Decorating and Design - Faux ideas / feedback wanted...

for a soon-to-be-completed bathroom with custom arch window and in-deck whirlpool tub. Definitely want to finish-up with a knock-out faux finish on the walls, but as you can see below, I'm having a tough time of it. I want to use the Behr Paints gold metallic finish if possible.
Main Tile color: Bottle Green (daltile). Trim tile: Chamois (daltile). Accent tile: Emerald glass. Floor is a beige stone with a muted pattern. Ceiling employes gold suspension. It appears I'm moving in the direction of using a white base with maybe emerald green brush/sponge-on or off. I've also tried the 1 mil plastic look as well. Any and all ideas welcome !!

http://www.javazon.com/bathroomfaux/

are the tiles one solid color each? or mottled in any way?

what's on the floor?

is the "chamoise" colored tile a peach color, or more of a gold/tan?

Tile named "terrazza by Mirazzi" (Home Depot) is on the floor...
beige mottled with subtle shades of green and orange...
it's really nice.

All other wall/field tile is solid.

Chamois is really more orange/tan vs. the redder peachy.

you asked for feedback - here's my 2 cents (and remember, it's all MY personal opinion, so don't be offended):

i like the floor tiles (what i'm imagining anyway - can you provide a picture of them - are they laid yet?) and i love the window & the bathtub & the ledge....but i sure wish you would've spent more time deciding on that wall tile. shiny 4x4 solid color tile already looks outdated in your newly remodeled bathroom, especially in a pattern like what you've chosen. and i'll bet it clashes with the mottled stone-like floor tiles. you should've used wall tiles more like the floor tiles - kind of a tumbled stone look - and a more subtle & classier pattern. that's what's popular now. it seems like you're wanting an old world sort of Tuscan style, but those 4x4 tiles just ruin it for me. sorry. i know you're asking about the wall paint, but i couldn't help commenting on the wall tiles. it's hard for me to focus on the wall paint when i dislike the wall tile so much. i'm so bummed you went with those tiles! :( but of the faux choices, i like the dark green base with gold metallic frischatta best. but it's kinda hard to tell from pictures, and without knowing how it looks with the floor tile, i guess i'm still undecided really. i need to see it all together.

maybe you could explain more about those wall tiles. is that pattern echoing something somewhere else? is this a master bath? is it the pattern in your bedspread or something?

and what's with the dropped ceiling???

for the frank and honest feedback. The tiles were a huge hassle. We had multiple schemes and different colors, but could never get exactly what we wanted....either 12 week lead time required or too expensive. One day, after 8 weeks of back and forth, we just "threw in the towel" and got what was available.
I wish we could have afforded the Daltile "Ahnzu" line...it's beautiful and just what you described with the earthtones, etc. But in retrospect, it's been a big pain dealing with Daltile anyway. Truly, the market is booming in tile. We couldn't get the proverbial "time of day" from anyone.

In retrospect, we should have hired a bathroom designer. Lesson learned.

Ceiling ? Uh, we didn't really have a choice...it was drop or nothing.

Here's a pic of the entrance with floor.
http://www.javazon.com/test/bath-DSCN3341.jpg
I was going to "add" some more tile on the left under the vanity, but based on your feedback, I won't now.

what happened to my reply???? i typed up a big long reply & it's gone!! grrr! :wall:

well, it went something like this:

the new picture has better light, so i think i can see the true colors of the tile now. however, as i feared, i don't think the floor tile goes with the wall tile. and with all the different tiles being different sizes, textures, colors and turned at different angles, in addition to the grid pattern of the ceiling, it's very busy. so i think i'd keep the walls simple - go with a solid paint color matched to the chamoise tile color, or a very subtle 2-tone mottled effect using a darker chamoise color with white.

maybe with accessories & wall art, it will all come together.

for what it's worth, which is zilch now, i would've made that step up to the tub exactly one tile width high and deep, and i would've extended it the length of the tub. as it is now, it looks like a box and my eye immediately goes to the 1 or 2" sliver of a tile at the bottom of it. instead of the 2" sliver, maybe you could've incorporated those small 2" dark green tiles there as an accent, so it looked intentional instead of like you miscalculated that measurement. ?

it's a shame that you had to give up on the tile you truly wanted. i think it would've been worth the wait for something that will last for a long time and that took so much effort to install.

you know, i don't mean to sound so negative. you picked the tile so i'm sure you like it, and everyone who sees it will probably ooh and ahh because it's fresh & new and the window & tub are gorgeous. if you did all that work yourself, it's impressive & you have reason to be proud. really. :thumbup:

i'm a decorator - therefore i nitpick. it's what i do. :rolleyes:

everything's a matter of personal preference & taste. we all like something different. you can't please everyone, only you have to like it. and if you do, then it's a success.

