Personally I’m not a big fan of accent tile in the shower unless it has a real purpose. You will hate that accent tile with the texture on back of niche if you plan on using niche for storing products.

Use that accent tile for backsplash for vanity and take to ceiling with a mirror inset to it. That becomes your focal point.

People want to over think everything and feel like they need accents everywhere. All that does is dates the space and make it look fuzzy. Simple is better and a more classic & timeless look.

How nice of you to thank everyone. Hope you're very happy with the results. :)

Hexagon tile & pebbles fight each other on many different levels. Neutral colors all work - but your scale & balance is completely off. Scale & balance is what makes or breaks a space. Hire a professional designer for an hour consultation it will be the couple of hundred dollars you will spend.

Most photos people showed in comments look dated and very mainstream. I would want to redo if I was buying the home.

Free professional advice today. Stay simple and you create focal, drama, sparkle or whatever you want to call it by proper play of scale and balance of materials.

If you are using pebbles on floor you need a larger or smaller scale or texture for your accent tile.

You also want a coherent feeling in the space. From the look of the main tiles you have selected it looks like you are going for a spa or zen feel in the space - the accent tile should reflect that. A textured leaf pattern or a texture bamboo tile or something.

Attached is a bathroom being installed now that has a focal accent wall tile of textured leaf (organic) pattern that blends with the wall tile on other walls (floor to ceiling including niche in shower) the wall & floor tile is a limestone look with the floor being slightly darker. The shower floor is a mosaic of the wall & floor tile.

BTW - this bathroom is being done on a very tight budget with the largest expense of the custom floating vanity & the Lago Blue Quartz that will be on countertop, shower seat top & waterfall down front, side & along shower curb. It is also being used on the 4 sides of niche so to just outline it if looking straight at it or seeing thru the mirror across from it. The toilet is wall hung on the focal wall.

FMA, how do you really feel about the Hex? Haha So you feel it would be fine and simple if I just skip the hex accent inside the niche? Or if that hex were a small square instead?

I took the advice to consult a designer. I decided to swing for the fences. This morning I reached out to an acquaintance who's a friend on FB and an awarded top 20 design firm in Chicago. His designs are off the charts gorgeous and I've seen his work featured in magazines and showcases. He has lifestyles of the rich and famous type clients. I offered to pay for a mini consult about this niche accent thing and sent him the details and pics. He graciously messaged me back almost immediately.

" I love this palette. It will be very subtle and “spa-like.” I think the hex stone looks great with the other tiles. It definitely would work. " He also offered an alternative to use the quartz material in the niche and said "either option would look great."

Mic drop.

I was a little concerned about the shower tile looking like a solid color mass but in that last photo I see a lot of shade variation, even between tiles. I really like that tile. What is it?

frostyfootball, I am so glad that your designer friend made you feel good about your choices! I was a custom jewelry designer and fabricator for years, and my first priority was never to rob anyone of their joy. After practical considerations such as usability etc are out of the way, so much of a design decision is based upon personal taste, and there's lots of latitude there. Sure, other tiles might work, but your designer friend is telling you that your choice will look great. If all that we cared about is function, then there wouldn't be a million tile shapes, sizes, colors, types. Use what gives you joy!

Great choices. I vote for slab material in the niche. One thing to keep in mind with the long horizontal niche is that you are cutting through all of your wall studs. Make sure you have a good contractor who knows how to build that without any structural compromises! I’m working on a project where we had to rip out a poorly constructed horizontal niche to add in a horizontal header.

The designer called me and we talked out a better option and I will update later. We were talking about the niche size and shape etc and why the hex shape isn't his first choice in that size niche (7'x1'), though loves the material and the scale is fine. He said the change of grouting gridlines from the floor to the wall subways to the hex is not as calm so he gave me an amazing option. Will be back after I discuss with my contractor.

I like a full-length ledge instead of a niche because it's easier to clean. I saw a photo of one where it was on the short wall with the valves, but I could see the hand shower hose knocking bottles off the shelf in that position. It was nice though.

Here's a few photos that might be helpful.

I think your subways might look like this. I love these tiles.
Edit: You could use the quartz for the ledge top.

What about replacing the pebbles with a neutral, geometric penny that kind of just makes no statement. Skip the 'niche' and build the ledge like Mayflowers suggests. Do the marble hex on the entire wall above the ledge and then subway below and on the sides.

