Faux Carrara Marble Primary Ensuite

I will show you how I put faux Carrara marble in the Primary ensuite.

Primary Ensuite / design board graphic.

Update: More photos of my master ensuite in this post here.

Today I’m sharing with you my small but gorgeous primary ensuite. I wanted it to be completely Carrara marble but of course that is extremely expensive and it doesn’t wear well after time.

My alternative was finding this gorgeous porcelain tile that looks just like Carrara marble. Bye bye ugly 80s, hello neutral white and grey!

I stuck to my design board that I shared awhile back and I have all the sources listed at the bottom of this post for you.

Let me show you the before and afters of this small but gorgeous primary ensuite.

To remind you of my bathroom before, here she is circa 1989.

An older bathroom with a clear shower curtain and white sink and counter.

At the time of inspection, there was shown to be some mold so the whole bathroom had to be gutted.

The bathroom vanity with a white counter and dark brown cabinet.

I decided to remove the tub and just put in a large built-in shower. I like having baths but the kids bathroom has a bathtub and I wanted this tiny room to look more open.

The primary suite with the walls taken down to the studs.

So with a large shower with glass doors I knew it would open up the bathroom space a lot.

I made sure a bench was added as well (how else are you going to shave those legs?)

The primary bathroom during renovations.
Plumbing in the primary bathroom.
The electrical being redone in the bathroom.

So now here are all the after shots! Such an amazing transformation, right?

Polished nickel hooks and shower head from Delta faucet.
New marble look bathroom, porcelain tile!

I made sure there was a little niche added for the necessary soaps and hair products.

Porcelain tile that looks like real marble in the primary bathroom.
Gorgeous faux marble master ensuite using porcelain tile alternative.

I love how the glass doors sit on this bench and just look like they are floating there.

Glass shower doors in primary ensuite with faux marble.

The tile from the shower was also carried through to the wall behind the toilet.

New custom bathroom using porcelain tile that looks like carrara marble.

And became the backsplash for the bathroom vanity.

How did I forget to add a towel to the cute little towel ring?

A towel ring beside the mirror in the bathroom.

I love this vanity! I purchased it from the Restoration Hardware outlet store.

Bathroom vanity look like dresser, from Restoration Hardware.
The RH vanity in the bathroom.
The beautiful Restoration Hardware white vanity.

The vanity didn’t come with a sink or countertop so I got a small white sink and used the same quartz in my kitchen.

I’m also a bit obsessed with that polished nickel faucet and medicine cabinet.

You’ll see coming up in future posts that I went more modern with my other bathrooms but I wanted my very own bathroom to have a vintage feel.

Polished nickel faucet from Delta, polished nickel medicine cabinet from Restoration Hardware.

The shower tile was laid in a stacked pattern but I chose a brick pattern on the floor using the same tile.

Pretty white penny tile was used for the shower floor.

Faux marble and penny tile, porcelain tile alternative - So Much Better With Age.

I wanted the penny tile to also be used in the niche but the tiler said it couldn’t be done.

Well, I know it can be done because I used to have an entire backsplash of it in my previous house!

UP close picture of the penny tile in the bathroom.
Delta polished nickel shower head.
Delta polished nickel shower faucet with porcelain tile.

Here are a few side by side bathroom comparison pictures for fun:

A before picture of the bathroom and the after picture.
The big difference of the before and after of the bathroom.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

I hope you enjoyed my primary ensuite tour today! I’ve listed all the sources below.

Sources:

  • Porcelain tile – Tierra Sol Gani Collection – 24 x 24 tiles on the floor laid in staggered brick pattern
    12 x 24 tiles on the shower walls and behind the toile laid in block pattern
  • Penny tile
  • Vanity – Restoration Hardware, Empire Rosette
  • Medicine cabinet/mirror – Restoration Hardware,  Astoria small
  • Bathroom faucet – Delta faucet Cassidy in polished nickel
  • Shower head – Delta faucet Cassidy in polished nickel
  • Light fixture – Pottery Barn Mercer
  • Countertop – Vicostone quartz BQ8220 Carrara polished
  • Towel hooks, toilet paper holder & towel ring – Delta Cassidy in polished nickel
Faux carrara marble master ensuite complete renovation graphic.