I was going to "add" some more tile on the left under the vanity, but based on your feedback, I won't now.


where??? on the floor, or on the wall or where? :confused:

I would definately go with a light solid color in there. Its already pretty busy in there. Its unfortunate the bathroom is so small, you can't fully appreciate the beautiful tub and window you put in (at least when you open the door).

What did you plan for window treatments, since this is a ground floor window?

Annette...Wall tile...in the space to the left where you see the pipes coming out...a custom-built vanity goes there....and I was going to match the same scheme of wall tile.
Yes, Annette, I "mis-planned" the "step" and was stuck with having smaller CUT pieces which would have been a bear to grout as the regular edges are recessed....or to do what I did. In retrospect, I could have "lived with" a slightly smaller step of one tile width. Poor planning ONCE MORE.

Bathroom design and implementation is a tedious, nerve-racking, mind-numbing-for-detail process....God Bless you if you do it regularly.

Chris - we AGONIZED on the tub placement. EVERY INCH WAS USED to MAKE IT WORK. (I actually finally fired our plumber when he went 2" over a line...it would have ruined the tub installation).
One designer wanted us to place it "caddy-corner", but that would have been terrible....no one shows that in the design mags !!

Many plumbers / carpenters who saw the room when we started said it was impossible to place a whirlpool tub in there, but we did it !
American Standard came out with the "perfect" in-deck tub with the special mildew-proof piping and a mombo 1.5 HP motor to boot...>Reminiscence model from the Home Depot. With a 10% discount, we "stole" it for $1100.
It's easy-to-fill, does NOT drain the hot water tanks like the rest, and I went to EXTRAORDINARY lengths to specially insulate it with hi-tech foam and a an R-19 "wrap" completely around it.

My wife declined paying $300 for the "obscure" from the Anderson window factory....so she is going to do the "obscure" naturally with hanging plants and flowers inside and out. Yep, that's what she says anyway !!

We were on a REALLY tight budget for this project. The whole thing has come in at about $9500. My wife is p-o'd about it...I told her $7500.
The concrete break-out and sewer work alone was almost $1200.

Goals for the project were "WARM", "QUIET", "DRAMATIC".
But, again, more ELEGANCE badly needed.

Coming up : custom-made Etagere above the toilet....3 shelves of glass with brass poles.

Okay, I'll chime in with some positive comments! I really LIKE the tiles and styles you've chosen. There are always things that 'could have been done differently' or whatnot, but I think you've done a lovely job!

That said, there IS a lot going on in this relatively small space, and I'm a little concerned when I hear about hanging plants, brass & glass shelving units, etc. I'd seriously think about every single item you add into this space. It will quickly look cluttered and overdone. I would NOT add an etagerie above the toilet. I think that they are not the look you're going for in this elegant room. Some very simple glass shelves would be nice above the toilet, if needed, for towels or necessities...but keep the items on the shelves simple. Pale greens, beiges, peaches, whites.

I would, personally speaking (of course) keep the upper walls white. It looks really nice. And it simplifies the busyness. I'd consider painting the trim around the window a nice tanish-peachy-beige that goes with the tiles you've got. It will draw your eye to how pretty the lines of the window are! And then keep window dressings to a minimum.

re: "in this elegant room"Well, again, it's not THAT elegant...but probably COULD HAVE been with better planning and better designing.
It's kinda....BOLD or DRAMATIC, I guess.
Once we completed the 9" window ledges with the trim and framing, THAT"S when it hit. Note: All of the window ledges were custom routed jambs....as Anderson was too expensive with its own "jamb extensions".

re: peachy window trim Hmmmm...never thought of that...was going to go Gloss white....but I will consider it.
Classically, windows are mostly white......and walls are NOT, so I've got to think about this as you like the plain white walls and not white window trim.

Plants - can 'em Yep, NOT A BAD IDEA AT ALL...we could easily use opaque film to obscure the window, yet allow that wonderful light in. Wow, at 11 am, it's incredible in that window (southern / east exposure)

I think we're all learning here....DESIGN is a PROCESS, and a very INDIVIDUAL "thing".
I hope to have MUCH BETTER pictures as the finishing touches are completed.
The current batch was rushed.

We used opaque window film in our own bathroom, since it faces our neighbors house & we didn't want to embarrass ourselves (eek!). It has held up VERY well (it's been on there for 5+ years now). And they come in varying styles and levels of opaque-ness. I'd stick with the straight white opaque.

It's easy to apply, too.