I think the colors and fabrics and design looks great! Not sure what you're needing help with? It looks like a beautiful collection of materials.

Well, I tried the Gray Wisp (someone on Home Decor said Edgecomb Gray was too close to the color of the tile, needed some contrast). It looks really green! I like green, most of my rooms are green, but not with this tile.

What I really need help with is trying to figure out what best to do for a vanity configuration (don't need to keep this one)and style/color, confirm the Raphael for tub deck and surround (up to the window? Or put back the trim I pulled off?) or suggest something else (I've been trying to keep close to floor tile color), and what to do with the tub apron (it was prepped for tile but with different tile on the floor and deck I wasn't sure what to use, plus room would echo, I like wood but without knowing what I was doing for vanity wasn't sure what to do).

Options for wood tub apron

1) Maple T&G wainscot from HD, app. $100 and I finish to match existing vanity (along with filler pieces and end panel I was originally planning on)

2) Old (non-weathered) "barn board" (that was used as wall boards in original 1743 farmhouse on the property, was later covered with lathe and horsehair plaster so has lots of nail holes and some white streaks. I could have them planed down smooth and get rid of most of the whiting, but then I'd lose the bead.) Could make this easily removable for access. Obviously I would not use the raised-panel maple vanity if we go this rustic - was thinking to build a "farm table" vanity to drop the sinks into, with painted (Gray Wisp?) distressed legs and more boards on top. Boards range from app 10" to 18" wide. But is this TOO rustic for the house and the fixtures I've chosen?

3) Maple (if keep vanity) raised panel doors stained to match vanity - build a face frame and some if not all doors would be hinged to provide access (rather than using tiny access panel in closet), even though this isn't a whirlpool tub.

4) Painted (same color as walls?) new vertical "board and batten", maybe do surround in this too instead of tile, continue around the room? The tub apron would most likely be plywood or MDF panels, the walls could just be strips of 1x4 applied to the drywall and painted. Then a farm table or old sideboard vanity would work - but would the stained pine trim and doors?

I really like option #2 for sentimental reasons (the farmhouse has been in my family for 100 yrs, my cousin is gutting it and I'd like to salvage some materials, we built on the back acreage). But the mix of woods (pine doors and trim, chestnut (?) boards, and TBD vanity) might not work? I really don't have the design sense to know if I should keep all the wood in the same color family (esp. if tile and paint are similar), or if I should have 1 contrasting item, 3 different wood species/colors I think would be too much.

After that's all figured out, I still need help with wall color. Maybe something closer to the color of the fabric? Oh, and is that fabric too "elegant" for option #2?

Could I even make tiled surround (just up to the window) work with option #2, or should I see if there's enough chestnut to do the surround (and maybe continue a horizontal wainscot around the room, behind farm table and into WC)? Didn't look like my cousin had that much left - took out of 2 rooms but looked like only 8 or so (6-8ft) boards in the shed.

Maple T&G from HD:

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/2f/2f507001-4d69-4cd4-8491-acf5db47f22a_300.jpg

Painted (would solve color/plaster problem - paint tub apron same color as walls?) beadboard with stained trim

https://www.houzz.com/photos/henry-island-rustic-bedroom-seattle-phvw-vp~25129

https://www.houzz.com/photos/home-farm-1-traditional-entry-charleston-phvw-vp~64905

https://www.houzz.com/photos/mt-shadows-shabby-chic-style-bathroom-seattle-phvw-vp~25193

Board and batten walls

http://www.interior-decorating-diva.com/images/inspirationboardandbatten.jpg

Is this too much of a "cottage" look for a Colonial style house?

More formal raised panels - including in surround (love the alcove but don't know if DH will let me spend the $ to get it framed and drywalled, esp. the curved part) - but does this only work since the panels and all the trim are painted?

https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-traditional-bathroom-seattle-phvw-vp~117020

Option #5 - from the same site - mentioned Candace Olsen did prefinished flooring run horizontally as beadboard - I have some Brazilian Cherry left over from DR, actually it was ripped out b/c it was checking, we saved some of the OK boards but they are a glossy dark finish. I had actually stacked some (vertically) inside out in front of the tub to see how I liked the beadboard effect. I have enough to do the tub, but not the walls, and DH was concerned about how to attach them since they are 3/4" thick and VERY hard.

So see, I really need help!!

Hmm. I'd go to paler tones on the paint, make the tiles contrast more, more crispness. The color family works well with the tiles, not so well with the fabric in your picture - paint looks way too blue for the fabric, and the fabric tone is too similar to the tile.

Side note: where did you get the cherry shaker furniture? That mirror is great.

