Shower accent wall with wood look tile - good idea?

last year

Dear all, thanks again for your help!

For our small master's bathroom (shower only), we were introduced with an idea of using an accent wall but we are not familiar with this idea. A designer suggested that we can use the same wood-look large format floor tiles (9"x48") and go all the way to the wall.

Here is the current job site photo and the bathroom layout:

My wife got inspired by this design (to have wood look tiles go from floor to the wall):

But when I do a computer simulation with ChatGPT, it doesn't look particularly good:

I did some online research on pinterest and looks like there are many examples, but not sure if I like all of them. Our idea is to mix with travertine-look wall tiles with wood-look floor tiles.

What do you think? Since our shower room is not big so my concern is the wood-look tile would make it look smaller, and maybe we will be better off to have all three wall of the shower to have the same travertine-look tiles (after all, we are really new to such accent wall idea). What do you think? It seems that something like this (see below) may look better? Thoughts? Thanks again!

Featured Answer

PRO

LA Wallcovering

last year

This is a great question, and it's wise to consider how the design choices will affect the perception of space, especially in a smaller bathroom.

Your concern about the wood-look tile making the shower feel smaller is valid. Darker or strongly horizontal patterns can sometimes visually shorten a space.

Here's my take on your options:

Wood-look accent wall (inspired by the first image): While visually interesting in larger spaces, in a small shower, a full wall of the horizontally laid wood-look tile could make the shower area feel narrower and the ceiling feel lower, especially if the other walls are a lighter travertine look. Your ChatGPT simulation seems to reflect this potential effect.
Mixing travertine-look wall tiles with wood-look floor tiles: This is a classic and generally safe approach that allows for a contrast in texture and pattern without overwhelming a small space. The travertine look will likely feel lighter and more expansive on the walls.
All three shower walls in travertine-look tiles (like the last image): This is often a great solution for smaller bathrooms. Using the same lighter tile throughout the shower can create a seamless and more open feeling. It eliminates visual breaks and keeps the focus on the fixtures and any other design elements.

My thoughts:

Given the small size of your shower, I lean towards the idea of using the travertine-look tiles on all three walls of the shower. This will likely make the space feel brighter and more spacious. You can then bring in the warmth and texture of the wood look with your floor tiles.

An accent wall can work in a small shower, but it often works best when the accent material is lighter or used vertically to draw the eye upward. A full horizontal wood-look wall might not achieve that same effect in a compact space.

What do you think of the idea of keeping the shower walls consistent with the travertine look to maximize the feeling of spaciousness? You can still achieve a beautiful design by contrasting that with your chosen floor tile.

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Comments (8)

Nova
last year
I like it when it is one shower wall as you mentioned, not 3 sides like some of those pics. ChatGPT chose a gross brown color and does not have the grain/grout running in the same direction on floor and wall, so that looks odd. It'll look best when you have other tiles and colors picked out with a wood tile version you two for sure like. Do it like your first picture- one statement wall as planned, all tiles facing the same direction.
W C thanked Nova
chispa
last year
Not all wood-look tile is the same and not all travertine-look tile is the same. Some combinations might look good and some hideous, so choose carefully.

Personally I don't like wood-look tile on the walls of a shower as it just screams FAKE.
W C thanked chispa
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PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Wood look tile would be appropriate if your home leans rustic casual. If not then there are other ways to do an accent wall in the shower. See below.
W C thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
W C
Original Author
last year
Thanks for everyone's feedback. I think we have gave up for the accent wall idea as we want to play safe (we are not experienced with accent wall design).

Currently we are looking for using travertine-look tile (NAVONA VEIN NIVEO 24" x 48" rectified matte porcelain tile) for the entire walls (inside and outside of the shower stall, for the entire bathroom which is 90" x 78"), and use Monroe Bay Wood Look Matte Porcelain Tile for the bathroom floor outside of the shower stall. Do you think this would work? Thanks so much!!

We haven't decided what tile to use for the shower stall floor. Originally we wanted to use the same "Monroe Bay Wood Look Matte Porcelain" tile to create a sense of continuity, but after we talked to the tiling contractor (he has 20+ years of experience), he suggested that we pick some other floor tiles (e.g., hexagon) as the large format look matte tile can be slippery. Any recommendations about what kind of hexagon floor tiles to use in the shower stall? Thanks again!
Lyn Nielson
last year
a small tile to handle the slope to the drain. how about a cut stone tile? looks like stones embedded in grout. Natural.

too bad you gave up on the accent wall, it would have been attractive to run the floor tile up the back wall of the shower and something lighter on the walls.
chispa
last year
last modified: last year
Have you seen that Travertine-look tile installed? It becomes a lot of stripes/pattern when covering a large area. Does that tile not offer a mosaic for the shower floor?

Is this the look you want? This tile was trending 15 years ago. Both of these photos are from 2012.
The Bradner Residence · More Info

Reyhani · More Info

From 2015

Glenwood Project · More Info
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I dislkke wood look tile even for floors it is adated look and IMO used only where real wood would have made sense so not in a shower usually. I like simple majotr items in small spaces so often I use a plainn 12 x24 porcelain tile for both bathroom floor and shower walls the same tile only smaller for the shower floor. Matching grout all simple and easy to change wall color , accessories when ever you want a change . Accne twalls need to connect to something else in the space and can give a dated look quickly so IMO not where a change costs huge money . If you keep all the tile work simple you could add an accent wall with even wallpaper in some cases . I do not even like niches in showers done as an accent for sure sinceIMO shampoo bottles are not decor . In fact I do not do niches usually at all.