Thank you for the comment, but you assume a lot. First, this is a remodel, not a new build. Nothing is changing as far as the floor plan goes…all things will be in the same place. I am waiting on the sketch of it since it will have the measurements I will need when I am ready to order everything. A designer (yes i have one) has helped me pick out tiles and fixtures for both color schemes. She assures me that both will stand the test of time and give me a spa feel, but I’m not sure that I agree. I just wanted a few opinions before I decide.

Im not certain which option is more timeless, but I have a preference for the wood look because of the large format. The less grout you have to clean the better.

I’m no help, but I prefer the size of the wood tile and the look of the turquoise. Why not do it like the pic, vanity tile in turquoise and a more simple 12x24 white tile for the shower? I’m not sure a huge shower full of turquoise tile will stand the test of time. Do you care about resale? That might be a specific taste.

Thanks everyone. KR, I love the blue and I’m not worried about resale, just worried that i will get tired of it. The rest of my house is neutral with wood floors and Sherwin Williams Alabaster on most walls. with some decor (rugs, pillows) with blue tones. I understand that wood looks are trendy, but I also think that a nice natural wood tone doesn’t ever go out of style. I know that I’m all over the place here, but what I do know is that I don’t want an all white bathroom. I know the marble look is really popular, but I think it looks too cold without another color to warm it up. I dont have any grey in my house, so i didn’t think any grey would work. I’ll have to ask the designer if she has ideas for a neutral palette but I’m open to suggestions!

but I also think that a nice natural wood tone doesn’t ever go out of style.

Tile is NOT a nice natural wood. It's tile. Big difference. The wood tile look is already out of style.

Your turquoise choice actually works as a neutral. For pops of color, add the complement which would be a peach or orange shade.

I like both your choices, but neither is timeless. I don’t know if there is such a concept anymore!

I vote turquoise. Also, I like the turquoise but probably only a few things are considered timeless. White subway or hex tile, square tiles in certain contexts, marble, white and black tile patterns, penny tile, herringbone… The turquoise tile is pretty, but the shape could definitely be dated eventually. Read articles from Maria Killam if you are interested in timeless. If you truly want timeless, I would look into other options. And it’s so hard to convey meaning online, but I chose Zellige and marble for my bathroom which some would say marble is awful, don’t ever do it and Zellige will be dated and would never put an uneven tile in a shower. I am more for doing what the heart wants especially in a home you plan to stay in so if you really love one of these — do it!! It’s your shower!

Everything is dated eventually, I don’t care what it is. We have 2 bathrooms that are all white porcelain tile and I hate them (feel so sterile) and actually love my peach, black and white bathroom from the 1930s much more. If you are worried about timeless though, perhaps do a classic tile and then use a pretty wallpaper — I went more classic with my tile. but then put Stiffkey blue farrow and ball aranami in the WC for example. Wallpaper is much easier to remove compared to tile ;) There are so many beautiful wallpapers — I could cover my whole house in them!!

And as far as a spa feel (I also wanted that), I def feel that with marble and Zellige and then used wood vanities. "Organic" (ie natural-- marble, wood, terra cotta) is going to be your friend with a spa vibe. Also heated floors, towel warmer, bidet, plush towels, lots of candles, go ahead and splurge and buy fancy soap and bath salts and pretty containers for shampoo, etc. we considered a steam shower but are going to put one in the basement when renovate down there. Look at some of Emily Henderson’s bathrooms - esp her mountain house — def a spa vibe and also feels classic. But then she also did a turquoise fish tile in a kids bath years ago, and I would absolutely consider doing something more trendy like that in a kids bath. Also second you should make sure to have a good tiler — just be blunt with the contractor and tell him you want the best and someone certified—things are really bad right now from what I’ve heard with people renovating (we got lucky and had wonderful tilers). Friends had to have tile ripped out twice— yes twice and they had a very basic porcelain hex mosaic. Have fun and enjoy!!

I probably wouldn’t do an all black floor ever — but every time I see this bathroom on IG it makes me gasp— thought it would be a good inspo pic for you with the turquoise. I think this bathroom was in arch digest.

Here are a few more: I love the Zellige turquoise but fireclay tile also has beautiful handmade tiles — I would take a look at them as well.

Thank you, Erika, for the pics. I love fireclay tiles! i think if i keep the turquoise very light in color and on one wall of the shower, it would look good and not be overwhelming. Thanks for the heads up about tile installers. We used this contractor a few years ago to add an outdoor kitchen and we used black slate for the floor. The tile installers did a great job, so hopefully we will get the same ones.

I also vote turquoise. Wood-look wall tile reminds me of 1960s wood wall paneling.

I don’t like wood-look anything - I love real wood though.

You’re welcome Janelle! I have been saving pics of the turquoise for awhile now — it is so pretty :)

i think if i keep the turquoise very light in color and on one wall of the shower, it would look good and not be overwhelming.

