Yesterday kitchen, today bathrooms

It never occurred to me that when you are installing a shower surround, that it doesn't necessarily go up to the ceiling. So do you leave it just painted up there? That's what we have in our current home, and it is impossible to keep clean and keep from peeling.

So, Jim the Builder suggested we might find some tiles to finish off the top and sides of both showers. The upstairs/master bath has a green slate shower surround. We could have just continued the slate up to the ceiling, but were not sure that I ordered enough. So, on our shopping trip, I found 3" x 12" borders of 1" copper slate tiles that will nicely finish off the top and sides, and they were only $1.98 each. They look really nice with the green slate, and also work well with the dark chocolatey brown on the painted walls. Check out the schmancy Kohler seated shower base...not too shabby, eh? That's for when we get too old to stand up and get clean...

In the first floor shower, the shower surround is a Swanstone showroom sample (another bargain!). I could have paid $200 extra for a trim kit for the cut edges, but instead The Hub found a white carved "stone" tile that will work nicely to finish the top edge, and Jim said he would finish the side edges with a painted white wood trim. In the photo you can see a bit of the Wythe Blue walls.

I'm shopped-out at this point, and I still have more to buy. But seeing it all come together, and look good, is a lot more fun than actually shopping for these things.