You've made this tough! I like all of them, but if I had to choose, I'd say the gray herringbone. I like the first one a lot too...the flowers....but you may tire of them. I'd use the herringbone on the floor, shower floor and niches. Maybe the larger herringbone on the floor, the smaller in the shower. It's going to be a beautiful bathroom.

I also like them all, so my question would be, what's the cheapest?

I was literally going to say the same thing as Joanie!! Lovely!!

Depending on your style in other areas of your house..... If your style is more softer / romantic, then I like the flowers. Or if it's traditional or craftsman, I like the weave. Or if it's more bold and modern, I like the third one. I think I tend to shy away from things that are too popular because I worry about the trend being something "age identifiable". One other thing you may need to check- I thought I have heard not to use marble on the floors of showers – are any of these natural marble which is more porous?

I do love them all, too, but would tire of the flowers the fastest. engrgirl makes a good point about marble in the shower, if any of them are marble.

I like the second choice. It has a more clean and modern look that would be great with your tub choice.

I do love the flowers, but I believe we've seen other users that have had installation issues with them. I would also worry of the novelty of them wearing off quickly.

Herringbone and basketweave are quite popular again right now, so I might shy from that to avoid it looking like every other new bath.

Thanks for the feedback:)

FYI, all tiles are marble with the exception of the large porcelain tile we're looking at using for shower walls. I was also wondering about having marble on the shower floor and the maintenance of using it...guess I need to look into this further.

My preferred tiles had been the floral (but yet, perhaps could tire of it) and the herringbone. DH like herringbone, the random squares, or random circles (below)

The floral is the most costly. Thought about using it as an 'accent mat' as shown in the pic below and using the same shower wall tile to surround it. (I'd need to check thickness of both as they'd need to be the same)

Given the small space, unsure if I could pull this look off. It would be approx. 12 sq ft an would be laid in front of the vanity which is facing the entry door.

'ACCENT MAT'

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The floral tile as showing on a backsplash inspiration pic (use for 'mat' as picture above):

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DH also likes this random round tile. Not sure I'd want it on the entire floor, but perhaps as an accent 'mat' and also on the shower floor...could be too much grout though due to spacing.

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HERRINGBONE:

For the herringbone, we looked at larger version as pictured in the upper right corner of this sample board: (for the entire floor, incl. shower floor)

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If we did the herringbone, what are your thoughts on using this linear tile in a shower nice? ( I'd run this tile in the niche the entire 6ft length of the shower as shown below) The main shower walls would be the large porcelain tile

Is it too much to introduce another pattern in a small space?

Or would it work as the tile below is similar linear shape to the herringbone?

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Another alternative is to use the large porcelain tile on the bathroom floor (vs shower walls) and do something different in the shower such as white subway tile with accent mosaic in shower niche and also on the shower floor.

Does anyone here have subway tile in a shower? Is it more difficult to keep clean due to all the grout lines?

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We might also be doing a 2nd bathroom, depending on cost so could choose the 'runner -up' for this bathroom:)

There are so many tiles to choose from:)!

Any that you would rule out right away?

Thanks again!

For me, I would rule out #1 and #4. Only because they seem like they were trendy lately.

I would not use marble on a shower floor. Try a search in the bathroom forum on this topic. (I love the flowers).

Agree with crl_-- I would avoid using marble on a shower floor (or even on the shower walls). We did in our last home and regretted it - right after install, we had problems with the and with our marble tiles turning orange and other funky colors because of efflorescence.

Thanks all!

peppapoodle, love your shower!

Thanks so much for posting pic.

We're after a similar look, but won't be using marble on the walls. Shower floors, tbc.

I think you're right about the niche ...use the same tile that's being done on the walls.

I'm trying to utilize no more than 2 different tiles... 3 tops. Main bath floor, shower floor and walls.

I've had white subway tile in 2 master bedroom showers. The first one, I sealed the grout well. The second, I used a high quality grout that didn't need sealing. Neither one has had an issue with the grout. (Both are white grout.) In both cases, I used a white penny round for the back of the niche. The small tiles were a lot easier to work with in a small area. And because it was all the same colour, it didn't stand out as being different. It's more like a subtle texture difference.

I personally love the photo with the long shower niche with the mosaic tile. But I think I love it most because of the shape, and the fact that the floor matches the niche.

I would eliminate the flowers. They're both the most expensive and the most likely to get tiresome.

Thank you Amber for feedback and posting pic... Love the clean lines of your shower with the white subway tile.

