A rather large tile sample was waiting for me when I got home this evening - actually more than a sample, it was a complete tile! A 60cm x 30cm one.
I'm of the persuasion that large tiles in a small space will actually give the illusion of a larger space as the eye willl have less grout lines to focus on (see pic 2) - especially if you choose a coloured grout that blends well with your tiles.
With large rectangular tiles, you can tile them in a brickwork pattern or stacked (as above). I prefer the latter, as I think it has a cleaner, more contemporary look and that's what I'm going to go for. Of course you can also line them up vertically for a narrower, taller look, which is probably better in a bigger bathroom.
So, I have now come to the end of my tile search having decided on the late arrival (as in Pic 1). It has the high gloss, flat edged look that I was after and furthermore it was the lightest coloured of all of them. Interestingly, a lot of what is advertised as ivory, cream, etc often turns out looking more mushroom hued once you put it into your bathroom which is why it is important to seek out as many tile samples as you can, situate them in your bathroom and wait until you find one that is right for the space, light, etc. Unless you are after pure white tiles, it is also worth holding them against the whiteness of the bath, basin, toilet, etc as this always brings out the colour in the tile, even it if is of the palest ivory. It pays not to rush into the permenance of staring at tiles that you are unsure about; worse, tiles that you could end up loathing in a few years time. The bathroom is one of the first rooms that you notice in the mornings, so it should be clean looking, refreshing and invigorating.
For another post, I'll show you some spectacular, exciting bespoked tiles that I came across in my search that were out of this world, deluxe decadence par excellence - of course, it helps if you have a opulent sized bathroom to begin with. Fantasy tiles.
