You may or may not have noticed in my last post a comment thread between me and a reader about her shower. She is updating her bathroom and had a few questions, so I wanted to show her some pictures to (hopefully) give her some ideas

Right now, I’m going to address the flooring, as she is contemplating river rock. When people hear river rock, sometimes an image is conjured up based upon past usage of the material, where it was too dark, rustic, etc.

Times have changed and this perception is no longer true, given the right application and color scheme. River rock can look sleek, modern, luxurious, traditional, spa-like, rustic (without being heavy-handed and in a tasteful way), feminine, masculine – you name it! I saw an episode of Divine Design with Candice Olson and she used an inset of river rock in an upscale bathroom that was absolutely luxurious! I, unfortunately, couldn’t find a picture of it! Drats!!!

This is such a great example of using river rock in a crisp, classic black and white bathroom.

White river rock floor.

How chic is this bathroom?

Instead of laying the tile flat on the wall, lay them on the side to break it up and add some visual interest. Brilliant!

This is anything but rustic, dark and drab!

A bathmat out of river rock.

Soothing and spa-like.

Great color coordination with the granite seat, marble tile and stone floor.

The brown tile is a little dark for me and, if you were going to sell your house in the next 5 years, this is something that may not appeal to all buyers.

A dry rock river.

Details always make a room special – here they bordered the river rock with tile. An extra touch that shows considerable thought went into the design. (not crazy about the wall color with the tub surround because it doesn’t accentuate the floor – it just makes the floor look washed out!)

Very sleek and modern, giving texture to the wall.

Zen-like with a teak bench and bamboo.

Coastal Living

Via lovewhereyouliveblog.com

With different colors, there are many different options:

You can sort your rocks by color so that you can create borders or designs….

The center star could be made out of different colored rocks.

And you create a cohesive palette…

and get tile to match.

While you’re at it, why not create a pattern?

Make sure you don’t forget to factor in grout colors carefully! The nice thing about this stone color, and the corresponding grout color, is cleaning isn’t quite as difficult.

Why, oh why, did i think it was a good idea to put white grout in our children’s bathrooms? I’ll tell you why: when I designed the house, children were the furthest thing from my mind! Foresight…drats! Should have had some

Why not add a few shells? Or sea glass? Or….fill in the blank

Seychelles seashell tiles (Via Soli)

Make sure to address the little details, like the shower drain!

I love natural materials and think they can be as elegant. My house is made entirely of stone and I had our stonemasons use a combination of rock as I wanted to include natural field stone. This reader has rocks from her yard that she is able to use, which I think is ingenious and crafty! Why pay for materials when you have something interesting and already available.

Another plus? Installing a rock floor is much easier than a tile floor because there isn’t the need for perfect lines or spacing.

On a side note, you may have noticed advertisements on my blog; I am thrilled by the advertiser’s support (please take a moment and visit them if they interest you) and hope that we can in turn support them

Another Monday and I’m off to take my littlest to her “Mini” swim team practice. I hope everyone has a great day!