I've ruled out the floral tile for our bathroom as most costly and DH isn't really a fan of it. (I still might consider it for the floor of another bathroom with just 30 sq ft)

We're also not going to do the 'mat' look...I just don't think our space is large enough to do this so will keep it simple with 1 tile on the main floor. My husband is asking about stone pebbles for shower floor...

Checking out 1 or 2 more tile places and another bathroom place this week and (hopefully) finalize choices!

Lisa, I used faux marble large tiles in my shower, orginally I was going to use a basket weave they offered in the same line but than decided I did not want the shower floor to stand out, I wanted my main floor, large windows and vanity to be the stars so I went with the simplest coordinating floor tile offered in my wall tiles line. It is nowhere as pretty and interesting as peppa's but it was the easiest, and cheapest solution to bridge all other choices into one.

I also used the same tile as the wall in the nook so I would have less grout there to worry about cleaning for a nook hold more water than other areas. Here is my faux marble shower

I used a more trendy large grey wood like porcelain for the main floor and set it in a herringbone. I was going for a nautical nod though and wanted the floor to represent waves or drift wood in an abstract way. i think it looks like you are going with a more classic look in which case I love the small marble herrigbone option!

I was also wondering about having marble on the shower floor and the maintenance of using it...guess I need to look into this further.

When we bought our home, the PO's had a very large shower stall (I think 8'x7') adjoining the pool. It was all pure white Thassos marble ... floors, walls and ceiling. Thassos has no veining and is white like a sugar cube.

We built a new shower dedicated to the pool,. and the Thassos shower became part of my "her" bathroom. To fit in the new pool bath, without changing the French doors around the pool area, I had to make the Thassos shower a foot or two smaller.

The way it worked, I had one new wall that needed tile. The new wall, which is where the shower heads are, was done in a Thassos white-on-white paisley (using honed and unhoned to create the pattern). It was done custom; I supplied a pattern I liked ... I think laser cutting makes this fairly reasonable if you want to design your own thing.

Fast forward; my "new wall" is 5yrs old, the rest is probably 10+ yrs old. I have not had any products etch the marble. I have been happy with the wear. The only issue I had was, in the very beginning, my water (which is well water, very hard in our area, albeit treated) was slightly discoloring the wall below the shower head that I favored (there are 3 different kinds). I started making a point to change it up, and now I do not notice a difference. I think that Thassos is so impossibly white day 1 that it is totally unforgiving.

My advice --- check your water. Ask neighbors. IMHO, marble could be a very big issue if water discolors it. Try something with a lot of veining and or pattern.

ETA - The horizontal contrast stripes do seem trendy to me; they are in all of the Flip or Flop houses I notice. I actually love the "floor mat" look; I did one in my girls' bath that is grey and white hex and says "GIRLS". I think it depends on layout and size. You can also make it more subtle by not being b/w.

I did a few very rough cut and paste of tile options. I think I like the flower as a mat idea....

here is a rough one of your lighter herrigbone option again very rough and not to scale.

roarah~ Your shower looks beautiful:) Very much a look I'd go with. My husband wants all of your jets as well!

A million thanks for doing the mock-ups as well! It certainly helps me visualize the look. Now to decide...for the shower walls, ether white subway w/ white grout (want as seamless of a look as possible) or porcelain/marble look-a-like (we'll probably go this way)

mtnrdredux~ Many thanks as well for your feedback! I'm sure you're bathroom is stunning! One of our next door neighbors did a bathroom reno a few months ago so I'll ask them about what materials they used and if any issues.

We're trying to avoid using marble in the shower itself, with the exception of perhaps in a niche depending on which route we go for shower walls.

I'm still a little torn on the main bathroom floors. I stopped in this evening to another tile store and saw this one . I seriously need to stop going to stores as there are too many options that I do like. I suppose better than not finding any, right:)??

In lieu of floral, I like this too:

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I would only do this for the 'mat' look.

In all likelihood, we'll end up re-tiling the 2nd bathroom so could use the circular or floral there. My husband prefers the herringbone look and I'm thinking that's the way we'll probably go. (But...I've been known to change my mind!)

My husband also likes these pebbles for shower floor. Friends of ours have it in their FL condo, but I'm not convinced about this being an option here. Not really a cohesive look with flooring options, but certainly not slippery etc. There's one that's more grey than pictured below...

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This weekend, we're going to take a look at a few more vanity options and hopefully decide on some tile! Then, other decisions on faucets, toilets etc. Far too many options!

