Thanks LaurieC and Cat Mom. This is so helpful. We have a very small second bath (kids and guest). It is about 5x9 except near the door it is 4" wide since the chimney is in that wall. The bathroom was so bad the kids would hardly use it. We had it gutted and are about half way done getting it back together. We have been all around on a vanity. Picked out a Ronbow at first and then considered a Fairmont metro since we liked the divided drawer for the kids on the top. That Sonia is awesome but was out of our budget for this project. It turns out our contractor has cabinet maker who works for him so we are going to have something made so we can get exactly what we want and he is going to build shelves to match in the deadspace behind the door that is not useable. A copy of the the Sonia might be in order. Tile is basic porcelain (shore valadero) and we are using a mosaic glass tile (Sumi-e Sesshu Natural) for accents. Here is a question. The sink I bought is a lot deeper than yours (6 or 7 inches) but similar style. I am wondering now if I should do some sort of backsplash around the sink. We have extra tile in various sizes as we over ordered (2x2 of the shore and also an extra SQFT of the glass). The sheetrock (or what ever is called) is already in- used one type for the wet areas and something else for the areas that will not be tiled. If we want to do a back splash around the sink is the contractor going to have to change the materials? The plaster guy is coming Saturday for the non tiled areas so I guess I need to know. The GC will not be happy to hear from me on a Sat. but oh well. We are going with a 35 inch Broan Metro frameless recessed cabinet so the backspash would not be more than 6 inches maybe? I have to measure to see how low the cabinet goes. Any thoughts? I am pretty new on here so I am not sure about posting pics yet. When we did our basement I used that forum some but not to the extent I have been using this forum- way more decisions for a bathroom. I will attempt it tomorrow when I have more time. Thanks all! Here is a link that might be useful: Glass Tile

Dianne, $22/SF is not chump change at all. For handmade tile like this it's not considered expensive either. Everyone's kitchen is different in terms of how much tile will be used, and everyone's budget is different. What I do, and recommend you do, is find a look I like, then look for the tile I want, or something reasonably similar, at a price that is in budget. You can search images for kitchens with your counters and cabinet color, then save images of looks you like. If it turns out to be a 4"x12" handmade tile with a matte glaze that's over budget, then you start searching (and recruit us to help) for tiles of similar size and finish that might work as well, and be on budget.

I gotta say, I love your spunk and your openness to showing off your work even though it didn't turn out quite how you wanted. The encouraging thing (I hope!!) is that the choices you made seem to go together very nicely. Can you post pictures from further back so we can see how this spot relates to the area as a whole? I'm not a pro and I for one can't quite figure out why the backsplash/tile accent isn't above the counter. A wider perspective would maybe help. Thank you :)

@snicks0513 This is the first time we've viewed your post. Nice outcome. We've worked with Susan Jablon over the years with great experience. Also, kudos for stepping out of the box on the tile selection/design (it's refreshing to see character and color which works with your other materials). Good for you for advocating for a quality install. As industry supporters of educating the consumer about quality tile installations I wonder if you would be so kind as to expand just a bit more on your experience for the benefit of others in the community? Specifically, how did you go about finding/hiring the tile contractor that performed the final work? Secondly, are you aware of what he/she did differently to achieve a quality installation? And finally (I know $ is a sensitive topic at times but so important for establishing realistic expectations), what did you pay for the installation (not tile itself) that was done professionally ? This would be the bonus follow-up that wraps this learning experience for all. Thank you and congrats on the new space.