Bill, does a brick pattern 4x4 or 5x5 white tile with dark grout look bad? (Why do we only see subways with dark grout?) Let me put it this way-- it would look no better or worse than what you see in the picture I posted. Now, as to whether or not it would look "bad", that's up to you. My opinion, nor anyone else's would count. One thing to keep in mind, though-- if you're going to use a grout with that much contrast, the tile work had damn well be perfect, because if there's so much as 1/32" variation in a cut, or the size of a grout joint, it'll be seen bigtime. THAT'S why very few people will choose to use that much contrast. That, and the fact that it tends to overpower any other design feature in the room. But some people like that. Me personally, I like the look of that tub enclosure. It's the reason I saved it when it got posted about 5 years ago. But I'm in the minority.

I am hoping to do 2 x 4 myself. It is a slightly different look and there is more flexibility with the smaller size.

I like those last 4 x 4s on the floor, Beth. But they are not the pure white glazed tiles, they have some variation in color and shading. And they are not paired with identical wall tiles. I don't think that using the same 4 x 4s on both will work well. It will look like the homeowner found a sale and either bought too many or could not find the funds or the imagination to do a different floor. Organic Cook, how about using a large format hex tile on the floor, like the ones in the green and black bath and the white baths just above? It has a nod toward the vintage, by going hex on the floor, with a foot in the modern by not doing mosaic tile. They come in 8 inch size (maybe larger), so will decrease the number of grout lines in comparison with the vintage mosaics. You could look at a nice tile with some variegation, like the 4 x 4 floor above has. You could look for a color that is related to whatever the floor color is in the hall, so that the floor color flows between the rooms. If the hall has a wood floor, look for a tile that has about the same amount of color as the two tiles in the last bathroom in Beth's post above mine. Not a wood-look tile, but a glazed or color-body tile that has tones that tie into the hall flooring. Another idea would be to go back to your original choice of gray and white. Here are two 10" hex tiles from Tile Bar that would look good with white wall tiles.This one is a cement-look porcelain at $6. I love the variegation in color. Link This one looks like it may be beige, which would go with some wood floors. This one is at Home Depot and is more expensive. $15.95/sq ft. If you go to this link, there is a video that shows it grouted with both white and dark charcoal or black. Wayfair has this Carrara-look hex on sale. They show it with dark grout, too. $7.51 sq ft. I can't get an image saved to my computer, so I can't post it.

The biggest issue in creating something like the above, is finding two tiles that will line up AFTER adding a grout line. You have to find out what the actual measurements are for each tile - not all sites list this information in the spec sheet shown for the product - many only list the nominal sizes. It was “lucky” that I wanted to use the Cloe tile due to its actual size vs. nominal size. 2 1/2” x 8” tile - the actual height of the tile is 0.07” LARGER, and the width is 0.13” SMALLER than listed nominal dimensions. 5” x 5” tile - the actual size of the tile is 0.19” LARGER than listed nominal dimensions. In order to make these two tiles work, the grout lines will need to be pretty thin. Cloe has irregular edges which allows the grout to be worked into those spaces - many people on Houzz have installed it without using the recommended 3/16” grout line. The grout lines in the second pic must have been very small like the ones I calculated in order to work. If you have a 4”x4” tile and 2”x8” tile that you want to use - and if their listed nominal sizes = actual sizes of the tiles, it wouldn’t work after adding grout lines. For example, using a tile line with 4”x4” and 2”x8” tile sizes. Two 4”x4” tiles with a grout line will always have a longer length than one piece of 2”x8” tile. The same is true when stacking two pieces of the 2”x8” tile next to a 4”x4” tile - the grout line will interfere with lining up the top and bottom edges. You need to find tiles specifically sized to be mixed with the other sizes within the collection. I don’t think that it was a coincidence that the Cloe tiles worked - most likely, the manufacturer specifically calculated the dimensions of both sizes in order to allow for mixing the tiles together. Maybe I’m wrong - but I don’t feel like I’m that lucky!