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Livingetc has published a design guide comparing shower trays with tiled, level-entry shower floors and showing how patterns, grout and enclosure details can shape a bathroom. It stresses that a seamless tiled look requires advance planning for waterproofing, drainage falls and tile layout; the source does not provide cost or performance comparisons.
Livingetc has published a shower-floor design guide comparing conventional trays with tiled, level-entry wet rooms and showing how patterns, tile choices and drain placement affect both appearance and installation. The report’s central point is that a continuous tiled floor can create a strong visual effect, but requires careful planning for waterproofing, drainage slope and tile layout.
The guide presents a shower tray as a practical alternative for people who want to avoid some of the waterproofing demands of a wet room. The writer says modern trays can have a slim profile, while acknowledging that tiled floors may appeal when homeowners want the bathroom flooring to continue into the shower. The article does not compare the two options by price, lifespan or maintenance.
For a level-entry wet room, the floor needs to be tanked and shaped so water runs toward a drain. The report says this work calls for decisions about drain position and floor gradients before tiling starts. Tile cuts can also be less forgiving when a prominent pattern has to cross the shower threshold and meet an enclosure cleanly.
Design examples show several ways to use the floor as a focal point: carrying stripes or geometric patterns into the shower, repeating a wall color in a different floor pattern, or using a decorative mosaic against simpler walls. Interior designer Mia Karlsson says extending stripes into the shower can make a room feel wider. In another example, designer Michelle Jager–van ’t Hof describes using a straight line below the shower doors to help the tiler set out a geometric marble pattern while accommodating the slope toward the drain.
Design Depends on Drainage Planning
The article matters to homeowners planning a bathroom because the shower floor is both a visible design surface and part of the room’s water-management system. A pattern that looks continuous in a photograph must still accommodate the fall toward the drain, the shower threshold and the enclosure. Treating those choices as separate decisions can make the finished design harder to execute.
The guide suggests setting the layout before work begins, rather than choosing a tile pattern after drainage details have been fixed. For a tiled wet room, that planning affects how the floor meets the rest of the bathroom and whether water is directed as intended. A tray may suit people who prefer a defined shower base, while a tiled floor offers more scope for continuity; the report does not establish that one option is universally better.
It also connects visual decisions to practical installation details. Tile shape, grout color and the position of the shower doors can all affect how a pattern reads. The advice to test a section by dry-laying tiles gives homeowners and designers a chance to review the result before installation makes changes more difficult.
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Examples From Interior Designers
The Livingetc report draws on bathroom projects by several interior designers rather than presenting new product testing or an industry survey. In a design by Even Eleven Interiors, geometric tiles in different marbles continue across the bathroom and into the shower. The designer says the tile shapes helped establish a straight line below the doors, with the shower floor then falling toward the drain.
Other examples use contrast rather than continuity. A bathroom by Nina Farmer Interiors repeats mustard from the shower walls in a differently shaped floor tile, giving the floor its own pattern while linking it to the rest of the shower. Regan Baker Design’s example pairs simple subway-tile walls with a floral mosaic floor. The supplied source material ends partway through its discussion of that project, so further details are not available here.
Across the examples, the report’s practical thread is to coordinate floor design with the enclosure, threshold and drainage from the outset. It recommends checking how a pattern looks from the shower entrance and at its edges, rather than judging it only from a few loose tiles.
““Running the stripes across the room emphasizes its width and taking them almost seamlessly into the shower makes the floor feel more expansive.””
— Mia Karlsson, Mia Karlsson Interior Design
Costs and Performance Not Compared
The supplied report gives design examples and installation considerations, but it does not provide comparative costs, durability testing, maintenance data or a measured assessment of slip resistance. It therefore does not show how expenses or long-term performance differ between a tray and a tiled wet-room floor.
The source also does not specify particular tile products, waterproofing systems, building regulations or drain specifications. Those details vary by project and cannot be inferred from the photographs and designer comments. The report’s advice should be read as design guidance, not as a substitute for a project-specific installation plan.
Plan the Floor Before Tiling
For anyone considering a similar design, the next steps described in the report are to decide whether the shower will use a tray or a tiled floor, establish the drain position and required slope, and coordinate those choices with the enclosure and tile layout. For patterned designs, a dry-laid sample can help show how the tiles meet the threshold and edges before installation.
The article does not announce a follow-up project, product launch or policy change. What happens next will depend on individual bathroom plans and installation requirements. Wet-room waterproofing and drainage work should be assessed by qualified professionals familiar with applicable local requirements.
Key Questions
What is the main choice in Livingetc’s shower-floor guide?
The guide compares a shower tray with a tiled, level-entry wet-room floor. It says both can work visually, while emphasizing that tiled floors require planning for waterproofing, drainage slope and tile placement.
What needs planning before installing a tiled shower floor?
The report says to plan the drain position and floor fall before tiling, and to coordinate the pattern with the shower threshold and enclosure. Waterproofing is also part of the wet-room installation.
Can bathroom floor tiles continue into the shower?
Yes. The report features projects where patterns continue into the shower, but says the layout must account for the drainage slope and the line beneath the shower doors.
Does the report say a tray or tiled floor is better?
No. It presents both as design options and does not provide a general verdict or compare them by cost, durability or maintenance.
How can homeowners check a tile pattern before installation?
The report recommends asking the tiler to dry-lay a section so the pattern can be viewed from the shower entrance and checked where it meets the edges.
Source: livingetc.com
