I'm building a house. I need to pick out paint and flooring and things. I am not a good decorator. I'm looking at tiled shower/tub instead of a combo unit. But it'll be for a standard size tub, and the shower not separate. But I can't match tile and paint and the bedroom and haven't seen any great ideas when Google image searching (seems like 90% of the pictures I see of drop-in tubs with tile surrounds are brownish and I don't want a brown bedroom). I'd really prefer to avoid white/off-white walls in all the rooms - they're so boring. I was thinking of a solid or textured/mostly-solid for the floor and around the bath, then fancier border nearer the top of the shower, but matching the color in the prettier mosaics can be tricky. I'm up for suggestions on tile and designs and the like. Available from Home Depot would be a plus. And, of course, I don't want to break the bank.

You have a million choices. You might think about what colors you like and what kinds of things you've noticed at friends' homes, at restaurants, in the Sims, etc... that you've liked.

You don't need to have a brown bedroom, but neutrals in the tile and linoleum will serve you well. Go for something brown or grey toned. Try to pick out a floor that reminds you of stone. For the tiles, go for something with shading in it, also somewhat natural looking. It will be more interesting than a solid color. You can also get a border tile (it's much thinner) either at the top or at eye level. It adds a little excitement, even in a sea of neutral tones. Take a look at a store that sells tile and you might be inspired. For the walls, how about something sponged? That way you can work in some color without it being overwhelming. Popular base colors for bathrooms are seafoam green, light or medium blue or periwinkle. Sponge a cream over it. It's really easy to do. Another really sharp combo for walls is light grey with bright white trim or even half-paneling.

Another cool look is when the floor either is hardwood or is made to look like hard wood. Then you'd go for a solid on the walls and a strong contrasting trim. Colors are your pick, but blue is really traditional. No reason you couldn't use another color, though, if it appeals to you - just make it strong.

More color is added with towels and throw rugs and more interest is added with mirrors, hardware, pictures, plants, etc... Put your touch in by getting things that appeal to you. I enjoy whimsical things, for instance, so I put in a towel hook shaped like a hand in my former home.

You will probably get inspired at the stores, but you can also check out Better Homes & Garden Magazine or Country Homes for specific ideas (including shopping lists of which paint to buy, etc...). Good luck!

If you don't like the idea of browns why not go for blues or greens?

Home Depot website actually has an Ideas showcase using the products they sell :http://www6.homedepot.com/Tilescape...pRoomSolutions&

A lot of how you style the bath should follow the style of the home; you might not want to put a craftsman style bath into a modern style home, and vice versa. What have you done in the kitchen? Keeping the same theme will help unify the look of the home.

Google for ideas and look at the pictures till you see something you like - that's what I did for my study. I now have a lovely ammonite stencil on the wall just behind my desk.

Matte black with a crimson crapper and black light strobes in there. Make pooping and showering a club experience.

here is a website that I've found helpful for Sims designs but people use it for home designs all the time. It has inspirational photos for every room of the house. A lot of them are expensive looking but you could copy the general "feel" of a space without going all out. here is a website with thousands of already picked out color palettes that look great. Hope you find something you like!

I find it strange that you trust the internet enough to give you interior design advice. That said, maybe you could try various shades of blue and green with some translucent tiles thrown in.

Well, what colors do you like?

Seems like most of what I see in the stores is brown or gray with green or blue (usually a washed out green or blue mixed in). The thing is the bathrooms (and matching bedrooms) in the house previous to this were blue and green. I was looking for something different.

We considering wood laminate for the living room.

I don't do knick-knacks. I intellectually know they can liven up a room, but I don't like things that are purely decorative - I like things to be functional. The only purely decorative items I have were gifts. I will make an exception for mirrors or pictures - things that hang on the wall and do not take up space on surfaces or create clutter.

Thanks.

Thanks to efolger997 and kattenijin for the links. It's nice to have something I can look at and see if gives me any ideas.

Then don't do "knick-knacks" but do use your functional items (towels, hooks, mirrors, throw rugs) to add interest. Little details pull a space together and are a way to show your personality, it doesn't need to be cluttered. Even with a mostly uncluttered, functional look, having one focal decoration - such as a large print or a plant - will really liven your bathroom up.

If you are up for posting pictures when you're done, I'm sure we'd all love to see what you've done.

It depends on what colors you have on your walls. If your bath is in some light color then you should go for peach colored master bath. Make sure o keep ample of ventilation inside.

Well, it's not done yet, but in case anyone is interested in how it's going, I did end up going with green. And brown - really greys and browns were just about the only base tiles I could find.

I know the picture is crooked; sorry, I was in a hurry. Had the flash on for the distant shot and off for the close up one, so that's probably why the color doesn't appear the same.

Here's the tub:

Glad it worked out; it looks quite nice!

There's still time to put up a black velvet painting of Darth Vader riding a burro and some LED strobe lights in there.

Just sayin'.

That's a nice looking bathroom! I love the tiles, they look so natural. The step up to the bath is luxurious. Thanks for posting the pics.

That's so nice!! I'd snap a comparison photo, so you could see mine, but since it's from the early 1900's, I should be thanking all my stars I'm not using an outhouse and heating water over a fire

No really, the tiles are a disgusting shade of yellow, coral, and blue. *gag*

My Idea.