Use, advantages, disadvantages and Design Ideas with marble in showers and bathrooms
Marble has always been a timeless and durable material linked to serenity, pureness and luxury. Historically, it has been an inspiration for grand palaces, temples, large landmark buildings, from the Parthenon to the Taj Mahal and imposing private residential homes. The Romans found marble to be an excellent choice to be used in their bathrooms and public rooms.
This wonderful versatile material generates exquisite pieces and offers a beautiful collection of variations and possibilities, bringing an elegant touch in every space it is used, as well as a luxurious outcome to a newly built or renovated property.
Marble is a natural material available in a wide variety of colours and beautiful multi-colour mixes, allowing endless possibilities to cover a good choice of applications in exciting design schemes from master bathss to cloakrooms.
The dimensions also allow chic combinations of marble in terms of colour, texture, shape and size, as marble can be found from large marble tiles to various sizes of mosaics. Every piece is unique, creating a complete result that is very impressive and completes the search for exclusivity. Depending on the light or dark pieces of marble to be used according to the design scheme and according to the search results, a completely different atmosphere is created, making every space unique, fresh and sophisticated.
👉 Find Tips for the application of marble in architectural, design and construction interiors projects in our article Marble Projects: The Use of Marble in Interior Design
Today, marble is produced in a beautiful wide range of variations, allowing endless exciting possibilities to fit into any space and satisfy any aspect of aesthetics. As technology is continuously advancing, allowing room for further versatility, marble is frequently used to clad walls, in all sorts of ways.
Architects all over the world integrate marble in their designs, beautifully enhancing their buildings from facades to a master bath and thus, creating a touch of exclusivity and luxury features.
Furthermore, marble is an excellent choice from minimal to classical designs, made to last eternally. Added value is given to the building, the apartment and the interiors where marble has been applied. The fact that it is a resistant and durable material allows infinite creative possibilities to architects and designers, resulting to the utilisation of exterior and interior places that reflect brightness and continuity.
Nowadays, marble is used not only for cladding walls or as a beautiful solution on floors, but it is also the main material for one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture, lighting and accessories. From marble stools to marble scones and marble trays or even door handles, architects make the most out of a block of stone and have a great tool in hand to create amazing environments regardless the country their project is located in.
Marble can resist dirt and stains when properly sealed and therefore be quite easy to maintain and care for. At the same time, marble conveys an eternal elegance when integrated in baths all sorts of ways: bathtubs, shower walls and shower floors, wall cladding, floating vanity tops, bathroom furniture and accessories. The results are stunning either in a master bathroom or in any other bathroom or toilet of the house or the apartment renovated.
Due to its solidness and resistance, it is considered to be an excellent choice of material for a room like the bathroom, regardless of a tub or shower. The variety of textures, colours and patterns that marble is available in, become a wonderful creative tool for architects.
Marble can be used on a sink or a tub and can be applied from floors to walls within a bathroom and even on all surfaces of a bathroom. The latter creates an astonishing result, creating beautiful, serene and bright spaces where even the smallest bathroom looks spacious, especially if the fittings are designed in the same manner, too.
One of the great advantages of marble is that it can be combined harmonically with other materials, such as wood, steel and glass, allowing endless solutions to the interior design world. Beautiful sink areas where wood and marble are brought together elegantly and also matched with metal finishes on the wall above the sink can work as amazing focal points to last a lifetime. Moreover, details of marble on accessories such as toothbrush holders, soap dishes or mirrors can complete the sophisticated look in a master bath with a tub.
Architectural Tip 👉 In a master bath, a marble tub has a stunning effect to the design of the room and a marble sink is a beautiful element with reference to a Manhattan apartment.
Useful Tip 👉 To learn more about customizing marble, as well as for architectural advice on the use of marble in a bathroom, visit our article How to use marble in a bathroom right.
Current lifestyle has brought new trends in interior design as well, one of them being the creation of a shower area instead of a tub. Architects and interior designers receive inspiration from natural materials, explore all aspects and search for new ways to express themselves. They love working with marble and integrating it in their designs to create relaxing and serene environments and consumers love the result of this wonderful material in their home designed by experts.
It is a timeless antibacterial stone commonly used in all the areas of a house or an apartment. In the bathroom, marble bathtubs and marble showers are very popular, as are vanity areas with a sink, although marble is much preferred to be applied in the shower area, mostly because it is a more cost-effective way to enjoy this beautiful material in your bathroom.
Τhe walls of a shower could be cladded with marble slabs, tiles or marble mosaics, depending on the overall design scheme of the bathroom Furthermore, marble can be applied on the floor of the shower, matching or contrasting the rest of the bathroom.
For a smaller amount of marble within a bathroom, either for the sake of aesthetics or for the sake of a low budget, a marble shower offers a serene result. Cladding the walls of the shower area will bring a feeling of a calm sanctuary, especially when the technique of book-matching is applied, that is when a mirrored image of the two or four marble slabs with adjoining surfaces, matching patterns and vein flow is produced. Ιf the space allows it, the shower area could have design elements such as a bench, a recessed niche or suspended wall shelves that could either be cladded with the same marble as the wall and the floor of the shower or in a contrasting marble colour.
