Veined tile tub surround with niche

We took these photos before the fixtures and trim went in, so you can see the tile with nothing in front of it. Large white rectangular tiles with broad gray veining run horizontally around the tub and up the shower wall, with thin, light grout joints.

One view looks from the tub toward a high window. The other centers the recessed niche, which sits below the window and is lined with small white hexagon tile. The niche lines up with the rows of wall tile around it, so its top and bottom land on grout lines instead of cutting through the middle of a tile. The valve and spout openings are still open, and a few wall edges are waiting for finish trim.

A niche placed like this starts with the tile layout. We decide the rows first, then frame the niche to match them, so it helps to settle niche height with you before the walls are closed up. A window inside a shower needs its own plan: the sill should slope toward the tub and be fully tiled, and the joint between tile and window frame gets silicone instead of grout.

On a job like this we check the walls for flat and plumb, hang cement board or foam board, and cover the whole wet area with a waterproofing membrane, including the inside of the niche and every pipe opening. None of that shows once the tile is up, so ask any installer how they handle it.