Black&White Victorian Bathroom

[PatriciaX]

Hi there, I have a small victorian terrace that we're trying to do-up most sympathetically (its our first hours so we're taking it nice and steady).

Anyway, I've set my heart on an old style black and white bathroom that I have in my head - I must have seen it somewhere - but I cannot find any versions of it on line.

Im thinking white suite, obviously, but its the tiling Im having trouble with - I just know I've seen styles where there are rows of staggered black, brick shaped tiles so far up the wall and then similar rows in white, topped off with a black edge or even chequered borders.

Can anyone help me in finding a picture that shows this type of tiling - not least so I can explain it to my tiler who is struggling a bit with my descriptions.

Thanks in anticipation
x

 

[Lynn]

I redid our bath in black and white tile. It was originally plastered to look like brick. We did the lower part in brick style white tile, added a "chair-rail" type black strip and in the shower area continued up the wall with white square tile. We kept the original black tile baseboard and turquoise :shock: tile on the floor. That floor tile had been painted off white :shock: :shock: and so there was quite a job striping the paint off, regrouting quite a bit, but it looks nice. Our house is more of a colonial from the 1920s (not Victorian) but there might be something of interest in it.

I'll post a pic tomorrow since I can't find the camera right now...or you can tell me to forget it since it is a 20's house and it might not apply at all to a Victorian style. Oh yes and I'm an interloper from the US too which might be off-putting to the whole discussion. I'm just waiting for someone to tell me what color to paint my shutters and then I'll go away.

 

[Schoolmarm]

You might find this site useful. It has a section on tiles pointing out the differences ie. closer butted and staggered.

http://www.victorian-society.org.uk/

 

[PatriciaX]

Aww Lynn!!! Of course I wouldn't tell you to go away - thanks for your reply and I'd love to see photos! Im married to a Texan so you'll get no problems from me!

Thanks for the link Schoolmarm

x

 

[Lynn]

oh wow a Texan...strong woman...

Here are the photos. Hope it helps. Click the photo to see it bigger.

http://web.mac.com/chakoianfamily/iWeb/Site%206/Photos.html

 

[Carol]

Sounds just like the bathroom of my childhood house. We had black and white checkerboard tiles around room at dado level, they were quite small and could be easily created using mosaic tiles I should think, if you can't get the actual 6''x 1'' inserts. Funnily enough my mother hated these tiles and dreamed of a coloured suite and tiles for years! House was and is, but now minus the tiles, a 1930's semi in Surrey.

 

[Moo]

They may have stopped doing them these days, but when I was last in a tile emporium (probably Tops or B&Q) they seemed to have a lot of victorian-style trimmings.
Where have you been looking?

 

[skier-hughes]

I took a trip around the tile museum at Ironbridge the other day. Well worth a visit.

http://www.shropshiretourism.info/ironbridge/gorge-museum/jackfield-tile-museum/

 

[Lynn]

Also wandered into this antique tile web site that might provide ideas for your tile person

http://www.tias.com/9513/InventoryPage/1616712/1.html

 

[Moo]

I'm sorry - I thought you were trying to source the right sort of tiles!
However, if you're just trying to show your tiler how to arrange them, it might help if you were to lay them out on the floor. That way he will be able to see exactly what you want.
(And take a photograph of your demonstration layout as evidence, in case he gets it wrong)