Sire Design Daily: TILE SCHOOL: 5 Tips for Choosing Bathroom Tile

Welcome to the first post of our Tile School blog series. In the next few weeks we will be sharing with you the do's and dont's of all things tile, together with all those questions and answers you should know about the wonderful world of porcelain, marble, mosaics and more.

As one of South Florida's Top Interior Design Firms, we are not new to the use of tile in our projects. In fact, tile is our go-to material to use when we want a wow factor in our interior design projects. Most of the time we get clients who love the use of tile throughout various parts of our renovation projects but simply aren't sure how to incorporate them or fear the maintenance associated with its installation. In the paragraphs that follow we will guide you through tips that will make selecting your bathroom tile the easiest task on your renovation list!

Class is in session!

You're all set, you have the perfect design concept in mind for a bathroom remodel, you're ready to go and then out of nowhere you become unsure about creating the vision in real life. Well you're not the only one. Selecting the proper fixtures and color palette is fundamental, but most importantly the tile you select will define the space for long time to come.

Here are 5 tips that work as a guide into creating the bathroom design you've envisioned for so long.

1. PICK YOUR MUST HAVE TILE FIRST.

Typically when we start a bathroom renovation we have one tile that we dream of including in our design. This tile most of the time has something that is really special or its look provides a unique accent tile to the space. Sometimes its as simple as knowing you want white subway tile, which is a timeless classic go-to in my book. Either route you go, take that dream tile and use it as the starting point for the other tile you will choose for your bathroom design.

Here are a few of our favorite must-have tiles:

DUMONT MILAN GRAY MARBLE TILE

VZAG NERO AND BRASS

HIGHLAND SUPERNOVA

HAWTHORME ALBESCENT TILE

2. TRY TO KEEP IT NO MORE THAN 3 DIFFERENT TILES.

Using your first (must-have) choice as a starting point, use it to make the decision for the other tiles you will include in you design. If your must have is a really unique color or pattern and is going to be the focal point of your design, pull more subtle colors from it to use in your accent tiles. However, if your must have tile is really subtle (like a subway tile) you may want to add an element of interest with a colorful accent tile or even a smaller scale white penny tile to change it up a bit and add some interest.

Normally you choose a floor tile, a wall tile for the shower/tub area or even all the walls in your bathroom and an accent tile that will be used as a focal point. Now just to be clear, this is a guideline. Feel free to break these rules a bit if you feel like you can tackle it.

SOURCE

SIRE DESIGN COLOR PALLET FOR UPCOMING BATHROOM RENOVATION - VZAG ANTIQUE MIRROR

TENNESSEE TAUPE HEXAGONS POLISHED MARBLE TILE

TERRINE JUPITER BLEND 1X1 GLASS TILES

3. STICK TO ONE SHOW STOPPER.

Lets be real, there's hundreds even thousands of beautiful tiles to pick from and a bathroom is a perfect place to show off some of your personality and take a risk with a beautiful color or pattern on your tiles. However, if you are going for it, keep it to one show stopper. Think of your bathroom tile as a runway show. We all know fashion designers leave that one amazing creation as the last look in their show. Make your show stopper just that, YOUR WOW FACTOR. By doing this, you'll make your look timeless and really create that focal point that you are going for since it won't be competing with the other elements in the room.

Many of these superb tiles can be pricey depending on your budget, but if you're working in a small area like a bathroom, they will always be worth the splurge since you won't need very many square feet. Your show stopper area can be big or small, it's all up to you!

Check out a few show stopper examples below:

BRAZILIAN TIGER BLUE TECH POLISHED 24X48 PORCELAIN

GATSBY SILVER NERO AND THASSOS WITH CHROME LINE

4. TAKE MAINTENANCE INTO CONSIDERATION.

Alright let's be honest, no one like to clean a bathroom for hours (except our amazing cleaning lady Martha, God bless her). When choosing a tile its important to take into consideration the maintenance each of these selections require. For wet areas you'll probably want porcelain or ceramic tile because they are virtually maintenance free. Make sure you double check to see if they need to be sealed upon installation. Tiles made from natural stone require more maintenance and do have to be sealed. They are definitely more porous so they tend to hold on to dirt and grime more. If you are wanting to add texture with stone, it may be a good idea to use it on the floor or in a less wet area. Lastly, glass tile is stunning and makes a great wall or accent tile. It is super slipper, so it doesn't work well on the floor unless you go with a tile marble blend like the one below.

REFELCTION ATHENS GRAY & WOODEN BEIGE MIRROR PENNY

Check out gorgeous glass tile that work beautifully as an accent wall:

ALLURE WATERSCAPE GLASS AND MARBLE TILE

CHANTILLY LACE MARBLE AND GLASS

5. CONSIDER SCALE

Large scale tiles are the new trend when it comes to bathroom floors. If you choose to go that direction, you can use the same tile cut in smaller sizes in a different area of the bathroom. For example if you use 12 x 24 tiles on the floor, you can use the same tile on the bathroom floor in 2x2s to continue the color across the entire floor, but creating a more slip free shower floor.