White Subway Shower with Accent Strip in Northfield
This shower in a Northfield home uses white horizontal subway tile on both walls, with a vertical column of black ornamental patterned tile running up the back wall as an accent. The accent strip integrates a recessed niche at mid-height, tiled on the interior with the same black ornamental tile. Matte black hardware completes the contrast palette.
Integrating an accent strip like this requires planning the horizontal tile courses on both sides of the strip to land at the same height — so the grout lines read continuously across the transition. We dry-laid both sides of the accent column before setting anything to confirm the course alignment. The ornamental tile in the strip has a different thickness than the subway field tile, which required an adhesive bed adjustment at the transition to keep the face planes flush.
Project Details
| Service | Bathroom & Shower Tile |
|---|---|
| Area | Northfield, IL |
| Materials | White horizontal subway tile (field), black ornamental patterned tile (accent strip), matte black hardware |
| Scope | Residential — shower walls with vertical accent column and niche, Northfield home |
| Timeline | Multi-day install |
What We Did
- Waterproofing: Full liquid membrane application on all walls; niche waterproofed independently.
- Course planning: Dry-laid both sides of accent column to confirm horizontal grout line continuity.
- Accent strip: Adjusted adhesive bed at accent tile to compensate for thickness difference with subway field tile.
- Grouting: Black grout in accent strip; white grout in field tile — masked the transition during grouting to prevent cross-contamination.
Want an accent strip shower in your Northfield home?
