I would use the same travertine tile on the floor and in the shower. even in the same large size (to minimize grout). The maintenance of travertine is easy. If you get a honed finish you will not have to worry about etching. Just seal it once a year. it holds up very well. we have friends who have travertine in all their showers. looks new after 6 years. Make sure you buy high quality travertine which means - - less fills - very few large fills - very few through holes In fact the travertine we have in our house does not even take a sealer. i wipe it on and wipe off almost all of it...

Donna (sorry all for hijacking this thread) - I think you should post your pics on the Bathrooms Forum, but also perhaps post a thread on the Kitchens Forum with a link to let people know that you've posted pics on the Bathrooms Forum. Since your kitchen was so popular, I think the Kitchens Forum people will remember, and want to see your bathroom. I just saw your message on the Bathrooms Forum about your Kohler Escale toilet. That's too bad. I thought that toilet looked unique and great. OK. I am done hijacking this thread.

The only way I know to safely restore the stone is to have it refinished. You may want to check other sources for refinishing as it's only a few hours work. If you have a hard time finding a reasonably priced company, perhaps you'll have luck asking who does the work in nearby churches, hotels, hospitals etc. If their referral is a long-time in-house maintenance staff, perhaps you can negotiate with him directly as a side-job if it seems safe to do so. Some installers do this repair as well so that's another potential source instead of the franchise refinisher I think you may have gotten the quote from. You won't necessarily have to have it honed as, if it's not too far gone, they can use a solution akin to tooth polish and buff. If it needs to be refilled and honed, that's only a bit more complicated but should be doable in a day's work. You can clean it with a steam cleaner but you may wind up taking out more of the fill. Do not use any citric based solution if you try. I don't know of any good DIY treatments for bringing back the shine, but once it is polished, be sure to maintain with the right ph balanced cleaners. Maybe others will chime in here. You can also ask in the flooring and kitchen forums as some knowledgeable stone people frequent there. Good luck!

snookums - I do lean towards the warmer white and the ORB hardware, just like the finishes in your pictures (love those pulls!). That's a great example of white cabinets blending well with the copper and natural wood details. I just posted on my other post on Home Dec that if I paint my current cabinets I would use SW Antique White, which matches all my trim, and I think that's pretty close to what you've shown. Of course, the style of my cabinets aren't as beautiful as all the ones in these pictures, but it could make a big difference! Thank you, rosie. Those are my wood floors, although I have slate tile in the kitchen (shown below). I really like that too and it will stay if I paint my current cabinets, but will be replaced if I do a larger-scale remodel. I'm not sure if I would bring the soft pine floors into the kitchen or choose another tile floor. We've done several improvements - replaced all the electrical, drywall, ceiling, paint, new wood slider and crown/baseboard, and installed the recessed lighting and pendants, but everything else is from the PO. I've since replaced those terribly uncomfortable metal barstools with Pottery Barn wood stools. We're shopping for a stainless steel counter-depth refrigerator right now and I'd like to switch out all the appliances, because I know having mixed finishes is going to bother me. I also wouldn't want black appliances if I paint the cabinets white. There's a lot of wasted space on the other side of the room that I would like to expand into with a stand alone island and more cabinetry if we do a larger-scale remodel. I don't usually post pics of my kitchen but here goes.