Storage/Built-ins/Shower Floor

Hi lobster, good to hear from you, and congratulations on the new apartment.

Regarding shower floor, a good strategy is to use 1-inch (or smaller) tiles (they can even be glazed to a high-gloss finish). The traction is provided by the grout, and there's lots and lots of it available, well-distributed for your foot to grip onto. And on a related note, epoxy grout (while more expensive and requiring a bit more skill to apply) is rumored to hold up better in the long run.

Built in shelving for my place went up to the lowest ceiling beam height - 9'. It looks good for my place.

My ceiling: 11'
Lowest beam: 9'

Congrats, lobster.

On the builtin height, I would imagine either 3-4' or all the way to 10'. What's the upside of anything in between?

If it is a clean looking piece, not bulky, then you can go up to the ceiling.

As far as shower flooring you shouldn't go bigger then a 2x2 as you need it to pitch to the drain. I would look at some porcelian tile, you will find some that have very good traction

1) Agree with inonada - either go all the way up or keep it low. I have builtins on one side of the LR, and fall short of the ceiling by 2.5 feet. Not loving it, and I'm planning an extension to the ceiling.

2) Small shower tiles with lots of grout provide good grip even if it's polished marble (think mesh mosaic - 1/4") - BTDT, fine grip. Or do a ceramic with good grip (I have this installed in my shower right now). Fine as well.

Since you brought up the master bedroom see if a bigger closet can be constructed. The big negative about creating wall units is they take away from apartment width and make the rooms feel very small. For that reason you'll want to keep the height low or consider seeing if a walk in closet can be constructed. Sometimes a bedroom door can be moved and a hallway space can be joined with a small closet to create some very usable space.