In February, 2018, we visited Thailand for the first time, and I fell in love with the ornamentation found in and on buildings everywhere, especially in temples. You will find colorful glass and tile mosaic all over Thai temples, mostly in regular patterns, but with nature-motifs mixed in. While there, we bought a few decorative items to bring home, and we decided to re-do our upstairs bathroom, which has a clawfoot tub, to have a Zen-sanctuary feel. The colors are bright, but happy and soothing, and we found some Asian-style furnishings, so I’ve been adding functional mosaic accents to tie it all together.
By doing this project in the “opus-sectile” style (each section is cut as one piece, rather than filling with lots of smaller pieces) I was able to make the surface very flat and smooth with fewer interstices, which is ideal for an area that will need to be cleaned frequently.
The tub surround has a cherry blossom branch to tie in with a cabinet and sink combo that we found secondhand. The design is simple and light, and echoed in a strip of white mosaic that attaches the sink to the backsplash. The center of the backsplash has a simple lotus design, again made to be easy to keep clean. The surrounding tiles have repeating patterns that are reminiscent of the tile-work I saw in Thailand, and there will be a 4″ vertical mosaic section added to the tub surround with a similar pattern to echo the backsplash and tie the whole concept together.
Eventually, we have plans for a large, ornate mosaic covering the wall over the tub, but that will have to wait.
