it is a lot of dark for a small room... sometimes I think people like to reccomend things they don'w have the guts to try in their own space.

Slow down and think this through... this is Your home.

I agree with Lyn, that floor tile is awfully dark for a small bathroom. I have a slate look floor tile in my master bath, but it is not as dark. They should have an abundance of choices in 12 X 24. Choose something lighter, and use the same tile in a smaller size for the shower floor. Something 1 - 2", squares or a hex. In a small bathroom it's best to keep things simple. Also if it's the same tile, no worries about matching. The shower walls could be the same as the floor, but a white would brighten things up more. I don't like white on the floor because that shows every speck of dirt and fallen hair.

I hate dark bathrooms and shower enclosures, so I don't like the design. How will you see the large spider in the shower!!

I would also not use a product that is clearly not recommended for wet floors when there are so many products out there that are. Why even begin a project with the wrong product? Will the tile showroom sign a letter taking responsibility for a product used incorrectly? They won't!

Try again with a different designer who can tick the check box for "shower floors" on the inventory site and look at correct, viable options.

FWIW I would try to choose something more visually quiet and cohesive -- if your current choices are anything to go by it seems you like bold color and contrast, but in a small room it's choppy and harsh, I think the tiles you linked would be A Lot in this small space!

Thank you All. After absorbing these comments, I'm doing some more research and will update in the next few hours,

That is a Tile Salesperson, not a tile designer. And she is trying to earn a big fat commission check. That’s how The Tile Shop people are paid. Only commissions. High pressure sales, against industry standards, is their norm. Plus they love MSI junk. Tile installers hate them. They make their job harder. Or impossible.

If your contractor is experienced and very good with bathroom remodels, ask the contractor for a recommendation to a good tile store.

As I type this, I realize I’m sitting on a chocolate leather couch across from an olive green one in a BM Tangelo-walled living room with art and other accents in warm browns/burnt reds and oranges/dark greens. The 2 other bathrooms, installed by previous owner, feature cream and brown limestone square floor tile; 2x2 shower/bath walls; and mosaic shower floor. One bathroom’s walls are painted red!

However, I neglected to inform you all that while living in this DC brownstone, I rent 3 of the 4 bedrooms to grad/law students for 3-6 month terms and occasionally nightly stays to tourists and business travelers. The bathroom we are discussing is located inside one of these bedrooms—I will rarely experience it, actually, so perhaps the design should be more generic. The bedroom’s walls are painted BM Old Salem Gray and the room gets western vs morning light; the bathroom itself is windowless (a transom and frosted glass shower wall capture limited light from the BR).

The brush-stroked movement and moodiness of this honed olive-grey concrete porcelain tile appeals to me (cooler-toned and less rustic than my other limestone BAs, but I like it). However, do you think guests/tenants would find an all-grey environment too depressing in which to jumpstart their daily routine—for days on end? Is a grey concrete look timeless, or is it a trend that is now, or soon will be, past its prime? I envision the olive-grey 12x24 on all shower walls and bathroom floor and a 2x2 mosiac shower floor—the shower has its own recessed light and a partially frosted wall.BM Chantilly Lace on ceiling and all walls. Maybe replace white gloss Ikea vanity front with a white oak one? Keep the Absolute black granite countertop and add a fake green plant or orchid (I’m all brown thumbs)?

OR, should I play it safe with beige walls and olive-grey mosaic and bath floor tiles? I appreciate each of you who took the time to consider and respond previously and hope you are still hanging in there with me! Others' opinions gratefully accepted as well!

" Will my dark gray preference turn off mid-term tenants"

Is this all for a rental?

Consider how you would feel with your choices…on a daily basis. To me, how you mix the tiles is less important than the overall impact and being dark/busy is not a direction I‘d head. You can still have impact/drama by keeping to two larger sized tiles (suggest one being light). Remember lighting, vanity, and fixtures will have a big influrnce and instead of tile fatigue, the entire bathroom will be appreciated.

Had you looked at inspiration bathrooms? There are endless combinations and seeing the big picture can be a great help. More of a spa feel is always a good choice.

A good lighting plan can cure a lot. Which is why you need someone with the big picture design creating, not just a tile salesperson selling you one part of it. Incorrectly.

