HOW TO STICK TO A BUDGET BY MIXING HIGH END & LOW END TILE

It’s no secret that you can achieve an upscale look by combining a few high end, expensive pieces with some medium to low priced items. Save a chunk on your sofa, but dress it up with some expensive toss pillows and decorative lighting. Once all pulled together, no one will even notice.

This strategy also applies to bathroom remodels. It’s easy to walk into a tile store and fall in love with a classic carrera marble countertop, a beautiful matching mosaic and a coordinating tile, and walk out with a very large bill and finishes that perhaps are not so practical for your needs. If I’m working on an upscale bathroom, I always like to throw in a natural stone somewhere, but beautiful white marbles are really not the best solution for those who are concerned about stains and their pocket. Learn why marble isn’t always best here.My solution? I choose an affordable porcelain for the main tile, coordinate it with a stunning marble mosaic and a durable quartz countertop.

For this project below, we opted for a porcelain tile that has the look of marble. I usually avoid imitation stones because they tend to look cheap but I’ve used this tile before and because of its large pattern repeat, it looks authentic once installed. It will also save my client a pretty penny and the headaches of having to seal her marble every year. The marble mosaic will bring it all together and dress it up by adding a little glamour to the space. Without that marble detail, this bathroom would be quite standard. It’s just like wearing a simple black dress, it doesn’t look like much until it’s paired with some eye catching jewelry. Choose one hard finish to be the jewelry of your remodel.

I can’t wait to share the results when this project is completed in early spring!

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