I lived in a much abused rental with a cultured marble tub surround, and I will say that it was in amazing condition even after all the things it had stood from renters over the years. It was disgusting when I moved in, but an hour of polishing made it look almost new again.

But I don't think it would harmonize well with blue pearl (or any real stone), honestly.

CM is the typical choice for even high end baths in our area. You can get almost solid colored cultured marble, which I think can blend with other materials. I'm not sure the white would be the right color, it depends on how "white" it is. A grayed white or even pale gray or bluish white might look better with the Blue Pearl.

Another thing to consider, our old CM shower had slab walls and a bench seat built of slabs, but every seam had "molding" on it, curved coping or a corner piece covering the seam. This essentially doubled the number of seams to get moldy LOL! We had very poor ventilation in our bathroom, though, I would insist on good ventilation, maybe directly in the shower.

I think it was in the forum thread "what was your best bathroom decision?" that I got my idea to use Swanstone as the material for my tub/shower surround, for the same reasons you say you don't want tile. At the Swanstone website I see a link to a design tool called a Shower Selector. Here is a link to a kit sort of to your measurements. I found that at Lowes the plumbing department could help me pick out the right one and order it for me. First I talked to the contractor about it so I would order the right measurements.
I like that the seams seem kind of flush and the whole thing is easy to clean and always looks clean. My color is Prairie and is tan with specks of colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swanstone site with shower walls kit

Thanks to StacyNeils beautiful remodel, I'm going to go with the same flooring as hers. You can see how nicely it goes with her white shower. Then for the vanity top, I'll look at some nice granites. I'd like Cashmire White, but I'll have to see what's available.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stacy Neils remodel

I had three bathrooms in my last home, all cream colored cultured marble. Yes, it can be easier to clean, but the silicone sealant can get moldy and stain. It also tends to need re-caulking fairly often in spots. When used for a vanity top in a bathroom with heavy use, it will get a "patina" (fine scratches). The manufacturer overall did a high quality job and finish, however, I didn't want to have cultured marble again. I found it "O.K".

We are currently building a log style home. My husband wanted cultured marble again, despite the fact that I wanted to try a beautiful tile shower with minimal grout lines. Newer grouts and materials are "supposed" to be much better than in years past. Since we are having all natural products in this house and no sheetrock, I felt with my vintage style sinks it would look wonderful.

Long story short, we put in a white on white cultured marble shower, six feet long and four feet wide. I absolutely hate it. It looks like a hospital shower to me and the vintage sink makes it appear even more like plastic.

Different shower person this time around. He didn't do what I would call a great installation and the walls are scuffed up. He claims this can be buffed out, but in reality this takes off gel coating.

After spending a LOT of money, I want this shower ripped out and something more aesthetically pleasing put in.

Sandy

This is what I used to polish my cultured marble and "plastic" bathtub. The instruction say to only polish by hand and not use a machine. I love the results. I used it 6 years ago and haven't needed to use it again.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plastic Polish

Thank you for your responses. (Lightning ran in on my modem and I have been without internet access this week). My main concern was the ease of cleaning with cultured marble and being sure that it didn't discolor over time.

My shower will be 4'x5' with three solid walls and a glass door front. I'm thinking if I use white marble in the shower and maybe even a frosted glass, then the marble won't be such a big deal and I can make the tub with tile decking the focal point of the room.

Not the fancy tile shower I had originally imagined, but still somewhat elegant (but durable and easy to clean).

I think I may also go with New Caledonia granite as it will pull out some of the white in the bathroom. The Blue Pearl is REALLY nice, but I agree it may be to dark.

Another question: Have any of you debated with yourself on granite vs. laminate? I know granite would be beautiful, but we do not plan to ever sale (rural family property), it's a master bath so the only time others will see it is when we first complete it, and there's a BIG cost difference? Guess I'm just trying to justify that beautiful granite!

Thanks for your time and responses.

We have a tumbled marble tile in the shower going on 6 years now and do nothing but wipe it down after a shower and seal it once a year. Also use a stone cleaner a few times a year. Never have had mold or dirty grout. Grout is still white. Maybe being in Arizona with 7% humidity helps with the no mold thing.

>Maybe being in Arizona with 7% humidity helps with the no mold thing

Yes. I've lived in both AZ and FL and there's no comparison, believe me. On the other hand, if I get distracted and forget to put the asparagus in the fridge in FL, I don't come back in 45 minutes to find a little bunch of hay. :)