Do short term students really care about the tile in a bathroom? I would do white in that tiny space. It will feel bigger, be brighter, and be less oppressive. It seems to me the tenants will be preoccupied with their studies and care little for surroundings. If you were leasing to young professionals who might be there for three or four years, I might do something more sophisticated. But this is essentially a hotel room while they complete studies.

@millworkman, yes for one of the rental BEDrooms in my shared home. It currently rents for $1850/month to students who opt for it over $1400 rooms with private bathroom in DC as well as month-long business travelers looking for less expensive, but still interesting alternatives to hotel rooms. I think the market will bear $2000/month (it's been as high as $2500, pre-airbnb), so quality materials and thoughtful selection are important.

@maureen, thanks for the suggestion. Here is a HD slate application in a basement bath in my previous home that became a rental shortly after. It is smaller than the OP bathroom, and like @kandrewspa's slate bathroom, is not as dark as my OP tile selections. The shower's recessed lighting highlights the tiles' shimmer quality and light gray brush strokes. Do you think the smaller size of the shower and the similarly-sized tiles on both its walls and floors eliminate tile fatigue? The bath floors are 12x12 slate squares and the walls are painted a crisp white. Large rectangular mirror almost the width of the wall opposite the bathroom door. I enjoyed the bathroom and other (admittedly visitors/prospective tenants) commented favorably on its dramatic flair.

@remodeling1840, I get those professionals as well. Current tenant is a well-traveled 29-year old from a well-off Indian family getting his masters in international finance. He's here for a school year. Recently hosted for 9-months a 42-year old UK translation business owner opening her US HQ in Baltimore but felt DC was safer and more interesting to live within.

I think that tile would be stunning in a powder room, but in a bath not so much. The first time I dropped a contact I would be cursing it. And do you really want to have a situation where your law student tenant falls on the slick tile that you knew was not approved for that use? I don't think you have enough liability insurance for that.

You seem very creative, I'm confident you can create a stunning bold bathroom that is not dark and gloomy.

@jenny, LOL, I'm sure some of those curses would be reserved for me and rightly so! Good point.

Everything depends on the choices. I was recently in a home that had a guest bathroom all in charcoal black.

It was fabulous.

Oh ok I see the current bath is not your design choices, sorry for assuming!

I do think the bathroom you posted a couple comments up would feel like showering in a cave. It's definitely stylish and I can see why people commented on its drama. But yeah, cave. I don't know that as a relatively short term tenant, it would make or break a rental decision. I shower without my contacts in AND I have SAD so yes it would bother me after a little while 😅

Since it's for short to medium term residents, you could look at it either way I suppose -- either make it more universal/neutral since people from various backgrounds and tastes will use it, or make it as intense as you want because no one will be living with it forever!

@rebasheba, Universal--that's the word I was searching for! Yes, I want to go that route. I'm looking for a dark floor for both in and outside the shower; in my experience, light shows up hair and grime (biweekly cleaning of bathrooms is included in the rent). Since room is windowless, I thought glossy light tiles for shower walls, placed horizontally since the ceilings are already 9 or 10 feet tall. I prefer the least amount of grout lines possible, And I don't ever want to go through this process again, lol, so I want good quality, color all through the porcelain, etc. I haven't been able to find anything as of yet.

@Kendrah @rebasheba @maureen https://www.houzz.com/user/maureenthompon How about this floor tile in either black or gray but with this white stacked vs staggered subway tile. Would it look okay with thischrome rain dance shower kit currently installed? I like the inset on the back wall, but don't really need it since the shower kit has its own ledge.

Yeah I think it looks really crisp. Will you do the dark/contrasting grout?

I think the niche would be a bonus.

Yes, I like the nice clean look of the simple black floor and white walls. I personally would stagger the subway tile because as you say you never want to do this again and I think stacked is going to look dated faster, but just a matter of preference.

A niche does sound handy but I've seen folks on here kvetch about them - don't remember why. And I'm sure there is a debate about keeping black floors clean vs white floors.

I realize this isn't your question, but is there a way to get a bigger sink in there? That would be a bigger deal breaker to me than whatever the shower is.

@RNmomof2 zone 5, there are 2 sinks in there; to the left you can see the standard sized one.