Hi, For about the last 15 years, we have had a carrara marble floor in our well used powder room. There is black granite trim, as an outline of the small room. There are no stains, but there are scratches and signs of wear (patina?). Doesn't bother me at all. I think of all the marble in Europe, so very well worn. Here's a potential problem-and probably very important for those with a bit of obsession. It takes an enormously skilled, very experienced in carrara, craftsperson to install it in a pleasing fashion, assuming you are using marble squares-as opposed to a solid slab. We had the job done by a very high end, long established, artisan-like, tile and stone company-the guy spent practically a complete day in our garage, arranging the tiles in a pattern which would be pleasing- the gray lines, striations? must be in some kind of order so that lines from one tile to the next don't collide or look scrambled. Our room is perhaps 5x6 and at the time, only 12" tiles were around, around here anyway. The installers will advise you on what cleaning products to use. I'm sure my floor has been cleaned by every wrong product in the world- kind of like the first car ding. ok with me as long as I dont have to clean it. The original white grout has grayed somewhat, but again, it is ok for me and if it bothered me I'd just put on my well used psychotic cap and pretend I was in Italy and the floor was done by Big Mike. So, expect some wear, not stains, but I caution you strongly about the pattern arrangement. It could be a deal breaker, for most, and might cause you to be unhappy. Try arranging 7 or 8 tiles by yourself and see what I mean. Larger tiles are available today which helps a great deal, so th potential jumbled effect could be minimized. Interestingly, the black granite strips are still perfect. Good luck. Bev

Am I ever glad you posted this query...I am fighting with my husband about this right now concerning our split-level bathroom remodel. He is someone who ALWAYS says "no" to any change just because it is change...drives me absolutely crazy. I would do this without a moment's hesitation. We have just two good sized bedrooms on the top level, and I want to change a horrible single bathroom design that can be accessed from both the master bedroom and main hallway. I want to create two small bathrooms by dividing the one main bath and incorporating the bedroom's walk-to-the-bathroom area into a small complete master bath which would have a shower that is 40'"x60" (8 inches wider than the current shower area) plus a second complete bath with a shower-tub combo. Like your design, my result would be two small baths,; but each would function much better than my current one bath design disaster. I say go for it...makes sense to me! I am convinced adding a bath makes resale sense. My husband says he is living in our house not someone else who might buy it...very limited thinking to me!

While it can depend on the overall style of the room, as a generic statement I'd say that I wouldn't have one tile pattern meet another pattern straight on with no transition between the two. That's for most people and most installations. I think what you have to do is look at a lot of online photos. Or do mock up with your materials on hand. You may not be able to verbalize what you like, but when your eye sees it, your brain will give a "yea" or "nay" vote, and that'll help you define your style. Stye-wise...if you were going for a minimalist design? Simple? Clean lines? Minimal visual distractions? Then having one pattern butt right up to the other can look just fine. But the two tiles should relate to one another in some manner: Pattern, shape, size, color, texture, material, etc, etc. Some folk find pattern-abutting-pattern pleasing. But it depends on the tile, the pattern, etc. Others find it jarring. For a more traditional design, having a border or transition of some sort between them may be the better way to go. For a border or transition? If your shower wall was, say a marble subway. I'd terminate that pattern at the edge of the tub with a vertical run of tile. For a less busy look the tile for the vertical border could be the same used in the shower. If you want to blend details, it could be a darker tile, or something for example you used as an accent elsewhere in the shower, perhaps the same tile you used on the back walls of the niche. Easiest and safest is to use the same material as the shower tile. The vertical of the border will act as a transition between the marble in the shower and the backsplash pattern on the sink wall. In the end, trust your eyes and your gut. If it feels wrong, it probably is wrong. For you. Good luck.

"no bathroom door is located past the first doorway of a bedroom in a hallway". An easier way to say it: When walking down the hall, you should reach the bathroom before the bedrooms. I've never heard of this "rule", but -- as I think about it -- every house I've lived in as an adult has fit this rule. In contrast, the bathroom in my childhood home was at the faaaaar end of the house /past all the bedrooms. I kinda see the point: - Bathrooms are open to guests, whereas bedrooms are more private. - Placing the bathroom closer to the main living areas would place it closer to the kitchen. This keeps your plumbing fixtures closer together, which is a positive. Overall, I don't think this is a hard-and-fast rule. Do what works for your layout.