I was recently working on a kitchen remodeling project when the subject of their master bath was brought up. They asked if I could look at the shower floor to determine if there was an issue. I discovered that the floor was cracked and tiles were no longer adhered to the floor. The shower floor had failed and definitely needed to be replaced. Which also meant removing 14” of wall tile to get the old pan out and the new pan in. But the client was not prepared to dive into a full bath remodel. So, the question became, how do you work with old tile, where the color combination does not exist anymore, and make it look good and pretty again?
When you’re mixing old and new items, like in a bathroom, just replacing the tile will make the space look disconnected. Adding some pizzazz to the space in other ways will really make the room look and feel different.
For this project, we will need to replace the shower floor with a new product that will tie back to the existing tile. We're fortunate that a deco tile was used in the past and we can use that color to tie the color scheme together.
We chose a color blend that will accent the deco tile in a fun shape that has become current again, a hexagon! This colorway will really make the deco tiles pop. Next, we'll add a 12 x 24 taupe and grey tile to the walls at the 14” level to fill in where the walls have to be replaced. The original tile is a taupe green and I promise it does not exist any longer. Mixing all these colors brings a fresh feel to the room. But we need something else to really tie it all together.
Adding the right art, accessories and rug will make all the difference, along with a fresh new wall color. In this space, we're lucky to be able to fit a large 5’x7” rug in the center of the room to add new colors to the space. Then, a few more details like a pretty palm, decorative pots, and some new art will pull the space together.
The big takeaway here is when a full remodel is not viable, you can create a fresh look by mixing old and new and of course incorporating some creative design work.