So my shower has an acrylic base but I used a large format tile similarly patterned to your chosen floor tile for my walls (but a bit darker), and a shaved pebble similar to yours (again a bit darker) in my two niches. I really like the pebble, but I suppose if I was also having my floor done I would not want to add a "third" element and would repeat the pebble on floor (but, eh, too much grout for me), or just put pebble on floor and use the large tile in the niche.

And I don't have any photos of my shower from afar, but here are lots of photos of my cat in the niche (inspecting for issues) that at least give a bit of an idea. Ignore the green tape bit, they had to make some fixes.

I think penny tile and hex are a good pairing in scale and mood. I would grout the penny in the tone of the field tile for ease of cleaning. I think it's fine if the grout and penny contrast and would prefer it. I don't think it would be too busy to do the upper wall in hex (in case that objection arises). I'd definitely try to use the hex because the color variation is so pretty. Too bad marble isn't recommended for shower floors.

Now for the practicalities. Will you like standing on penny tile? Do you have room to build out a 4" ledge or recess the upper wall?

I don’t know and yes.

Is there an issue standing on penny tile?

I've never had the pleasure but I saw someone mention it recently.

I like your latest combo much better. Much more serene and harmonious.

Those penny tiles are pretty with your wall tiles and hex, I think. I don't think that you have to go to completely matching grout on them, they can have grout the color of the shower wall tile, I would think (though I would defer to the designers on that, I am not a designer). What I love about the penny tiles is their size. They look to be maybe 2"? So nice compared to the ones less than an inch! Give it a day and see, though. How do you really feel about giving up your stones? Will you miss them that much? This changes the feeling from outdoors zen to just classical with your hexes being the wall above the ledge. They ARE beautiful hexes, so i see why you might make that change, but just make sure they are worth losing your stones over. You might also see if the penny tile manufacturer makes that tile in a hex.

I was putting thumbs-up on Carolyn K's statements to you because she was right that YOU have to love this in the end, no matter what strangers on the internet said about it before it was built. Just be sure you love it before you let people who will never see the shower talk you out of an element that you really want.

I am standing on penny-sized hex and it is fine.

And yes, I am barefoot in my house most of the time. I have been in conversations and the people commenting on that person's comment about the penny tile being hard to stand on have all pretty much said they have no issues standing on penny tile.

I love penny tiles. The hex and the penny will go well together.

Here is an example

Can you rank your tile favorites, most to least? Take your favorite, anchor it in a spot, then plan around it. As for the ledge, is your shower deep enough to support one without crowding you against the glass? We've never had a problem with water collecting in our niche. We keep the glass door open and the fan on for awhile after showering. We also squeegee everything in the shower before getting out.

Penny and hex are too similar but too different. This is hard I know....I've done it.

Again, (again, again) KEEP it simple. You're still trying too hard to add bling or what, I'm not sure.

I don’t have any ‘whites’ in the shower to balance the vanity/counter (quartz) across from it. I think this is the underlying reason for my indecision and why this is still unresolved for me. I may have a good amount of counter quartz remaining from the slab I just learned. So, if that’s the case, then I could keep the pebbles and go with the quartz niche inset. This would be most practical because I already own the pebbles and the quartz. The marble hex would have been the accent in the niche to bring in the white but all hell broke loose about the inorganic shape compared to the pebble floor.

I liked the calm, zen feeling of the palette with the pebbles, but I didn’t like the lack of white balance in the shower. The penny allows the white hex to be there without dissonance.

So, I think the options are

1. If there’s enough quartz material, bring it in the shower niche, keep the pebbles, call it a day. I like this as it is simple and clean and not a lot of tiles.

2. If not enough quartz, then keep the pebbles and find something harmonious to bring in the white into the shower (like the hex marble grouted light to minimize hex-yness)....or....

3. Use the penny tile, discard the pebbles, use the hex marble. This is the most expensive option as I can’t use my already owned pebbles, have to buy the penny, and have to get more marble hex to make a statement on the wall.

I wanted the hard surfaces in this bathroom to be very simple and neutral, but felt that the all-white tub/shower could use a bit of an accent.

Keep the stones. Make a ledge if you have room, topped with your leftover countertop. Do the wall above the ledge in more wall tile. I don't know how well the niche' box can work with the back and sides made from your counter. Certainly the back is a problem because the countertop is so much thicker than a tile. It makes a niche' in danger of being too narrow to hold things. So if you use it in the niche', make the box wide enough to handle the stone on the sides and use your wall tile on the back. Or only use the material on the back of the niche' if you can make the niche' extra deep.