Make sure to pin it for later!

Click in Case You Missed:

13 Tips for Making a Small Bathroom Feel Luxurious 

13 Tips for Making a Small Bathroom Feel Luxurious poster.

Where to Buy Faux Carrara Marble Porcelain Tile

Where To Buy faux Carrara Marble Porcelain Tile poster.

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50 Comments

    1. Hi Karen, I know! I could not get a decent shot in the small bathroom. I’ve left a link in the post but I will try to get new bathroom photos soon.
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  12. Omg, Jamie, this transformation is just stunning!! And this is so timely for me because I am just deciding about using manmade material instead of marble in my kitchen. Yours is so stunning I think I just made my decision!! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful and inspiring re-do!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Lory. I used quartz as my kitchen countertops and this tile in the bathroom I love too. Have fun picking something out! So many decisions out there but it’s fun.
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  14. Love the bathroom renovation! It’s not an easy task but you did a wonderful job. Do you mind telling me the size of the tile you used on the floor and in the shower? I thought it may be a square or 12×24…couldn’t be sure. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Benita,
      Sorry for the delay, the floor tiles are 24×24 in laid in staggered brick pattern and the tile on the shower walls and behind the toilet are 12×24.
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  15. I absolutely love your bathroom! Could you please tell me the size of your tile in the shower, the make and name? I would like also to know the color on your walls.

    thank you so much!

    Reply

    1. Hi Caroline,
      The tile size on the floor is 24×24 laid in staggered brick pattern (like subway tile) and the shower tile size is 12×24 and that also goes behind the toilet. It’s called Calcutta Polished from Tierra Sol, the Gani collection.
      The paint I used throughout my entire house including the bathrooms is Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  16. Gorgeous bathroom! Such a stunning transformation. I noticed the Gani line doesn’t have a bullnose tile. How did you handle the edges in the shower, the nook, under the door and the backsplash? Did you grout the tile edges or did your tiler make custom bullnose tiles?
    thanks so much!

    Reply

  17. Hello Jamie, which Tierra Sol tile did you select and was it matte or Polished! Your new bathroom is beautiful! Thank you, Christina

    Reply

    1. Hi Jamie, I see where you commented on the tile above. Did not catch this the first time. What penny tile did you Use? Thank you! Christina

      Reply

  18. This came at the perfect time for me. Thank you for posting. I wanted a marble like tile that was simple and this is perfect. I can’t find any pricing hope it’s in my budget
    Thanks again

    Reply

  19. Hi Jamie,
    Can you please tell me where you bought your tile from. I’ve been on there website which i believe is based out of Canada. Not sure where you live. I tried a google search and cannot find anyone who sells it. Your help would be greatly appreciated
    Thank you,
    Camille

    Reply

    1. Hi Camille,
      I’m sure if you go to a local tile store, they’ll be able to give you porcelain tile options with a marble look. My contractor found these for us at a local flooring and tile store.
      Good luck!
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  21. I am thinking of redoing my tiny bathroom and removing the tub and adding a shower. do you think a penny tile with a grey grout for shower floor would be too dark against the same tile shower walls. Also, what is the size of your bathroom. Is it difficult to keep that floor clean? i was thinking of a basket weave tile in white and grey. Your thoughts please.

    Reply

  22. Hi Jamie!

    I am thinking of using porcelain 12×24 tiles in my shower but am concerned with how to navigate the soap niche since the edges can’t be polished, like natural marble. What did you do for your soap niche? It looks so seamless!

    Thanks,

    Caroline

    Reply

    1. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, Caroline. My tiler did an amazing job creating this soap niche with just cuts of the tile and no schluter or marble. I took a photo of it close up, I’ll email it to you.
      Hugs, Jamie

      Reply

  23. Gorgeous design!! Could you tell me if your penny tile was matte or the regular white? In the pictures, it looks almost iridescent.

    Reply

  24. beautiful bathroom! I believe the marble tile you used is exactly what we were looking at at Home Depot today and fell in love with! However, we only noticed the squares of it and would prefer the large rectangle size for our shower – is that what you used on your floor? The links you provided weren’t working – what brand did you use or where from? If you have an updated link to it I’d so appreciate it!!

    Reply

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