#Thisoldhouse Inspiration: tile everything

 

It has been awhile since the last #thisoldhouse update. As Thanksgiving came and went, and prep for the last AIA Indiana and YAF Indy events for the year did the same, my calendar seemed to fill faster than I could turn around. As mentioned in the “Day in the Life” post, this is where a decision of priorities comes into play. And the bathroom slowed. (Admittedly, I was trying to track down some consultants for other #thisoldhouse things too, but it still stalled the bathroom project) So while the holidays have physical labor in a lull, I thought you’d enjoy seeing some of the inspiration for the full bath renovation. If you need a refresher on what the bathroom started out as, you can see it here.

Today’s inspiration post will focus solely on tile. I know that seems a mundane thing to talk about, but if you think that’s the case…then you’ve never had to design/build/reno anything having to do with tile. Who knew there were so many options?! And holy cow are they expensive!

I’m going for a simple, elegant, minimal look for the interior renovation, so this narrowed the initial tile choices for the full bath. I love going to houzz or pinterest for inspiration. I curate most of my finds onto my own Pinterest boards for safe keeping – and sharing! The other fun thing is Pinterest continues to store your pins in the timeline of which you posted them, so as you scroll through, you can see how your aesthetic might have changed, or how you focused on different details as you narrowed your search. This was especially helpful in finding images for this post.

As I went through my images on my bathroom board, aptly (and a bit sophomoric-ally) titled “So Fresh and So Clean”, the below image seems to be the first of the simple white look. The ladies over at Desire to Inspire constantly curate amazing finds, so you’ll notice a theme of referencing them. I loved the simple lightness of the image, contrasted with the complexity of the wall tile and the shadow play that occurs because of its 3D nature. I know I will be returning the cast iron tub to the bathroom, so all-tile walls at this point were an option, but I decided to search for a more classic tile look.

 

 

I couldn’t decide if I wanted multiple tile types or just one. Or one tile for the walls and one tile for the floor. This option from Fresh Idea shows a variety of installation styles. The herringbone pattern is very well done, but there’s too much going on in this room for me, even with the muted colors.

 

 

Now we’re getting closer. The subway tile is simple and timeless and the color transition to the floor is a good contrast while being understated.

 

 

Remember how I mentioned the details stage of curating? This was a details find. I had pretty much decided on a white subway tile look, but wasn’t sure about the grout. This close-up image of a pinched black grout seam sealed the deal on a black/charcoal grout for me.

 

 

Because of the simple white color, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use the grout color and installation pattern to punch it up. I loved this design that radiated from the corner.

 

 

I started focusing on the floor. I wanted something that wouldn’t distract from the simplicity of the wall tile and found this image of penny tile floors with vertical norman-size subway tile. Progress.

 

 

Then I came across this remodeled brownstone in Brooklyn. Black penny tile it was. Considering I was planning on painting the underside of the cast iron tub black, it was another decision confirmed. But did I want white grout? This is an old house, and an active construction zone for the next goodness-knows-how-many years. White grout seems to foreshadow Friday nights on my hands and knees scrubbing grout lines. No thanks.

 

 

So I did a quick search of black penny tile with black grout and the rest is history….or rather its all still new, sitting in a box waiting to be installed. 😉 All of the plaster and lath is removed from the walls. The next step is to pull up the floor and see what kind of subfloor I’m working with to adhere the tile to. Then plumber, drywaller, tile, etc. All a lesson and a blog for another time.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the tile inspiration for #thisoldhouse. How do you approach project inspiration? Do you think about materials and reach for magazines? Hop online and do a keyword search? Do you notice that your inspirations change throughout the project? This is my first time on the homeowner renovation merry-go-round and I’d love your input.

Until next time,