To me, the vanity top looks to be black, copper, and a bit of cream. Her accent tiles look to be cream, with a few black and copper pieces mixed in. On my screen, the field tiles look like a cocoa color, and completely off from everything else.

Errant_gw, that's how it looks to me on my monitor, too.

What about the one on the right? The field tiles are two different colors. The one on the right is warmer and has red undertones.

The dull brick red doesn't do much for the brighter gold and copper. I think I'd avoid the limestone/travertine/Old World looking tile and go rustic contemporary with something like these concrete style porcelain tiles. I'm not finding many photos but I've seen them in stores. I'm picturing something in a warmer brown than these and perhaps with the colors more blended.

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Here's Daltile.

http://products.daltile.com/series.cfm?series=232&item=3421&type=porcelain

How strange! My OP contained two links. One to a Google search for Magma Gold/Desert Dream granite and one to Daltile's Concrete Connection's webpage. May_flowers, when you sent the link with the same Daltile webpage, I thought I guess she didn't read my entire message. I went back to the top of this page and neither link is there :o The picture of the two tiles with the bathroom vanity IS two colors in the Concrete Connection series :) And they don't look travertine-like at all to me. The two colors are Eastside Brown and Plaza Rouge. I chose this tile because it didn't have a lot of color variance. Ya know, they have a black called Downtown Black and DH said today "what about a charcoal black. I poo-pooed it at first but maybe I should reconsider. But how's that going to look against a stark white tub? :o

I'm going to try my link again to images of Magma Gold granite
Magma Gold Granite

I think it's time to step away from the computer and call it a day! My two links DID show up but they weren't in my original post. They were in my 2nd post in this thread.

I did read that post earlier but I didn't click the links. I think I missed it because I wasn't going to post, but then I went back later and looked at the first post and thought of the concrete tile, so off I went to look for examples.

Oh, the tub. I'm not sure about this whole dark color scheme in that case, but that first pic I posted has some cream in the tile which connects the tub. But I feel you need a more blended tile because of the busy granite.

I'd look for a field tile close in color to the 1" cream deco tiles, or one that pulls the gold color from the granite, and just use the bronze trim pieces with that.

This one comes in a bronze color. I think the little bit of metallic wash over the tile helps pull in the granite and sink. Just showing it for reference.

http://www.oregontileandmarble.com/products/concrete-look-porcelain/loft

Of course if his heart is set on the deco, it's just a matter of finding a tile that coordinates, and we can't see the nuances on our monitor. Is there a way to use just the metal pieces? I personally don't think you need accent in the shower, but I know you're in Texas and the style is a little ornate. I have Texan neighbors and they have all sorts of doodads in their yard, along with the Texas star, of course!

So no comments on the charcoal color with a little bit of gold in it from anyone? I did a Google search for black bathrooms and found many. The tub didn't "stick out" near as badly as I thought. One of the paint color considerations from the beginning was dark gray (or the darkish gold found in the black tile) I'm trying to keep the room cohesive with the rest of the house but at the same time be it's own and be a bit unexpected :) We certainly have the colors in the granite all over the house including a knock your socks off peninsula bar base done in some beautiful Black Galaxy. It and a large round dining room table with a large black pedestal base. The baltic brown granite in the kitchen has lots of black in it. We could keep the existing floor tile if we went with the back/gold tub surround. I would really like to do that to keep the flow of floor tile. Yeah, we Texans do kinda like to decorate big...just like we like our hair...big LOL Every room looks like it belongs but they're each their own. Does that make sense? Our large den is what I call "cowboy chic". The hardware on his bathroom vanity is black Texas stars and his vanity light fixture is (I think) a rusted oil rubbed bronze with Texas stars....course there's a Texas star on the Austin Chopped chimney out side (BUT NO YARD ART!). A 2' tall state of Texas carved out of Black Galaxy granite hangs above the fireplace, along with various stuffed animals. So you can kinda get the picture that his bathroom "fits" and needs a little drama to hold it's own in the house.
Mayflower, we really are stuck on he deco and keeping the tub surround as UNbusy as we can...just balancing out the color on both sides of the room without taking away from the vanity. II think the light deco strip 1" travertine with the inserts breaks up the large expanse of the dark tiles he wants and brings interest to that side of the room, again, without taking away from the vanity (just balancing the room). thank you for the link to the bronze tile from oregontile. I'll show that to him this evening. Oh, and there will be very little, if any, showering going on in this bathroom so a build up of soapscum on a dark surface isn't an issue.
Thanks everyone for your input.

I like the charcoal colored tile -- -it reads more "manly" , less warm, and a bit more current (IMO), plus you don't have to deal with the question of whether it introduces a reddish color in the design.

