Our goal at the Mint + Sea Cottages in Encinitas, CA, was to restore the 1950s bathrooms in the 460 square foot Mint + Sea Cottages, bringing back the character of the era while making some modern functional upgrades.
Since we went with the bold colors in the kitchens as an ode to the 1950s (mint and blue), we wanted our bathrooms to be more neutral. We choose Fireclay tiles for our bathrooms as we love them for many reasons!!
We went with square tiles for the shower walls since that shape was popular in the 1950s and choose the 2" Raven (glossy) black and Calcite (matte) traditional hexagon pattern for the floors and shower niche. For the shower walls, we went with 4"x4" White Wash. We ended up using Rolling Fog grout color which we love to accentuate the pattern and also for cleaning maintenance.
For the floors, the sheets come in one color so when they arrive, you can create your own custom pattern. When laying the tile, we layed out the white hex, then put the black on top to create our pattern... then followed the pattern when it was being installed.
We chose Fireclay tile for many reasons! Besides their tile being GORGEOUS, here are a few other reasons:
--All of their signature ceramic tile is handmade in California using domestically-sourced materials.
--They are the first tile company to be a certified B Corporation and are committed to using business as a force for good.
--Their products are made to the most rigorous standards of craftsmanship, beauty and durability.
From their website: "Their recycled clay body boasts of an impressive breaking strength of 393 lbs per foot, making it stronger than your average porcelain. 30+ years of tweaks and innovation lead to the development of this super duty clay, designed with a passion for finding ways to reduce our impact on the environment, while reusing and minimizing our own manufacturing waste."
We absolutely love the finished look! What do you think?