Personally, I think it would look choppy versus doing the whole shower in the light turquoise. Then it will look like a jewel box within your bathroom.

Thanks for the heads up about tile installers. We used this contractor a few years ago to add an outdoor kitchen and we used black slate for the floor. The tile installers did a great job, so hopefully we will get the same ones.

Just because they did a great job on your outdoor kitchen slate floors, doesn't mean they know how to properly WATERPROOF a shower. I did a great job laying tile in my kitchen in my first house and putting in a backsplash in my second house, but I wouldn't have a clue how to waterproof a shower properly. Tile and grout ARE NOT waterproof. If a shower is properly waterproofed, you should be able to shower in it even before the first tile is laid.

Again, make sure they give you the full scope of how they intend to waterproof and rebuild your shower. There are several threads on here where the tile pros have linked to how best to hire a tile pro.

I agree with cpartist that I would just do the whole shower in one tile — no accent walls or niches. I think doing one tile is more “classic”. How a shower is waterproofed very much depends on where you are but my tilers and contractors pretty much discussed it from the beginning. Plus they were very strict about certain things — I couldn’t have a tiled niche for example (I guess this isn’t universal but they refused because of potential water issues). Since I am bringing up niches, also consider how that will be done and edging the tile. This actually gave me the most headache!! I don’t like the schluter edging for old homes and was using marble for my floor so didn’t want to use quartz in a niche or a bench — I just don’t like fake looking marble next to real marble (and where I live, few people use Calacatta— I could find no slabs or remnants). I ended up doing a ledge which I love a lot more — tons of room and it doesn’t break up the wall tile. I was able to order a ledge and curb from a marble store in New Jersey :). Then for the bench I just did a teak one which I think gives more of a “spa” vibe and love it!! Anyways, a lot of people are having a bad experience right now because of the labor issues. Even my contractor was having a negative experience with a company who had previously been competent and luckily fired them before they touched my bathroom. I also had been very insistent all along about wanting good tilers because we were using Zellige and it made me nervous to not have someone very experienced do it.

Thanks for the info, cpartist! I thought you were talking about the skill of the tile setters with regards to planning the layout to leave as few small pieces, etc. Yes waterproofing is a different matter and one that I will research and ask about before work starts. Good advice.

Erika, I love the idea of a ledge instead of a niche! I’m going to google that for ideas.

Just thought you’d like to see what I’ve been dealing with. I’m not at home to take more photos, but I have this one on my phone that I took to make the argument to my husband of remodeling the bathroom. The tub is blue and has steep steps to get into it. It’s an accident waiting to happen. We don’t use it so it just became a place for the cats to get a sunny nap. I can’t wait to rip it out along with the glass block!

Also-- where i live, there are like 2 certified tile contractors and 20 KDs in the entire state LOL (Midwest and not Chicago). However, the tiler we used could show me pics of his previous work, explained all the waterproofing and how to lay the tiles, etc. I also watched them carefully handselect tiles, mix boxes, and laid them out before installing. He also does installs for a local designer who has had her homes featured in house beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, etc (I know that doesnt matter in and of itself, but it felt like a rec to me!!). My contractor also said he was the best in the city so I felt very confident that they were going to do a good job :) Basically, it is great if you live somewhere where there are lots of certified folks but not everyone is that lucky, but there are other ways to determine how they "good" they are. Also, take pics along the way. I think that is helpful if issues arise and try to be there (dont go on vacation -- i know it can be terrible to live where construction is happening, but you want to have a leg to stand on if something happens.) One thing to check on for sure is insurance and any warranties your contractor will uphold (for example, our contractor will stand behind the work and redo it on his dime and not ours but not everyone will do that from what i've heard). Enjoy!!

@Janelle oh boy. I feel you. My husband and I had this tiny shower that was like 2 feet by 3 feet and a pedestal sink and it just was not working. It had been remodeled in the 90s and yours look like about the same time period. We ended up adding on an addition so had a completely new space to work with but we will be turning our old bathroom into a kids bathroom eventually. Have fun with it and many here on Houzz are very knowledgeable to help prevent any catastrophes -- I had no idea what I didn't know until I started this process :)

Janelle the 80's are calling and they want their tub back. ;)

Hahaha. I will have to show you the pics of the bathrooms from the listing when I moved into my house. It had been on the market for almost a year and my neighborhood was one that was difficult to get into pre-pandemic. You will see why ;). I actually love the charm of the Art Deco bathroom without the wild shower curtain and valence. But anytime someone tells me white tile is classic for a bathroom, I have 2 bathrooms that prove the contrary lol. The bathroom with jacuzzi tub— why on earth would you ever do that in such a tiny room. And it is so gross as most jacuzzi tubs are— we just stopped using it and plan to put the laundry in there eventually. To me what makes something classic is more a matter of the quality of materials, craftsmanship, the whole picture rather than just a tile — like everything in the Art Deco bathroom goes together and maybe wouldn’t be something I would choose today but it has a style. These other 2 bathrooms — my goodness!! They make no sense function wise. And there was space to choose a different layout for the bathroom with Just the shower, but this is what was chosen — yikes!!