Many, many thanks again for your help...I really appreciate it:)

You can tell DH that GW nixed the pebbles. First of all, they were a "thing" like 10+ yrs ago. Second, they don't belong in your home on the BA you are describing. Third, I have showered in a hotel with them and I didnt like the feel.

You may blame us. : )

As I remember/understand it, the marble issues are somewhat a matter of luck. Some marble has iron in it and you can't see it until constant exposure to water oxidizes it. Then you have orange marble from the rust. I think there is also a component for other issues of how good your tile person is and whether the right materials (grout, mortar, ?) are used. But I'm working off my memory which is over a year old on the subject.

I really would take a look at the threads in the bathroom forum before going with marble in a shower. It's an hour of research for a shower you probably hope to use for a decade or more.

I love all your choices and the bathroom looks to be beautiful with any of those options. We are in the midst of our reno but the tiling is complete. Our bathroom is long and narrow and we took out a tub and converted to just a shower. The room is long and narrow so we installed a soft grey 12x24 tile going vertically. Our tile lady suggested we use our 4x12 shower tile vertically also. I was skeptical but love it. For the niche and shower floor we used Penny Rounds with grey grout. For the ceiling in the shower, we used the same wall tile in a herringbone pattern as suggested by our tile installer. Love that tub.

MtnRdRedux... I had a good laugh over this:) Ok, pebbles are out and I'll tell hubby he can take it up with all of you on GW if he's not happy about it:)

Phew... 1 thing ruled out!

Crl... thank you for the tips. We had a new house cleaner last Fall and whatever she used to clean the shower on her 2nd visit left a huge orange stain on the marble threshold. She didn't bring it up and we didn't bother as we knew it'd be torn off shortly anyways. However, once Reno is done, we'll certainly need to be mindful of cleaning products.

Denali- your shower is looking beautiful! I really like the idea of laying them vertically. Ideally, we'd use whatever's on the shower floor in the niche as well.

We've contemplated taking out the tub completely ( we rarely use...maybe once per year!) allowing us to have a larger vanity and storage that we desperately need. With the Reno, we're sadly not gaining more storage, just better organization with a vanity that has drawers.

There is one more (standard ) tub in the house in the 2nd floor bathroom which is needed for resale for families with young kids.

Would not having a tub in master bath be a major deterrent for resale if the trade-off was better having storage and a large vanity?

As it is, we can't exceed 40". for the vanity and really don't have a place for extra towels, cleaning supplies etc. We'd been advised to keep the tub ( by Reno people), but I do have mixed feelings on it.

In my neighborhood our realtor said a nice master shower trumped a tub and small shower as long as the house had another tub. Our demographic is younger to middle age professionals with children not custom homes or outrageous in prices, median home cost is 500k. Ours is also an old house with limited storage but a very deep orginal soaking tub in the hall bathroom.

We opted for storage over a tub in our new bath but I think the rules differ in price and geographical ranges. It is always a good idea to contact a local realtor if resale is a concern.

Our experience with stone in a shower is that the stone becomes damaged even with regular maintenance and resealing by a professional.

Our neighbourhood mainly attracts younger families so 1 tub is definitely needed. Out of our group of friends ( now 50ish), rarely anyone is uses their tubs. This house would not be appealing to a more senior homebuyer... you need to climb to a 3rd floor to the master bedroom. It's fine now, but perhaps not done the road. We'll be out of here by then anyways:)

We're in a suburb of Toronto and what you get for $800k+ for a smallish home in the 'burbs is ridiculous to me. What you get for $1m in Toronto itself is obscene. However, that's the market. So, if you're forking out that, do you expect a master bath that you can sneak away to for a little quiet time?

Great suggestion to run it by a realtor. I know just who to call as she's always popping by trying to list homes. It's still a hot market here...homes rarely last more than 1 week on the market and often sold before the sign goes in the ground. So perhaps not having a 2nd tub doesn't matter:)

I will say if I had better storage in my bedroom I would have loved the looks of the one you are considering! Even though I do not take a lot of baths that one is eye candy! I just really need better storage in my house and since it did not effect our resale value in the least we went with needs not wants and looks....

Lisa,

I forget what I was planning on doing décor-wise, but everyone in my family was against it. Finally, in exasperation, my DD2 said --- go ask your GW people! (feeling confident I suppose that they would back her up!)

As for going vertical, in my DS' shower at our beachhouse, I wanted the shower stall to look like it was beadboard. I bought a very plain ceramic tile from Ann sacks, in thin long strips,. and we had in installed vertically. Many people think it is wooden beadboard!