Hi frostyfootball-
I think recapitulating the hexagon shape is better than having two different shapes.
And maybe it is a better idea to have a long ledge rather than a niche.
It would be easier to clean and you could put a lot of products on it.
Here is a question though-
Is it a good idea to use a marble tile at all in the shower even on the ledge/niche?
I have red that marble oxidizes when in frequent contact with water and turns an unattractive orange-y rusty.
Perhaps some pros can weigh in on this?
Maybe you are better off with quartz rather than marble.
Another suggestion-
Do you have PhotoShop or have a buddy that does?
Before you make a decision, can you PhotoShop the hex marble or quartz and the penny hex and compare that to something more simple such as smaller versions of the wall tile in the ledge/niche and a nice quartz on the shower floor.
Keep in mind that you can do attractive edging with quarter round, etc.
You can accessorize with a beautiful Asian wood shower chair, brush and bucket, a big natural sea sponge, pretty dispensers for soap, shampoo, etc.
These things add a lot of interest, texture and luxe factor without making your project seem overdone.

Thanks you all for hanging in there with me. I have to tell you...I'm the person who wasn't even in the market to sell our home, but drove by a home for sale, looked at it that night and bought it the next day. Several times in my life I'd not been in the market for a car and had a new one the next day. No regrets ever on any of these decisions, but this stupid accent is throwing me!

To clarify, the 7 ft. long "ledge" doesn't stick out from the wall. Not a shelf. It recesses into the wall like a niche and the whole wall above the ledge is recessed like a niche but it's not boxed. So it doesn't crowd the person into the glass. Make sense, Carolyn?

Nancy, I'm on that exact same thought process as you are with this. I've got a call into the fabricator to determine if they are able to make the remnants any thinner for use as niche back or use above the ledge. I like my subways and don't mind using them everywhere in the shower with that quartz accented nicely. Also, the quartz is being used only on horizontal surfaces and not sure I want to throw it up there vertically. The quartz is already being used in the shower a little as it will be the 7' long low curb of the shower that the stationary glass panel (no shower door) will be on top of. Also have a small bench (1 ft right triangle in a corner) that has the quartz on top. So I have a little 'white' in there.

I see the point that even though they are all the same colors, there is maybe just one tile too many. I don't want to use the pebbles anywhere else - they're on the floor where I want them.

Option A with the pebble floor and quartz accent in the shower

or

Option B with the penny floor and quartz accent in the shower.

IMHO, option A is simple but has more character. B is also simple, but also a bit dull?

This latest update (no hex) is due to the discovery I will have extra quartz counter material to work with and use as the shower accent.

Since you already have the pebbles, I would go with them. I do like them and they would give you more of a spa feel that you enjoy

Option A. Lovely simplified design and you already have the pebbles and Quartz.

I would use the pebbles. You already own them, you like them, and they use less grout than the penny tile. Also, I assume that you've spoken with your GC about recessing that big slab of wall? We thought about doing similar, but living in the far northern US and our mb shower being on an outside wall, we were counseled to not recess the shower in that big a swath. We were told that building out a ledge would be better, and didn't want to extend the shower out any more to compensate.

Makes perfect sense, Carolyn. I wouldn't recess either with those conditions. Yes, I talked to the contractor and I'm down to the studs as we speak and he showed me how he'll do the niche. I asked what if - after the waterproofing and tiling it out - what if I only have a 2" ledge that would be flush to the wall and he said we could fudge the quartz ledge top a little and have it come out a little, but we'll know for sure when it's done.

Nancy, the fabricator said they can't make the quartz profile thinner.

hi!! so interesting!

we recently diy build of a new bathroom with a large walk-in shower(8 x4) and had the very same dilemma! there are so many beautiful choices and its very overwhelming to decide!! there were a few determining usage factors that influenced our final choices.

1) Glass doors: after reading many posts about keeping shower glass clean we opted out for glass altogether. Personally, I do not like the idea of being in the shower exposed through glass. we ended up with Tiled walls all around with a32 inch opening at the end of the wall. no need for shower curtain and its all private.

2) Natural stone pebble mosaic for shower floor: I loved this idea and this was the choice up until time to install. First you have to seal the tile (top and sides) with a special natural stone sealer and it cannot be applied thick. I agreed this would be okay; however when we laid the tile out to see how it would look, it was bad because they come in sheets and the edges don’t match evenly. Visually you could see each square sheet. To remedy this problem, the installer has to try and match the edges with extra sheets of tile and break the square line look of it all. One other thing is the grout choice you make with natural stone; it takes much more grout and each edge of each stone must have been sealed properly. You must use the proper grout and proper grout sealer. We decided against all this extra work and prep and Instead installed a nonslip porcelain tile which looks great!

