -- the tub area, if you can imagine it, was an even worse disaster. It was a mess.

So there are a few warts including the shelves in the shower, a third shelf on the wall above toilet I probably shouldn't have added, blinds that are a little too small, etc. but we're happy....