Personally I would like the gray large block in the whole shower.

I would take it out if you can...too many different tiles going on.

My preference: no accent tile. l also like the large format tile alone.

i kind of like it. without it you'd have a plain old large gray tile shower.

I would have done a niche and no shelves though. to me the shelves take away from the accent

is that accent going anywhere else? behind the vanity? maybe a herringbone on the floor or as a 'rug' in front of the vanity?

Thanks for the feedback. I would have loved to do a niche but we were told it wasn’t possible because both walls are exterior walls. We weren’t going to use the accent tile anywhere else but it is something to think about. We will have a white double vanity, marble counters like the shower threshold, freestanding white tub and a large white towel rack on the wall.

I think that white accent herringbone is hideous. I bet a competent tile store could help with an alternative if you brought photos.

One option I like is the same tile as the field except in 2x2 for the accent.

Not a fan of the accent, but I err on the side of minimalism. I think it would bother me less if the shower controls were all in the accent.

I would get rid of the accent tile and replace it with the large gray tile, but the large grey tile is narrower than the accent space so that won’t work now. Any other suggestions? It is a quarter of an inch narrower....

I think you should remove it. If you want an accent, you could make it a different size/shape and a tone-on-tone affect by choosing the same/similar color as the field tile in a different size and sheen. For example, a grey herringbone mosaic (or other shape you like) in a shinier sheen than the surrounding matte tile. That shouldn't be too hard to find. The difference would be less dramatic, and a more subtle look.

On a good note, I like the grey field tile. And it looks like your installer has achieved a nice flat installation. When the whole bathroom is done, it will look very nice.

Where is your water coming out of?

No wall mounted shower head?

Is that a pipe for a handheld between middle and upper shelf? If it is, that is a terrible location. Why was it located there?

If you remove the tile you compromise the waterproofing behind the tile.

There is proper waterproofing behind the tile, right?

Also is that green board on the ceiling or cement board?

If you wanted to have a feature, it should have been more cohesive with it's surroundings. You don't want to see just one thing when you look at a picture, but the accent is now that one thing you see.

Chispa- We are going to have a rain showerhead above. The handheld shower is going to be on a sliding bar. Why is that a terrible location?

Cpartist- yes, there is proper waterproofing. I am not sure about the boards. Will have to ask my husband.

Dragonfly tile- do you have any recommendations on how to make it look better? The tile installer said he can still change things if we find different tile.

HU, because you had all that space and they crammed the handheld pipe between your corner shelves. I would have moved it to the left a bit and installed it lower. You are going to have the handheld hose right up against your shelves. It will work, but could have been better thought out. Get a metal hose, it will hang better than a plastic one.

We will be moving the handheld pipe. Now it’s just a matter of deciding what to do with the accent tile. I am wondering whether to just leave it and see how it looks once everything else is in place.

I like the accent tile. I vote to keep it.

I love the gray tile you choose. I am not a fan of the accent tile you chose, I dont care for the direction the tile is running. I would have preferred a different accent.

What other things do you have going on in the bath? What is the floor, what color is the vanity? Are the shelves and the curb top marble?

We used the same tiles on the floor as we did on the shower walls. The vanity is white and the countertops/shower threshold are a quartzite that looks like carrara marble. We chose a white accent because of all the other white elements in the bathroom (large white towel rack, white freestanding tub, white vanity, white counters, white walls). I liked the herringbone pattern on the small tile sheet and imagined the whole thing differently.

Quartz... not quartzite*

Who is managing this project? Because they have some very odd order of operations going on. Plus the design is also a bit odd. The most important bit is the waterproofing. Given the state of the open ceiling and unprotected adjacent floor, that needs to be a raised concern.

Assuming the shower is fully waterproof I think Beths advice of repeating the herringbone makes sense...otherwise it's just an oddity. If this is a full tear out after it's proven the waterproofing is an issue then post back and 'let's start all over on this'. Best to post all other decisions that are locked in place plus the plan.

Why do you suspect that waterproofing is an issue? The surrounding floor is already tiled. It is simply covered to protect it.

my shower niche is on an exterior wall. I don't live in a city that gets snow or frost, but if you do, proper insulation measures could have been done to protect the niche from freezing weather that would result in added moisture.