3) shower niche: we did white subway all over with chrome trim.
I chose chrome for all fixtures in the new bathroom.

I hope this little bit of info is helpful to you in some way.. if you are contracting this out, just be sure everyone is clear about the extras involved with everything. If you want to see photos i will be happy to post.

A 2" ledge won't hold bottles. How much quartz material do you have left? You will lose some in fabrication of the ledge.

Mayflowers, Worst case 2" ledge - probably more like 3. If worst case, the quartz top would be a little deeper and overhang a tad. Like a counter overhangs a vanity a tad, but won't protrude out like a shelf. The design won't be a niche, it will be a long ledge run along the back wall width.

frostyfootball, we are still selecting tile choices for our masterbath but it is similar to yours, fairly neutral tones and we currently have the pebble stone floor as a possible choice for our shower floor and going through the same dilema of finding something that "pops" like glass tile or accent piece for niche and possibly vertical. Our concern is that we have been told that the stone requires maintenance - sealing every couple years or so. We may end up just going with plain 2" square tiles on the floor and just look for accent pieces elsewhere in shower. Just a thought you may want to ask installer if you have to reseal that floor often.

Hi Poppie, thanks for weighing in. If I hadn't exhaustively researched the pebbles, your post would have been extremely valuable. Nevertheless, interesting to read your same observations. So, yes, I chose with eyes open. A Houzz designer Beth has been awesome educating on how to seal and lay down the tiles. And I found an interlocking product if you look at the picture, you'll see it doesn't run a straight edge. I've also spoken to my contractor and prepared a visual powerpoint presentation for my tile guy who'll be here in a couple hours to educate him about the gridline possibility if not laid properly. I've physically laid out the pebbles and the possibility for gridlines with interlocking sheets is small and isolated to only a specific two spots on the pattern, and I'm ready to show him what to look out for. I have a lot of photos from online of right and wrong tile jobs.

I sealed with a non-enhancing seal in order to maintain the look of the dry tiles. They look different when wet, so I want them to dry to a more quiet color. However, Beth said you only need to seal the tops, not the sides. She repeated it several times.

There are also grout tips as well, so it really all comes down to making sure you have a good tile guy, not a newbie. Get it laid right and you'll be happy. However, I recommend again as I did above to choose pebbles with an understanding that they limit other options for accents.

I have a large, clear stationary glass panel with a walk in (no door) because the bathroom isn't big and an opaque panel would make the room look claustrophobic. And the pretty subways reflect off the mirror since they aren't obstructed by a panel. I am going to use a rain-x type product on the glass that is used for shower glass so the water runs off.

I LOVE white subway with chrome. We are using brushed nickel fixtures. What color grout did you use?

DS, I'd love to see your choices so far. I feel your pain.

Yes, Beth whom I mentioned above also advised to seal them. I have absolutely no problem doing that since it takes about 10 minutes. I sealed the pieces already before install so I can tell you it is a nothing consideration. Zero.

Option A
And you can reinforce an outdoors feel with natural elements when you decorate.
You can put a natural sea sponge in the shower, on the vanity you can have some stems of lucky bamboo in a tall glass vase or you can mount a stag horn fern on a wall, you can put a huge scallop shell on the vanity to hold whatever accessories.

Thanks Loobab, that sounds great! I know you mentioned some of the decor options earlier but I wasn't ready to think about decorating it! haha

"Glass doors: after reading many posts about keeping shower glass clean we opted out for glass altogether. Personally, I do not like the idea of being in the shower exposed through glass. we ended up with Tiled walls all around with a 32 inch opening at the end of the wall. no need for shower curtain and its all private"

I just squeegee mine after a shower (takes maybe 30 seconds). Having softened water helps, too. We spray and clean with vinegar once a week to deal with soap scum. It is a bit of work to keep them clean, but no more or less than cleaning tile and grout or the plumbing fixtures in my opinion :) Some people use things like Rain-X or get special glass.

I am little confused by your comment about being "exposed" though...who else is in there with you that is a worrisome issue? :-o

"Visually you could see each square sheet. To remedy this problem, the installer has to try and match the edges with extra sheets of tile and break the square line look of it all."

A good installer (not a random someone hired out of the Home Depot parking lot) should have no issue laying out that type of tile so they do not end up with a grid pattern - by staggering and filling in spaces with "loose" stones, and whoever is buying the tile should account for overages to accommodate that process.