Did you see this photo of it? It has a shade variation of V3, so there should be plenty of gold.

What about the plumbing though? What is the sink faucet?

Thanks nosoccermom! I think I really want to go with this. I'm just hesitant because it's different. I had this same feeling when we were deciding to do a checkerboard pattern on diagonal (with a large format tile) in the dining room. I went with my gut and decided to do it. I'm so happy I decided to not play it safe and do something that you don't see every day. I need to see this tile in person first tho. The little 2x4 piece on the sample board doesn't show enough of the color variance. It's just a soft black.
may_flowers, yes, I've seen that photo but something isn't right with it. It looks like every tile is in the exact same pattern. It kinda even looks like there are 4 tiles within each grouted section. Home Depot sells this tile and I was hoping to see it in their store tomorrow but it's sold online only, so, I'm going to call some tile stores to see if they have a large sample.

Oh, they photoshopped it! Those dirty rascals!

I have Daltile in my kitchen, and I was only shown one 16" x 16" tile at the Daltile store in Portland. When it arrived, I was shocked to find that there was a huge variation in the tiles (V4). They never told me. Fortunately I liked the look. In your case I'd want to know exactly how each tile looks since it has to work with your busy granite.

Yeah, it's definitely been PS'ed.

I would be careful of going toooo manly. Dark tile is not suited to all people, and someday you may have to sell. It might need to be a kid's bathroom, or a female's bathroom. Why not lighten up the tile color and use dark paint or art to make it manly? Paint is easy to change, tile is NOT.

You may not plan to move, but you never know what changes may await you....

cindy, thank you for your advice but I'm afraid it's too late to worry about resale. It's very customized to our taste and this is the last room to be brought out of the early 80s! We built this house 33 years ago and just 2 weeks ago paid it off FOR THE 3rd TIME lol. We paid it off 10 years early the first time, doubled the size of the house and paid that loan off a year early and then did another major remodel in 07 and just paid that loan off 18 months early. I understand we never know what tomorrow brings but at least our home is paid for.
Monica (who will probably leave here feet first).

Contemporary vibe but similar colors

Ohhhh, don't mention the "S" word :o He wants (real) slate so bad but the maintenance is an issue. I'm sure he would settle for a porcelain slate look but it just won't work with the busy granite. Thanks tho!

Real black slate(like Vermont Slate- Sheldon, or Maine/Monson) is very dense and very low maintenance. It is what we traditionally use here in Maine for our mudrooms because it is so very easy to care for. It doesnt stain, it is not porous.

What if you find a slate that has a fairly uniform color, like in the first picture I posted?
black slate bathrooms

I like the upper right sample in your first post. It goes with your vanity.

I didn't think I liked your 3rd posting with the darkish gray black tile with your granite, but Nosoccermom's post of that contemporary bathroom, 4 post up, is really nice with the granite like yours. But their vanity matches the tile, while your vanity is brown. I think that might make a difference.

Not all slates are equal. The brazilian slate is not as stable as the slate from New England from what I remember in my evaluation several years ago when I put brazilian slate on my bathroom floor. I went for a Brazilian slate special ordered from HD. It is fine for the floor it seems but I wouldn't want it in my shower. I would go for porcelain to be honest.

Yes, a more uniform black slate would work! Thanks nosoccermom :) I looked in one store last Friday for a more solid colored black slate. What they had was Brazilian. It wouldn't have worked.

enduring, the reddish color tile was my first choice. I still think it would look good and it's still a possible contender. I'm pretty sure we'll be going with that or the black (the porcelain or a black slate with very little color variation). Altho the tub is a tub/shower combination, the shower is rarely used. It hasn't been used in 8 years. If this was primarily a shower, I wouldn't even be considering black ANYthing.

Took the tile samples back on Friday and got prices. Those little 1x1 accent tiles (oil rubbed bronze look) are $5.25 EACH! Whaaaaaat? :o The salesgirl couldn't believe it and thought it was a typo, thinking it was $5.25 for a 12" square of them. She called the company and they said "per 1x1 tile" :o

My DH did a black floor in his "Manly" bathroom and I think it looks very nice. It's a black porcelain tile called Seastone and it looks like it has little fossils in it.

How about doing a larger accent tile in the colorful slate? It's bold and therefore manlier than the small squares. Or can you get granite tiles in Magma Gold? I think for a 7.5" x 5' bath, you should limit the materials.