How do these inspiration pictures compare to the actual space you want to remodel? That may make a difference in what I think. Honestly, I like both spaces, but I probably prefer the turquoise a little more.

Im not certain which option is more timeless,

These are both clean, fresh looks -- and neither is trendy, which is a positive. Trendy will go out of style, but these are more unique, not something that'll scream 2022 in a couple years.

White subway

Ugh. Is anything in decorating as overplayed as dull-as-dirt white subway tile? Oh, yes, the term "spa-like". So many other descriptors exist! Calm, organic, natural, clean, open, restful, a retreat, pampering, light-filled, zen, relaxing, plush, soft, simple, indulgent -- nope, we have to keep rolling back to spa-like. Rant over.

Here are a few more: I love the Zellige turquoise but fireclay tile also has beautiful handmade tiles — I would take a look at them as well.

I love handmade-looking tiles -- that second picture is really appealing.

I agree with cpartist that I would just do the whole shower in one tile — no accent walls or niches. I think doing one tile is more “classic”.

No, you've gotta have some storage space IN the shower, so niches, ledges, whatever -- they are necessary. In a perfect world you'd have a pony wall and could hide your storage behind that. Also, install more storage than you think you need ... or embrace bottles on the shower floor.

While we're talking about practical ideas, don't forget to plan a space for your towel bars ... we're talking about a bathroom that looks good, but a bathroom that WORKS is even more important.

doesn't mean they know how to properly WATERPROOF a shower.

On the subject of waterproofing, consider adding grab bars to your shower while it's being built -- if you need to add them later, you can damage the waterproofing /risk mold behind your tiles. Maybe you don't need grab bars now, but having them couldn't hurt. You can buy attractive grab bars that don't look like they belong in a nursing home.

The tub is blue and has steep steps to get into it. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

Oh, yeah. I've used that tub in a hotel. Putting aside the color, it takes forever to fill and isn't all that comfortable.

Mrs Pete — I meant an accent niche with like different tiling inside the niche— i mean keep all the tile the same on the walls unless you have a very skilled designer. I do agree with you about storage. I ended up doing a ledge rather than a niche because a niche didn’t feel as functional to me as a ledge - I will post a pic of my ledge. Also agree with you so much about white tile — just look at my white bathrooms above!! Nothing feels classic about them haha. And absolutely think about where to put the towels — I got a towel warmer because I love them when I go to Europe and got a British unlacquered brass stourton one that was way too expensive but I couldn’t stop thinking about it haha — but the heart wants the heart wants :)

I vote turquoise. And I vote large format tile to reduce grout. If you want wood, have a wood vanity. No fake wood, please!

Were this my bath, I'd probably do an aqua floor in 2" square or hex mosaic. Then I'd choose a very large format tile (2'x4') plain tile in a light colour, perhaps a faux marble with very little veining. And I'd do the vanity in walnut or teak (though it appears you prefer a weathered oak look. That works too. Just not me.)

Depending on the size and layout of the bathroom, I might choose an aqua glass countertop for the vanity or conversely a white marble countertop and an aqua backsplash. It's easy to go overboard with too many patterns, colours and materials. Restraint is key. So it's possible that I'd go entirely plain with the counter and backsplash.

Here's an example of an aqua glass countertop:

Beachfront Contemporary · More Info

Aqua penny tile floor:

Alameda Prairie-Style: Gourmet Kitchen & Baths · More Info

Like these 2 bathrooms do some really cool things with tile. However; I think it’s very hard to pull something like this off without a skilled designer. I think everyone has seen some bad accent tile — IMO it’s better to not try if it’s an average person and not a skilled designer doing it. I designed my bathroom myself and if I had known how hard it was going to be, I would have never done it. Luckily our contractor has a design team on staff that helped me with layout and prevented major errors and kept me from parings that didn’t work, but I will never design anything like a bathroom or kitchen after this experience LOL.

Erika that white tile, while dated looking, is better than my bathroom! I have the glass block everywhere and the tub, sinks, and toilet are blue. The floor and shower tile is white 4x4 tile with the diamond shaped navy blue tiles inset (like the tub surround). The navy blue tiles dont match the blues of the tub and sinks! The tile was very nicely done and the shower has held up all of these years so I guess they got something right lol

Cpartist I love 80’s music but NOT 80’s house design!

Thank you Mrs Pete. Lots of ideas to think about especially about the grab bars. I’m probably going to be using Delta shower system in champagne bronze and I saw they hve matching grab bars.

Jennifer K beautiful pictures! Thanks for the advice to practice restraint. I agree with you.