How did I end up with that blue? Truthfully: I saw it on the other side of a tile shop and fell in love. Not looking for tiles that day, but there I was kneeling on their showroom floor with my fingers rubbing over the cool surface and thinking “this could be the one.” This tile was speaking my design language.
Richer than subway tiles, darker than white would ever be…but not navy. It wasn’t subway style that everyone and their mum are using right now and it sure as hell wasn’t white that sensible side of me was trying to convince me to go for. I bought one tile sample for £3.50, brought it home and could.not.stop.touching.it.
To my living room walls, into bedrooms, next to the bath..behind the shower curtain, in front of the shower curtain. Then one day I found myself holding it up in my bathroom window to see how it would look in the cold, bright light of morning.
Cue concerned look from flatmate.
This tile was THE PINSPO for my bathroom renovation. hear me out – my bathroom didn’t inspire my blue walls. I mean sure; my new bathroom decided what colour paint to use…but only after I chose my favourite tile. The shade was imperfect.
Too blue to be grey, too grey to be navy. Describing shades of blue is hard – I’ve heard sailors compare paint samples to paint swatches and walked away thinking they were speaking pirate. It was also full of undertones that changed how the colour looked subtly depending on where you were standing and what time of day it was.
In the morning it read almost turquoise. At night it was deeper, bluer. And it had grey undertones sooooo subtle that it made a nice warm grey floor tile sing.
I used the wall tile on… wait for it… the entire shower wall. All of it. Don’t @ me about my budget – I knew what I was signing up for when I bought seven boxes of that bad boy.
Depending on where you look online the tiles I used were £35-£45 per square metre. Which, let’s be honest, is a faff to work out but also not cheap if you’re tiling an entire room. However; I wanted one luxurious tile feature wall rather than crappy-budget-tiles all over so it all balances out.
The floor tile is a warm grey stone-effect porcelain that echoed those subtle grey tones in the wall tile. It’s not matchy but it doesn’t scream “bhg internet trend blender” either. Grey also hides water splashes and dust better than white tiles would have (and was about half the price of the wall tiles).
Win win. It was actually the hardest part of the whole palette for me. Pick the wrong wall colours to go with that blue tile and suddenly you’ve got a cartoon mermaid house.
Not the vibe. I wanted luxe, not “my mum and dad would visit this and reminisce about their cruise ships.” I printed about fifteen paint samples and stuck them up next to my beloved tile to make my decision. White was too sharp.
Cream was too dull. Then I swiped this warm almost-white with just enough grey to make it interesting across the tile. TA-DA!
It let my blue tile be a statement wall without trying to compete with it for attention. A pristine white vanity was a serious consideration. Almost made the mistake of buying one online…but then I stumbled across this bad boy in a reclaimed wood shop!
Dark charcoal wood with oversized handles in aged brass. Dangerous. Would dark blue AND dark vanity be too much?
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ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT. Buying this vanity basically forced me into finding the perfect mirror to go with it. I wanted a round mirror with a brass frame to match the vanity hardware but was having serious déjà vu with every mirror I found online.
Either it was too modern, or it was trying too hard to be farmhouse. Then I found THE ONE at a vintage shop in town. Almost forgot to mention; it was a circle!
With the exact same shade of aged brass frame as my vanity hardware. Almost. Seller was asking £80. £££?
For a frickin’ mirror? Yes.. if it was the one. It was the same size I wanted and hung perfectly between the two light fittings on either side of the wall.
SOLD. Speaking of lighting; holy hell, the lighting matters in a blue bathroom! Go into any home store and you’ll be blinded by how blue light makes everything look… blue!
Warm whites were a must for these LED spots, and I’m so glad I went adjustable rather than a set temp. Positioned on either side of the mirror (mirrors NEVER hang above bathroom sinks, ask me how I know) they highlight all the warmer grey and green undertones in that gorgeous tile and create a cozy atmosphere that blue can sometimes lack. Adding finishing touches is always my favourite part.
Coppery coloured containers for bathroom clutter. Potted plants that love humid bathrooms. And ultra-soft white towels.
I couldn’t talk myself out of the plants. There’s something about that burst of green against that deep blue tile that just makes my heart sing. And hey, plants soften all of those hard floors/tiles/countertops/etc.
Finding a shower curtain was a several week process of self-loathing. White was boring and would fight with my shower tile. Patterns would also fight with my shower tile.
Linen was the answer! I found this beauty in the same warm/off white as my walls. It gets filthy quick thanks to that clear waterproof liner behind it…but heck, I LOVE the texture against those walls.
Total cost for this mini renovation was right around £1,200. Most of that was paint and seven boxes of tile…but the vanity alone was £300 and those light fittings were another £200 give or take.
Oh and labour if you hired anyone.
PLEASE DIY as much as you can! To be fair I STILL love running into that bathroom every morning. Seriously.
When I have guests over they ALWAYS comment on it. Like actually stop what they’re doing to walk over and tell me how much they love it. Not “ohhhh pretty tiles” comments, but ones that make me realise how cohesive everything ended up feeling.
Those tiles still make me happy every morning. Weird how something so small can make you love your bathroom routine, but there we are. I’ve been known to stand in the shower just staring at that wall when I first wake up, coffee in hand.
I KNOW I’ll look insane to anyone standing outside that door but eh. You only live once.