A row of tiles like this would be pretty with the dark field tiles. Oops, I shouldn't have said pretty. Think of another word when you show hubby. ;)

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That's a thought may_flowers. Thanks! Yes, I'm sure you can get Magma Gold in tiles and if we couldn't find the right size, DH could cut them (he does all our tile work). We did a rounded bar base in Black Galaxy. Bought 24" tiles and he cut them all 4" wide in 3 staggering lengths. It's one of my favorite things in the house :)
Yes, I agree about limiting the themes/materials. That's why I wanted a fairly uniform field tile in a color that's in the granite. The 2 colors in the 1" metal oil rubbed bronze accent tiles and liners are found in the granite and match the hardware on the vanity. It's also one of the reasons we're not going with a multi-colored glass tile for the listello. I'm kinda burned out on that look anyway. The metal materials are dark and will kinda blend with the dark tile but still offer some nice visual interest. The travertine...well what can I say. Right or wrong, I just like it :) (In the same shade) it's in the kitchen, entry and the other end of the house in my bathroom.
Thank you ALL for your ideas and help!

I personally would skip any accent tiles and go with larger format tile altogether. It's going to be stunning, what with the counter and sink and black (or any other dark color), so I'd focus on those.

jerzeeglrl, your husband's "manly" bathroom is very nice! I can see it better now that I'm not on my phone :p Cream and black is a classic combination :)

nosoccermom, we are using a 20x20" tile :)

Please keep us posted, so we can follow along :)

I will!

I'm 90% sure we'll be using Daltile's Concrete Connection in Downtown Black around the tub/shower.
The current floor tile will work "go with" the black black tile.
The current floor tile is the same thru-out this bath, a small hall, kitchen, large dining room (mixed with a lighter color of the same tile) and in part of the den. All of these areas are connected.
There are two doors in this bathroom. One goes out into the hall and the other into a carpeted bedroom.
From the hall door the bathroom is right next to the office. The flooring is wood.
If we put the black tile on the floor of the bathroom, you'd be able to see 3 different floors. Two of those being two different tiles that butt together. I can't envision that looking good and hate breaking the flow. OTOH, it would bring more cohesiveness to the bathroom with the surround tile and floor tile being the same. I haven't asked DH yet (and floors is what he does for a living).
Would it bother you to have two different tiles joined together and see three different floors from a very limited viewing point? Or would you do that for the sake of the bathroom looking better?

Ohhh, he's so smart :) I just ran this past my husband and he said that if we put the black tile on the floor we'd put some sort of divider between the two tiles. One example he have was a ceramic wood. I could find one that matches the wood floor in the office :)

There you go!
And, no different floors wouldn't bother me because a bathroom is so obviously a different "room" and you close the door when using it.

Just joining in...don't worry about the flooring issue. I agree with your choice of continuing the black into the shower. The sinktop is very complex but it would be nice to tie in the shower with a few scattered gold accents.

OH MY WORD! I'm in LOVE with this tile!!! Daltile overnighted me two 13x13" tiles (free of charge) in the Downtown Black color. It couldn't be anymore perfect for the vanity granite :) And something you can't see in the photos and I don't recall seeing in the tile on the sample board, but it's got a distinctive "leather" texture. Perfect! :) He wants to use the 20x13 size.
luvbeautifulthings, thank you for your input about the gold accents on the tub surround. Do you think the accent design I'm considering doesn't look good? I know that in the end it's what we like but at the same time, I don't want people to see it, shake their heads and say "bless her designed challenged heart" :o

Oooo! Leather is good!

Are you still doing the decos and metal accents? I thought you nixed them because of the price. I could possibly see the metal liner with a row of cut-down DT Black tile in between, just for theme's sake, but it's orange. How does it look with the gold in the tile? Got pics? I think the decos have an entirely different feel than everything else. That's really where your heart needs some blessing. ;)

may_flower, I want to use the honed light travertine with the oil rubbed bronze inserts and oil rubbed bronze rope liner and I'm willing to pay the price. I'm also willing to listen to other opinions. Can you explain why you feel that doesn't work with vanity and black tile? What feel does the vanity have? What feel does my choice of surround and deco pieces have? The components include a natural stone, metal pieces in an oil rubbed bronze look with orange-ish copper highlights (same color as the sink) and a rope liner. (To me) it says rustic elegant. The glass sink certainly isn't rustic but I like it with the more rustic looking granite and the knotty alder cabinets. Here is the light fixture.
I don't understand what you're saying is orange unless it's the highlights in the ORB metal pieces. I think the pieces look great with the black tile and now that I have the full size actual tiles here, there is much less color variation in it than is shown on-line. More subtle. Nothing reads gold at all. Thanks for your input! The light globes aren't as gold in real life, they're lighter and more creamy colored.

