Have you ever felt overwhelmed by which tile shape, color and size to use for your bathroom? As we continue to reveal each part of our master bathroom renovation, I feel ever so grateful that the quality of materials we used are from so many wonderful companies.

We were fortunate enough to get white matte subway tile from Bedrosians Tile. I used Bedrosians tile for the girls’ bathroom renovation four years ago. And, so for my own bathroom, I didn’t hesitate using them again!

I think it’s safe to say for the majority of my client renovations and projects, they have used Bedrosians Tile as well.

It completely makes sense. The pricing, quality and selection are unbeatable. And, they have plenty of locations for anyone to stop by and take a firsthand look.

Sage Advice for Selecting Tile: My Visit to the Bedrosians Showroom

When I first started designing the space, I was torn between using colorful tiles and patterns versus neutral minimalistic tiles.

It truly was a mental battle to decide what I wanted.

The best way to resolve any design dilemma is to see the materials in person. So, off I went to the showroom.

When I arrived, there were plenty of things for me to see. But, a wave of panic came over me, they all looked good to me!

 

How in the world will I decide?

I was able to witness beautiful designs like this pretty Cloe Tile in an Art Deco black and white pattern.

Image Credit: Bedrosians Tile

Ideas swirled in my head. Do I want to showcase flooring or a tiled vanity wall or better yet a highly stylized design in the shower?

Sage Advice for Selecting Tile: What I Learned

Here is what I learned about the tile selection process:

1) Visual Research: Do tons and tons of visual research on Pinterest, Houzz, Instagram and your favorite design magazines and blogs.
There is something to be said for osmosis learning. Have you noticed when you watch a cooking show, you find yourself picking up certain cooking techniques?

The same goes for immersing yourself into design. The more you deep dive into different designs, colors and looks, you will start building a mental portfolio of what you are drawn to. Start a Pinterest board of all the tiles you want to consider. Then, when it is really time to decide, start the process of elimination.

2) Narrow it Down! Process of Elimination is the best strategy. For me, I was torn between a patterned tile and a white 3×12 matte subway tile. I also was struggling with adding a bold focalus point. Be it the floor, shower or vanity wall.

How did I decide all of this? I narrowed down what I liked to three choices. Then, I narrowed down to two and made a final decision. So, for the pattern tile versus white subway, I decided to go with white subway tile because my design goal was to have a very serene and spa like environment.

Next, I took a hard look at my bathroom footprint. I tried to imagine a colorful mosaic tile flooring, a colored picket tile vanity wall and a very fun and bright shower with two complementing tile patterns. In the end, none of the three bold focal accents would fit into my aesthetic goal.

So, the best compromise was to use a material like carrera marble in a penny round shape. It not only gave a grip to the floor when we are showering (no slipping in the shower please!) but the texture looks shiny and watery from afar. Yet, it is very hardy and at closer look isn’t shiny at all. Magic!

3) Visual Imagery: Another way to eliminate choices down to your final decision is to practice some visual imagery. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and rest your brain and body for 15 minutes in a quiet place. Imagine all the feelings you will have in your new bathroom. Visualize yourself getting ready in the morning and taking a bath or shower.

For me, I imagined waking up to the space and craving simplicity and spa like feelings. None of the three bold focus accents would fit into that type of aesthetic goal.

4) Quality: There are many different levels of tile quality. Depending on your budget, Bedrosians offers wonderful tile for a wide budget range. That is why I liked using them so much. My clients like it too! Many times before I sign a client on, they already mention they want to use ing Bedrosians.

5) Tile Size: Something that I always initially stumps me is making sure the tile size will end up flush at the corners or ends of the walls. I hate it when we end up cutting tile to make up for a tiny row. Inevitably, the walls are never perfect and there is always some kind of adjustment needed for the tiles to fit nicely. I would suggest before you even buy the tile you want, try different sized tiles and work within your measurement so that you know ahead of time of any potential problems. The last thing you want is for your contractor or tile guy to come up to you and say “ma’am we have a problem.”. And, if you are designing two kinds of tile sizes, make sure dimensions are multiples of each other. For example, 12×12 floor tiles and 4×4 wall tiles would align perfectly.

Sage Advice for Selecting Tile: Quartz Countertops

I am excited to share about the countertops we selected for on the white oak vanity. They are simple bright white, yet it is quite a substantial piece of material. I never knew a plain white countertop could feel and look so luxurious!

Due to the quality of the slab ( you can tell right away it is substantial and thick), I love how the white contrasts with the white oak wood vanity.
So many of you are in love with my vanity and I think much of it is due to the beautiful contrast with the quartz countertop!

I hope this blog post gives gave you insight into the ins and outs of selecting tile for your bathroom project!
The matte white subway tiles and sublime white quartz top from Bedrosians were was more than perfect for my design vision. I invite you to go to one of their showrooms to check out tiles for your renovation project.

Happy day!

This post was sponsored by Bedrosians Tile. However, all opinions are my own. I love sharing what is true to my aesthetics and what helps you choose and style your next home transformation. Thank you for your support!