"One other thing is the grout choice you make with natural stone; it takes much more grout and each edge of each stone must have been sealed properly. You must use the proper grout and proper grout sealer."

Natural pebble tiles can indeed be a bit more work up front to protect the stone from the grout (but still easy enough to do), but maintenance wise, I find sealing "natural stone" like the ones frosty is considering and grout much easier as you can wipe a penetrating sealer for natural stone and grout over the whole shebang, and then buff off. It takes like 5-10 minutes (and most of that is waiting for it to "soak" in so you can buff).

Sealing grout when you have a porcelain tile is a bit more of a pain as you want to avoid getting the sealer on the porcelain as while the porcelain won't absorb it, it will leave a residue which can affect matte or polished finish of the tile (if someone knows of a sealer where I can apply to all the grout and porcelain and buff off the porcelain without leaving residue/marks, that would be awesome!). It is

Of course, I say this as sealing both natural shaved pebble stones and grout, and the grout between my porcelain tiles, is very fresh in my memory still! I have large format porcelain tile so that was better, but in terms of convenience and time, the natural stone and grout were FAR easier to seal and did not involve me going around shower and with ladder brushing or rolling sealer into grout lines.

Honestly, I like having a tiled shower as it looks a little nicer (I did opt for an acrylic base though for various reasons) and I think that anyone who wants one should go for it, but when it comes to ease of maintenance, I prefer acrylic or fiberglass surrounds. Not as pretty but they last a long time, are waterproof (not "sponges on your wall"), are easy to clean, can be buffed or polished every few years to make them almost like new, can be easily repaired without risking damages to the "waterproofing system" behind it like with tiles (there are tub techs who specialize in acrylic and fiberglass repairs, etc) and if it is beyond salvage they can be replaced quickly (though you may have to switch to a 2-3 piece unit if your house was framed in with 1-piece units). If I wanted to split the difference I would probably do solid surface wall panels, etc.

Our tile guy was very experienced, so had no trouble laying our pebble floor. It truly looks random. The sealing issue is really not an issue at all. Sealing takes a few minutes, and then (in the case of my sealer) you have to wait about 12 hours before showering again. I really love the feel of the shaved pebble, and there are ZERO slippery areas, which was important to us as we plan to age in this home.

We bring a squeegee into the shower every time, and it takes seconds to do. We also squeegee the niche, the window opening, and the corner shelves. Again, seconds. I follow up after drying off with a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth made for glass. This ensures no streaks or water spots at all. (What can I say? I love an immaculate shower!).

BTW, you can vastly cut down on shower crud by only using liquid soaps, no bar soap.

Thank you so much frosty for responding and respecting my own personal diy bathroom build. It’s great to know that you researched the natural stone pebbles and sounds like you are prepared! For us, it was too labor intensive. We used arctic white grout! Hope you don’t mind; photos! I know this style is not for everyone; as someone posted earlier, do what you like!! Plus, our budget was very limited. i could only load 4 pics?

poppiepink, that floor! Gorgeous! I'm so impressed that all of that was DIY. Great job!

Wow Poppie!! Will you come over and do mine? Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

poppiepink: that floor is lovely, and I like your chosen paint colour with it!

awww you guys thank you! My husband is my hero!! lol! ill try a few more loads..

not to forget RaiKai comments! yeah i would squeegee the glass afterwards; but no one else would!! there a specific thread discussing this issue (maybe under polls) lol. your concern about my comment on being seen naked through glass.. yeah its personal because growing up we had peeping toms in our neighborhood; in other words i’m paranoid, not ashamed! your question regarding the sealer.. there is one that will not dull porcelain, plus we used the sealer in the actual grout mix… hope all that is clear as mud!! lol ty for your observations to my comment!

What a spacious bath! Lucky you :)

Ha, that makes sense. I admit I have a husband who is more particular about cleaning things than I am - so he probably goes over my own squeegee attempt after I am done. And no kids...if we had those yes I definitely would not trust them to do it ;)

That also makes sense. I have always had bathrooms that are more private (either on a second floor, or away from windows) so never I suppose really thought about that.

If you know the name of the sealer that will not dull porcelain what would be awesome, it will make the process when I do this again next year much easier....!

thank you Raikai and thank you Carolyn .. best wishes and good luck to frosty!! looking forward to pictures!

Just lurked over this whole thread! Wow so many interesting perspectives! I'M trying to decide about going with accent tile in shower at all. I think I'm opting to eliminate it and KISS! Will use that tile I love for backsplash only. Would love to see pics of Frosty's finished bathroom!