My personal opinion is that I always go with what I love and somehow the finishes usually work out in the end. In our new build, the only bathroom that I tried to do with "conventional" bath things is the one bath that I am really not happy with.

With that said, I would go with Option #2. If you used the old boards unplaned on the tub apron and then plane them for the vanity top, you could keep some of the character and still have a transition to the more refined woods in the space. I would also try to keep the woods all in the same tone even if they are not the same species. It looks like you pine has either no stain or a light stain on it, so I would probably treat the old wood the same way and not stain it, just either clear poly or Waterlox (my favorite). Your paint and tile can then become the counterpoints in the design.

I don't think the wood would be too contrasting with the rest of the house if you keep the tones the same and the wall colors also flow from room to room.

In our house we have a mix of quartersawn white oak, plain sawn red oak and pine. I kept all the stain tones the same and tweaked my "formula" based on the wood I was working with to try and have them blend with each other as much as possible.

Are you for sure on the wavy tile?

birdgardner - I could go some off-white? Can't really get much paler. Any suggestions? BM Horizon in the MBR looks really blue with the green carpet, looks grayer in DS's room with blue carpet. Didn't like it in the bathroom at all, was looking for gray but more brown-gray than blue-gray. Foyer, DR (open to stairs), stairwell and hallway are all Thornton Sage (though it looks blue in the stair pic below), LR is Antique Jade (BM colors). Kitchen with the oak Cider cabinets and DD's room with dark oak antique furniture are Navajo White.

The BR furniture was made by Durham, we bought it about 15 yrs ago, discontinued now but I'm sure you can find something similar.

westiegirl - I'd have to do a bit of sanding, the boards are really rough/fuzzy and I'd hate to scrape my leg on them but yes I was thinking just shellac topped by clear waterbased satin poly (like I've done the doors) or Sikkens Cetol that I used on my front door if I need something more water-resistant. The door in the picture is hallway linen closet, it has a Honey Maple gel stain on it (as do the downstairs doors in the kitchen with the oak Cider cabinets), but on the inside of the kids' rooms and the bathroom I just did natural (hall side Honey). I've got oak treads, rail and newel and pine risers too, tried to keep all in the same tone.

So, if I go with option 2 for the tub apron, what do I do with the surround, the rest of the walls, and the vanity?

Oops, yes (I was trying to put in more pix but Photobucket is taking too long). I'm sure on the wavy tile - I've got 120sf of it, bought it 5 yrs ago when we did the main bath in similar (bluer) tile, I loved that so much.

I really like your farm table idea for the vanity, using your antique boards for the top after planing them.

The surround is tricky because honestly I am not loving any of your tile choices when combined with the floor tile. I think in that small of a space, it would look much better to have as close of a match to the floor tile as possible, ideally the exact same finish.

Since that doesn't seem to be an option, here is kind of an out there idea... Would you have enough of the antique boards to plane them smooth like the vanity top and surround the tub with them? I think it would really connect your material choices. If you are concerned about water/splashing, I can highly recommend Waterlox as a finish. The Diet Coke I spilled all over our Waterlox finished wood floors last night beaded up and easily cleaned even though I didn't discover it until 45 minutes after the spill!

For the wall color, I would pull out one of the medium to darker tones from your wallpaper (hopefully it would exist in the floor tile as well). I find paint easier to pick out once the wood and tile finishes are in place!

Good luck.

Well, I have enough of the wavy tile to use on the deck, just didn't know about the varying-width grout lines on the deck. But it might really fit the "rustic" look if used with the barn boards on the surround, just really can't use it on the walls (how to end it on top and edges is the problem).

Probably have enough board-ft to do the surround (only need two 7.5-ft long x 10" wide boards for apron, incl. wrapping around the corner, another 7ft x ? tall board for under window, and the ends are 42" and 48"). But how far up to come, and end at the tub deck, or come down (actually have apron come out onto wall at 90 angle) to fill in the 9" bt the tub and the pocket door?

Then just paint the rest of the room? As I said, I'd love to use the old boards to wainscot the entire room, but don't think there are enough (would need another 7ft x 3-4ft tall to wrap to vanity, then another 6-7ft to go behind vanity if it was an open table, and then another 15 ft x 3-4ft tall to do WC).

Oh, and would the Delta Victorian Venetian bronze faucets (also have pivot mirrors and glass shelves, towel bars, everything but lights!) be too fussy with that rustic look?

For the tub deck, I was envisioning that you planned on only covering the horizontal deck surface. I didn't realize you wanted to bring it up the walls. Hopefully, I understand the situation correctly!

