Erin Napier's Breathtaking Shower Tile Idea Instantly Elevates Any Bathroom

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As one of the co-hosts of HGTV's "Home Town," Erin Napier has taken part in a number of home renovations, so she understands how to give people an elevated space that feels like they went on vacation in their own home. Although Napier often gives tips for perfecting the grandmillenial design style – which is traditional with a modern twist — she's also known for adding more personal touches to a space. In Season 5 of "Home Town," she redid a home for a woman looking to make her house feel more like a retreat. To give her client those vacation vibes, one of the rooms that Napier redid was the bathroom, which included a tiled shower featuring fish scale tiles in the built in shower niche.

In the episode (shared on YouTube), Napier explained that "I want her house to feel like a Key West Victorian, and so Floridian little elements like fish scale, I think that kind of does it." The person charged with installing the tile described the tiles as "mermaid tail", which makes sense since it has a shimmer effect to the finish. With these tiles used as the backbone of the recessed shelf in the shower it helps to bring a coastal feel into the overall bathroom, which has an otherwise more modern design aesthetic, with it's large white marble tiles and sleek finishes. The shower niche is a small focal point that draws the eye when in the shower without becoming a dominant feature of the entire bathroom. If you want to bring more coastal vibes into your bathroom, fish scale tiles could be one of the best bathroom tile ideas to revamp your space.

Fish scale tiles are a versatile option that can help maximize your style even in a small space, especially if you're trying to add more texture and movement to your design. While Erin Napier chose to use fish scale tiles in the shower niche, there are other ways that you can add this nautical look into your own bathroom. If you are looking to make a bigger impact with the use of fish scale tiles, consider using it on the floor of a bathroom, as a feature wall, or even throughout the entire shower. For smaller ways to use these tiles while still making an impact in your space, try using them as a backsplash behind the sink, as the back of your own recessed shelf, or by adding an accent strip between larger rows of tiles.

Beyond deciding how you want to incorporate the fish scale tiles in your design, another thing to consider is the color of tile you'll use. While Napier used a mother of pearl color for this particular bathroom design, there are actually a lot of different colors and sizes of fish scale tiles to choose from, including blues, greens, and even black tiles. Depending on the material and style of the tile you choose, you might pay as low as $8.17 per square feet for something like these MSI Retro Bianco Scallop tiles at Home Depot, while something like the Ivy Hill Tile in Beta Teal will run you closer to $16.04 per square feet. These tiles can get expensive, but adding them as an accent detail or contrasting feature in your bathroom provides an elevated take on a nautical design.