It's All About The Tile
(the final installment by our Guest Blogger Laura Ricks)
You know, I have a little bone to pick with modwalls. Don’t get me wrong. I love them, and their tile, but I digress. First I should give you some back-story.
As you probably already know, I discovered
modwalls.com while I was searching for cool tile for my new modern home, and found that they not only had exactly what I was looking for, but with great prices and terrific customer service. And free shipping for orders over $200. And they accepted returns. I mean, you do the math. After doing my homework I found that using modwalls.com was really a no brainer. But if you want more of that story,
click here.
So after weeks of agonizing over all the great choices (really, there may just be too many), I found my tile and placed my order. The tile arrived in only three days, packed to perfection, and just as I had imagined; beautiful deep colors, thick gleaming glass, and as mod as mod could be. It felt just like Christmas morning opening boxes and boxes of tile and feeling so thrilled with their contents. So I got my fantastic tile setter, Chris, to work. After all, he had a whole house to tile.
First we started in the kid’s bathroom. I wanted to make it fun, modern, and not too gender specific, so we went with ModDotz in
sherbet. It turned out just as I had hoped, and the delicious looking results have helped create the room’s new nickname: The Orange Candy Bath. I loved the way the penny rounds were juxtaposed with the house's other hard angles, and my kids love it. I’m sure you can see why:
We edged ModDotz with some custom-made trim pieces that blend into to walls so all you notice are the dots floating in a field of white. I even had one friend who walked through the house ask me if each dot was set separately, and lucky for me they are mesh mounted on sheets since I don’t think we would have had a savings account left after paying Chris if they hadn't been.
Next we did the powder room. I have to admit, I took a bit of a chance on this one. I decided to go with Lush 1/2 x 2 tile in
moss. I was thinking of going with something with less color, but am so glad I decided on this one for it’s modern earthiness. It really makes what could otherwise be just a little half bath into something to talk about. Check out the results:
The master bath, well, that was my baby. In designing it with our architect I knew the tile had to be something extra special to compliment the two large windows above the over sized shower and bath. When you stand in the shower or lie in the bath you get incredible views of the sky and treetops, so I wanted to bring the feeling of blue skies into the space. The Lush 3 x 6 tile in
Vapor was the perfect choice. It really is the perfect complementary blue to the blue, blue sky, and keeps the space feeling both modern and serene.
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I topped off the “bringing the outdoors in” by adding ModRocks to the shower floor. My husband was skeptical; he thought the
stones may not be comfortable on his feet, but I told him to trust me, and I’m so glad he did. Not only are they comfortable, but also because of the texture and the fact they heat up with the water, they make you feel like you’ve had an amazing foot massage once you step out of the shower. Not a bad way to start the day, and my husband is now converted. I have to say, of all the rooms in the house, I think the master bath is my favorite. I love, love, love it. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it, and if you’ve done this house-building thing before, you know that isn’t always (or even often) the case.
The kitchen was the toughest for me. I was torn on tile, and some I had looked at cost up to $100 per sq. ft. Not gonna happen in this lifetime. I searched and searched and racked my brain, and then modwalls came up with the perfect solution: their new Lush 1 x 4 glass tile in
Cloud. I didn’t want to do a strong color in the room that would detract from the custom made cabinetry, and I'm a minimalist at heart, so cloud was the perfect choice. It’s a beautiful white that looks almost clear when it’s finished. I love how my under cabinet lighting makes it glow at night, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I love it. I love how it reflects the light and the stainless steel counter tops. I love the depth and dimension. I love how it fits the mid-century vibe of our house. Did I mention that I love it?
So, back to this little problem I have with modwalls. I know, I know, it sounds like there couldn’t be a downside, but here it is: Every time I have taken someone through my house, they say they like it. They say they like the openness and the design, but when they turn the corner into the kitchen they gasp, hold onto whatever is closest to them, and say "I LOVE YOUR TILE!" (in all caps), and then walk in a trance-like state until they can touch it. They have to touch it. They must touch it. And this happens in every room. Every time. And which tile do they love the most? It’s a bit of a toss up, but I definitely get the most comments about the Orange Candy Bath. It’s just that cool.
I know, I know, tough problem, you're probably saying with more that just a little sarcasm. But look, they don’t LOVE the cool floating staircase that we had to remove TWO TIMES before the contractor got it right. They don’t LOVE the custom cabinets that took FIVE MONTHS to finish. They don’t even LOVE the hardwood floors that were, well, let’s just say I still can’t talk about all we had to go through to get those right.
No. It’s all about the tile.
Could it be possible
modwalls is just a little too good?
(For more photos of our whole house, visit
my blog, The Ricksalicious Life).
Thank you- Laura for your wonderful posts and your patronage. We've loved getting to know you!
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