If tiling, I wouldn't carry it up the wall, I would leave that painted drywall. For the front edge, you can bring your wood up slightly proud to cover the edge or use a small coordinating wood trim piece. If you decided to put the wood on the deck as well, I think it would look fine to only put one board as a "backsplash" on the vertical surface. That board could easily be only 3 inches or it could be taller, either way would look fine.

My opinion on the wainscotting is that it actually might be "too much". I personally like having special items like your wood shine in small to medium amounts and let the walls be more of a neutral item.

Are your Delta faucets and fixtures an oil rubbed bronze finish or something different? If they are already a brown "wood" tone, I would think they would blend fine.

Yes, they're an ORB. And yes, I was planning on tiling up the wall partway, about a foot but can do wood instead. Since it would be different than the pine window trim, I'd keep the wood lower, maybe more than 3" but we'll see what they have - could rip a board down, then 1 8 ft board would do all around, it would be 5-8".

I was hoping to make the bead end up at the tile surface, but can always route a simple ogee or something on the top edge. Tile would have to be installed first so we know how high to make the apron.

And if I use the same boards for the table top, I could do a low backsplash on that too, I have an old table I'm using as a TV stand now that has a removable backsplash and sidesplashes, use that as a model (it's just too small to use for 2 sinks). Maybe I can even sneak a drawer in there between the sinks too.

You've almost got me convinced, now I have to convince DH. A project like this is going to take me a little longer than just ordering a countertop for the builder vanity, and I've got lots of unfinished projects around (like putting together an unfinished TV stand and finishing it so it coordinates with the dark wood end tables!).

If I can find a cheap cultured marble countertop with sinks to fit the old/new vanity, then all I really have to do right away is install the radiant heat and tile the floor so we can set the toilet, tile the tub deck and install the faucet. The apron and the table can wait. DH just wants the master bath functional (it *will* be 5 yrs Labor Day since we moved in!).

Remember when considering the time to finish how long you are going to live in this house. I usually think it is worth it to take a little longer and finish the project in a way that you will truly be happy with long term. It saves money in the long run by not wanting to remodel. :) As long as you have other baths to use, would the extra 2 or 3 months to complete this project really be a deal breaker?

I sympathize with the time issues. We started our build in August 2010, moved in August 2011 (no kitchen, no doorknobs, one barely functional bath, etc. at that time!) We still don't have a functional master bath either, but we are trying to get as much completed as quickly as possible because we can't convert our construction loan to a permanent mortgage until all the baths are complete and all woodwork/trim is in place.

How did you get a CO with no kitchen?

Since this is on family land, we plan on living here for the rest of our lives. But the kids are getting older, DS is starting high school in the fall, we've been sharing 1 bath for 4.5 yrs so I really need to get the floor in so we have at least a shower and toilet in the master (also have to get a sink in the powder room). The vanity and tub can wait (though DH would probably like a sink in the master ASAP, I'm the only one who would be using the tub).

I just thought it might be nice to use the tub before the 5-yr warranty runs out in June (May? 5 yrs from installation, not from our CO)!

Thankfully we live in an area with no COs or inspections, other than making sure your septic perks and meets the county engineer's specifications.

I understand not wanting things to drag out longer than needed and sharing the baths with kids is not always fun. For the first 5 months of living here, we shared a bath with DD that consisted of a one piece bath/shower unit, a laundry tub temporarily installed for the sink and the toilet installed on the cement board floor with no tile. I can't imagine trying to live with the dust and construction disruption as long as you have!

I would look at a darker paint rather than lighter. Look at BM Bennington Gray...it's actually not gray, but more of a neutral brownish color than you would expect from the paint chip. There is another neutral darker color (my BR is painted recently and I'll have to look tonight to get the name). My interior designer recommends these colors all the time. Would look great with your tile color and warm up your room more than going so light. And both Bennington Gray and the other color mix well with blues or greens in your decorating scheme.

Well, there's no dust (except on the dressers, and the dust bunnies under the bed - I'm not a good housekeeper!). No contruction disruptions - the house is pretty much done except for the master bath, the powder room sink, and trim in some rooms (baqseboards in LR and foyer, powder room, laundry room and a little in FR and kitchen - DR and most of FR is done - my mom keeps getting on me about finishing it b/c "You could have such a nice house, just FINISH it, even if it's not perfect, it will be DONE!"). DH would like aprons under the windows, but builder cut them without returns and I think end grain looks sloppy, so I never put them back on when I was doing the window trim. Gotta go through the leftovers to see what can be cut down with returns for a smaller window, try to maximize use of what I have before going out to buy more (hopefully just 2 long pieces for under FR and LR double windows).