One of the best things about my work is the vast variety of tile designs that are available.  Every project is different and reflects something about my client’s personality, perhaps mixed with a little of my own.  It’s a blast to get to help someone’s dream for their home take shape.

This particular shower project at a lake home just north of Bloomington, Indiana, is one of the more fantastic and stunning designs I’ve seen.  The entire project uses slate tile, except for the stone that is on the floor.  It was inspired by a nearly identical shower at the Tile Shop Showroom in Castleton.  My client saw it and said, “That’s what I want for my shower!”.

Slate is a type of stone that is made up of layers.  It’s not unusual for a bit of it to come off and reveal an entirely different color in the layer below.  This characteristic makes it inherently spectacular, in my opinion.  However, slate is not always the best choice for showers, as it may be more difficult to keep clean compared to porcelain tiles.  One key is to keep it sealed and use a premium grout.  It also helps to wipe down the shower after each use, but for many of us that may be too much to ask!

Before I got there, this bathroom had an old shower enclosure with a lowered ceiling.  It felt a little claustrophobic and my client wanted to make it feel larger and have more light.  The before and after picture shows the dramatic change that took place.

If you’re interested, the tile is all from the Tile Shop.  The walls are a combination of 8×24 slate planks and a mosaic of slate strips. Both are a variation called Mongolian Desert. The floor is a pebble mosaic called Dusty Grey.