To refresh your memory, my plan had been for my shower to be mostly plain white tile, with a half wall that would be an "accent" tile. Something to be a focal point.
After a lot of dithering I decided on star and cross tiles.
I picked two colors from the sample tiles that I thought would coordinate together and provide kind of a tonal effect without a lot of contrast:
And I even plucked the tile images of the star and cross off of the tile company's website and did a little cut and paste mock-up to get an idea of what it might look like:
Well...here's how it turned out and my immediate reaction was that I didn't like it. Too much contrast. The crosses are darker than I was expecting and have kind of a sagey green tone that almost makes them look brownish (I was expecting more of a minty green). I texted the picture to my besties and one of them said the crosses look "greige". UGH. The dread greige.
I could maybe get used to it but the other factor is the bluish tone to the floor tiles in the bathroom. It just doesn't go with them and depending on the light in the bathroom the whole thing almost looks a sickly green.
So...I learned some lessons. 1) I'm crap at visualizing what a tiny sample tile is going to look like in large scale. 2) Don't trust web site images of what color a product is (that is what I used for the mockup - but when I look at the actual samples they aren't really those colors). 3) when the product gets delivered, put some of it in the actual space so you can see what it looks like in the light of the room where it will be installed. I was wanting to not get in the tile guy's way, but I really should have taken a box upstairs and at least propped up tiles on the shelf to look at them. As it was, he spent most of a day cutting tiles and sticking them on the wall and that work was mostly wasted. At least the designer stopped him before he grouted it.
The designer came back with the sample tiles today and they DO look a bit different from what was delivered. He took pictures and that might give him some leverage to negotiate with the tile company on a replacement. If we go that route, Julio the tile guy would take off the greige crosses and we'd re-order them in the same color as the stars. I don't trust myself to be able to select a different color that will look look good with the stars! Even if it's white, haha. Although there is also the issue that if we order the replacement crosses in the same aqua color, it's a different tile run and so there's a good chance it won't match.
But we are also going to work on Plan B at the same time. The designer and I are going back to visit the local tile stores next week and maybe we'll find something that a) is cheaper than the special order tile, 
is in stock so we won't have to wait for it, c) will be easier to install (like a sheeted mosaic tile) and d) that we can compare against a sample of the floor tile and know it will go with it.
Interestingly, the designer brought along a new co-worker this morning (just to show her how the house gets staged for a project) and her first reaction on walking in the bathroom was, "it's gorgeous!" HWD liked it too. I'm just pretty sure I don't want to look at it every morning for the next 10 years or however long I'm in this house.
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Yikes.. not even close to the same. Sorry. Hope the designer can help sort it out.
Thanks. We’ll see how tile shopping goes tomorrow.
I agree with superbj, the tiles look ok but that "green" cross. Sorry, not a fan. When looking a carpet or anything, I always take the samples outside and look at them in natural light. Store lighting can change the color a bit.
That's a good idea. Lighting can make a huge difference. The picture in the post is with an incandescent bulb above the shower turned on. Here's how it looks with just natural light coming through the windows - almost worse, I think!
I'm sorry you don't like it. It is very different from the company website colors. Like you, I like the sites colors. Not the actual colors.
Replacing the crosses with white might be enough contrast. I'm not sure if its better, less expensive for you to replace just the crosses or the whole thing.
I'm boring. My bathrooms are usually a basic tile with a colored contrast band running around. Though I did the showers at the lake in a Carerra tile. No contrast band. I was lazy, LOL.
I don't know how the cost would pan out for replacing the whole thing vs. just the crosses. The tile setter's time is actually much more expensive than the tile itself. So I might save some money on tile by removing only the crosses, only to end up with it taking more of the tile setter's time because he'd have to carefully pry off each cross while making sure to leave the stars intact. 🤷🏻♀️
Looking at the stars in the daylight just now (first clear day we've had since the tile was put in) I'm not sure if I like their color in natural light. But it's hard to say how much of that is because of the crosses which look puky green in the natural light hahah! It almost makes the "griege" palatable by comparison!
I'll be honest, I like the tile pattern but so not the colors!
I'm not even sure I like the tile pattern anymore. One of my friends said, "it's that vaguely Moroccan look that seems to be trendy right now". 😬 I know her opinion shouldn't matter but one of the things I'm trying to avoid is a look that will "date" it in 10 years.
But yes - agreed about the colors.
The photographer in me knows all about color temperature and white balance but come one! Your concept illustration and the installed wall are not even close, and those two factors would impact both tiles equally. Funny (not!!) how the samples never match the real thing.
Hopefully you'll get some extra of whatever you finally settle on because the exact same stuff, from a different production lot, won't match the installed stuff either should there need to be a repair at a later date.
The designer did build in some overage…I have leftovers of all of the other tiles so far. And in fact, I’m probably going to swap out one of the floor tiles that looks a bit odd.
Funny thing is, the prior homeowner left me lots of “extras” like that down in the basement, and I’ve never had to use any of them.
ItZ greenish and chill.
And not worth the effort to claim victory over such a subtle shade.
I like it. 🤗💕
... ... what do I know... ?
Yes, it seems to be a love it or hate it design.
I’m going to be looking at it every day for the next however long. Would you drive a car every day that you didn’t quite like the way it handled? OR imagine you hear a few bars of a song and like them, but then when you hear the whole thing you don’t care for it. Would you play that song every day?
At least you have the option to change the tiles.
I think the cross tiles are too dark and I certainly wouldn't want to look at it after having a few drinks 😂
Right? I feel the same.
Greige, huh? I don't think it looks half bad, honestly, but it doesn't have to satisfy me!
Thanks but with what I'm spending, I'm hoping for better than "not half bad" 😊
I dunno, I’m with you. I don’t think it looks good. The color seems off. Here I thought it was a slight difference in shades of blue but as your friend said, I’d call that greige.
Thanks for validating my dissatisfaction. I guess I was over-confident because I loved the way my last tile project (my fireplace) turned out. Now I'm feeling worried about being able to make the right decision on a replacement. Ugh.