ArchitecturalTip👉 The choice of light-coloured tiles makes the room look bright and more spacious, which in conjunction with proper lighting or metal finishes on certain elements such as mirrors or wall hooks can be details that work magic.
ArchitecturalTip👉 Lighter colours of grouts bring out the best features of a marble surface and allow a unified and complete effect to be created on a marble shower wall or marble shower floor!
Aesthetically, various marble colours and finishes can be matched together to create a unique bathroom.
Earthy tones like beige and brown marbles in a master bath contribute to a warm result at the shower area, which should be also followed at the countertop and toilet areas for a complete and solid look reminiscing the bathrooms of stylish Beverly Hills mansions.
Light coloured choices in marble, like Thassos Snow White, Vox, Pirgon, Carrara, Calacatta or Calacatta Gold, match harmonically with a white sink while at the same time, they create a sophisticated result when used with sinks in darker colours. For the absolute luxurious bathroom, the glamorous Thassos Snow White, Thassos Vein Cut, Thassos Golden Radix marbles are an excellent choice that generates an enhanced balance with white sanitaryware in the bathroom.
Furthermore, the walls of the shower cladded in white marble tiles with light veins would blend in harmonically with bright colours in the bathroom, either on the materials on the walls and the floor or on the pieces of furniture at the sink and storage areas. This would create a calm and rejuvenating result.
Furthermore, a total white marble bathroom is the ultimate immaculate timeless beauty!
For a more contemporary design result, the combination of black and white marbles on the walls and floor of a shower is a timeless and elegant choice, referencing back to some sophisticated San Francisco hotels.
For a monochrome design scheme, a dark coloured marble like Veria Green is ideal, offering a stunning outcome!
👉 View our suggestions on dark marble: Tanotti Green, Veria Green, Graffite, Titanium Black, Damastas, Alivery
👉 Learn the Methods of Installing Veined Marble and everything you need to know on veined marbles and their basic characteristics.
A horizontally veined marble on the walls of the shower area provides a modern, sophisticated look, especially if the veins are dark coloured. On the other hand, other types of marble, such as an enriched veined marble will offer a more enclosed feeling to the shower. If the bathroom furniture is wooden, the outcome will be warm and cosy.
In any case, the shower area should be considered in reference to the overall bathroom design and follow the master design scheme. In the same manner, the bathroom as a complete room of the house or the apartment should be considered in reference to the overall design scheme of the house or the apartment in order to create a coherent and unified look throughout all the spaces, regardless of a new built or renovation case.
ArchitecturalTip👉 Polished marble surfaces have a bright and shiny effect at the vanity area, the sink, the tub or at the shower!
ArchitecturalTip👉 Regularly sealing a marble shower floor will prevent the absorption of water and keep the shower floor bright and beautiful!
Marble is the absolute material that reflects elegance and luxury, as a chandelier reflects grandiose in a living room. It is a suitable material to be used at the shower area, as it is easy to clean with simple and mild cleaning materials – strong acids should not be used to avoid any stains and dull marks. Daily cleaning with neutral products is recommended as soaps and water minerals may leave marks through time.
However, marble should be sealed properly to provide it with a waterproof quality, since it is porous.
Once marble is installed, be it in the form of tiles, mosaics or large surfaces from floor to ceiling, they should be protected against staining and fading by a proper sealing method.
Furthermore, the shower wall and floor tiles should be sealed twice a year to make sure marble maintains its beautiful and timeless qualities.
The marble surfaces should be sealed before grouting is applied, with a second coating of sealant applied after grouting is completed. It is very important that the marble shower floors are regularly sealed in order to reduce their absorption. Since it is a timeless and durable material, marble adds value to the apartment or house it has been installed in, regardless of the form and the design that were followed.
In terms of maintenance, one simple thing should be considered during installation and followed emphatically. That is, the proper inclination for water drainage, as far as the shower floor is concerned. This way, the proper water flow will be achieved so that the floor of the shower does not have any still water and stain will be avoided.
Marble has always been an excellent choice to be used in all areas of a residential project, with endless possibilities for applications. Whether marble is installed in the form of large slabs or mosaic tiles and depending on the choice of the texture and the polishing, it provides an elegant and timeless inspiration material that adds value to the property, staying always in style and fashion.
At Stone Group International, one of the leading manufacturers, a wide range of white and coloured marbles, slabs, tiles and mosaics is available, all of them suitable for any application in a shower area. Furthermore, a team of experts with deep knowledge on the material and the current architectural trends, as well as the needs of the projects, can guide you and help you choose the appropriate marble for your project.
If you’re looking to learn more about marble products and natural stones, Stonegroup is here to help. As one of the most well-known marble suppliers in Europe, our team can answer any questions you may have about the production process and how to best take advantage of these materials. And if you’re still unsure about whether to contact us, we invite you to explore our blog and read additional articles to gain more insight into our expertise.