Would have been nice if you used in on the shower floor too. (and I think doing the 2x2's on an accent would look worse)

Do you like the look? If you do, then leave it. tearing it out and trying to match up the gray tile, along w/matching up the grout color, which is difficult to do) might give you an even bigger problem.

Consider bring in the white mosaic somewhere else in the room.

what's the vanity wall look like?

you could do something like this to incorporate the accent in the shower. this one had this mosaic in the shower niche,(not shown in the pic) and a similar mosaic on the shower floor

BTW, perhaps doing the accent like this herringbone on the floor, would have a less contrasting look?

other examples of tying it in by doing the vanity wall

I like they way they did w/this one. It's subtle, above the countertop riser splash, but still makes a nice impact.

you could even do something like this w/a larger white herringbone

see how they did the same tile in the shower and on the vanity wall?

I have an intense dislike for herringbone tile.

Thanks for all the recommendations Beth. I really appreciate it. I like the size of the black herringbone tiles. They could definitely work above our vanity. I was also thinking of replacing the white accent tile with something completely different. We thought these might work, but now I am worried whatever I choose now might look worse.

oh, no to both. the flat rocks aren't horrible and the color is nice, but no no no to those glass bars!

it just depends if ripping it out can still preserve the waterproofing, and if you'll be able to match up the grout. (it's grouted, right?) you never want to grout separately because even minute changes in temperature or water amount can affect the color of the grout. (especially if it's darker). if you used something like FlexcolorCQ that comes premixed, then it should be ok.

i love herringbone.

I would leave it. Like many things, it's jarring right now because it's the latest thing -- once there's a showerhead and shampoo and glass and the rest of the bath is unveiled, I think this will be ok. Maybe you can use pieces from the herringbone as a "baseboard" all the way around.

Beth gave great advice and I agree with acm. Please don’t remove. I like it. It will be pretty when all done.

I'm with Beth on this one. Leave it and bring it into your design plan to make it feel more like a deliberate choice. What tile do you have chosen for the floor - not in the shower - the rest of the floor. You could use the same herringbone on the floor and I think it would look great. If the scale is a little too small check with the manufacturer to see if they have the herringbone in a larger size. The dark grey grout may be what is jarring for you - but I think it adds to the shower which otherwise would be a very grey space.

But then you could also just add some herringbone accessories....like these

Classic Black & White Herringbone Pattern Bath Mat by podartist | Society6 · More Info

Don't stare too long at this pattern - but it could be really cute against a white tile floor.

Herringbone towel | Etsy · More Info

These towels are so pretty and there are several style/colours to choose from in a turkish style towel.

Those towels are really pretty! Where did you find them? The shower doesn’t have any grout yet. I asked the tile installer to hold off on grouting until we make a decision. The plan was to use a grout similar to the color of the grey shower tile. Maybe we can play around with the grout to give the shower a slightly different effect. The floor is already done, so unfortunately we cant incorporate the herringbone pattern there. The floor is just covered with paper to protect it. It is the same grey tile as the walls.

Mvcanada- I see the link to the towels now. Thank you! It is such a small thing, but I think the towels will help tie in the design.

I don’t mind it at all but I’m another that loves herringbone. I think grouting it the same as the grey tile could help to make it cohesive. beths pics give good ideas on how to bring it in elsewhere.

I love herringbone. Beth gave a great suggestion on incorporating the herringbone someone else room. Another thought ...What height is the row of your accent herringbone in your shower? It’s hard to tell from the picture put it looks maybe a little low? What if you did 24” wide row of herringbone to bring the design up. Currently you have 12” so you would have to knock out a horizontal row of the dark grey 12x24 and add another row of herringbone above what you currently have.
I don’t know if this would compromise the waterproofing and grout like previously mention. I’m strictly talking aesthetics.

I think the herringbone would look much better if it was framed by pencil liner in the same color. But it’s probably too late for it now. But I like Beth’s ideas for incorporating it in other places in the room to make it feel more intentional.

You are moving the handheld pipe? But your shower is already tiled, so how are they moving the pipes behind the tiled wall?

Kim B- I have to check how far up the tiles go. I was thinking of the same option. We have to knock out a few of the gray tiles above the accent anyways so that may actually work.

Cpartist- we will be removing some of the tile and the plumber will be changing the position of the handheld pipe.

I meant chispa*

How are they not going to compromise waterproofing?