It seems to me there's a lot of different materials. Vanity has a very bold granite counter, a glass sink, and silver metal faucet IIRC. ORB hardware and light fixture. Flooring is a different tile that is somewhat complementary to the bath tile? Can't recall the details. A white porcelain tub and toilet. The DT Black tile seems sleek and contemporary while the mosaic is tumbled stone. The rope and accent mosaics add ORB to the shower, which I assume will also have silver metal fixtures. This is all contained in a 5' x 7.5" room. I'm allowing for your more ornate taste than mine with bringing the metal liner to the shower, but a few others have said that they don't think you need it.

I would get all your elements arranged in a layout on the floor as a good visual. Try to get them in about the percentage you would be using them. Have a look and see if they read nicely together. You could do an "mood board" but that is computer work and don't know how you feel about that. This room has a lot going on, but it might work. If it was me I'd have to lay it all out on the floor and look at it over a few days.

Like this:

What Mongo Says :) lol, and I thought you didn't like to give style advice. Nice to hear your input!

I wrote before drinking my first pot of morning coffee. I was weak. lol

Wow, lots to take in and consider.
I guess I've never seen honed black slate, but, I've never looked for it. Since DH works out of carpet and design stores, that's where I look for things of this nature. I did a google search for honed black slate. I like it but it really doesn't look much different than the Dal-tile piece I've chosen. I'm sure the texture is different tho but we like the leathered texture. There isn't as much color variation in this Downtown Black as I initially thought. I think we'll stick with this decision, but thanks for the suggestions.
Don't know if it matters, probably not since there seems to be no love for the travertine deco, but what I was wanting isn't tumbled. It's hone and I chose honed because of the field tile choice.

Enduring, when I had everything here, I did lay it all out and I've also done the "mood" board on the computer. I thought it looked good but apparently I'm clueless :o I'll go back to the store where I found the deco pieces I liked and put them together with the two full size tiles.

One change DH made was to go with 2" inserts (vs 1") in the hone travertine and widening it to 6". I will also ask him if he'd like to consider something else. I realize there isn't a lot of contrast or "pop" with the liners, that was intentional, but it does offer some dimension, a little contrast leading to the cream colored honed travertine with the Venetian bronze tiles mixed in. I really don't care for the idea of using smaller pieces of the Downtown Black as a deco but I do appreciate the suggestions.

mongoct, the faucet hardware is brushed nickel. I have mixed (brushed nickel and Venetian bronze) in my (very light) bathroom as well. I've seen that a lot in bathrooms and lots of conversations about it , most agreeing it's fine. The cabinet hardware and door hardware is Venetian bronze. All the doors in the house have Venetian bronze hardware. The kitchen (this bathroom is within view of the kitchen) has Venetian brone fixtures, a beautiful rounded Black Galaxy bar base and the same color (but tumbled) travertine backsplash. I would have preferred to use Venetian bronze fixtures in the bathroom. The decision to go with brushed nickel was one made out of necessity. David has had a dark bronze (can't remember what it was called 33 years ago) fixtures and I know the mess he can (and will) make. Going with brushed nickel AND a Tapmaster has virtually eliminated the soapy, toothpaste-y mess :) Thankfully, there is a lot of black and silver in the granite.

oh, mayflowers, the flooring will the the same black tile as the surround.

Like I said, I'll see if DH would like to consider something else. I know he doesn't want glass tiles.

Not a worry to be had. When you're done, I'm sure your choices will be lovely.

In a manly sort of way. ; )

Not worried anymore :) DH works for several decorators. I was wanting to consult with one but was concerned I might be taking advantage of his working relationship with them. Last night he suggested I email everything to one of them and ask her. The lady he suggested was one of Tyler's premier decorators. She's done work for Tyler's elite for 20+ years and is now doing the same in Dallas. I sent her the "mood" board as well as describing several other elements in the rest of the house. She loved it, all of it! :) The only thing she suggested was to go with the same liner, top and bottom. Still waiting to hear back from her about the overall width of the deco elements and 1/2" or 1" liners. I've always loved her work. It's most definitely Texas style. David said she's done a lot of "manly" looking bathrooms so that's why he suggested her.

Monica

I think the more charcoal color would work on the floor better since you have so much going on above the floor. I'd not want to introduce more brown tones. A floor can be dark and not make the room dark because it grounds the space. I'd choose a light tone for the walls though.

yes, the floor will be the same charcoal tile as the tub surround :) We've really not given much thought yet to paint. Do you have any suggestions? Last fall when we started this I was thinking a dark wall color but that was before we were going so dark with the tile.

I would choose that once everything is in place. That is something a computer monitor can't tell you and you need to see the light and how it all works in the space. I would try for a pale gray-beige tone. Maybe a lighter version of Revere Pewter. You want some contrast with the trim but I'd stay light.