mrspete, if I do the wall behind the tub or the wall at the end of the tub, it will be clearly visible when you enter the room. The vanity wall is on the same wall as the entry door, so not so much. And I do want the tile to make a statement, but not be overwhelming, and not look like we were just trying to "fit it in" somewhere. Its a tough line to walk, for sure, and I am not the artistic type so I have a great deal of difficulty visualizing things. BTW, this tile is $45 a sq ft I think, not cheap but a lot less than some similar mosaics I saw and liked that were $100 +. Nevertheless, given that I seem to have very expensive taste, budget may be a factor. nancyinmich, your comments really have me thinking. You sound like you definitely have a good sense of design! I will see if I can do a mock up somehow to see how it looks. But I'm really not sure about the backsplash, only because I want the counter and backsplash to be easy to keep clean. The uneven texture of the mosaic and all that grout gives me the hebejebees. And I somehow feel like it would be better viewed from a distance. FYI, I am planning on wall mounted faucets. More $$$4 ;-).

This is so helpful, everybody! I realize I should have specified that I have a 9' ceiling in the bathroom, so it's taller than either the length (almost 8') or width (almost 7') of the room. That's part of the reason I don't want to run tile all the way up to the ceiling. I think it would look overwhelmingly tall and out of proportion. House Vixen, I'm having trouble seeing what you're describing as running bond – unless you mean in the field tile itself. I do rather like that pattern used with square tiles. (I confess I'm getting a little tired of rectangular subway tile absolutely everywhere, which is not to say there aren't a lot of bathrooms that use it that are both period and gorgeous.) House Vixen, btw I love the baseboard+floor border further set off by red pencil liner in that yellow bath.

sheepdog55, I think they do make them now at a 96 inch height. I think at the time we ordered, there was a major delay in manufacturing or something. We looked at a few different Swanstone vendors and could only get the 72 inch height in the specified color and size. You might have luck finding the taller height now. I absolutely understand what you are saying about minimizing vs. eliminating grout lines. As you can see, we have quite a few grout lines in our accent tile. However, our old shower was the same height as where the Swanstone hits so we figure the accent tile isn't really a big gamble in water damage, especially considering the waterproofing measures we took. It sounds like your idea would be lovely!

Robi, (I apologize ahead of time for the photo overload. grad a cup of joe and sit back awhile!) Your bathroom isn't that narrow that you need that super small sink! Keep the window! then you could do some plants above the toilet (that you'll be turning) First thing ,you should not be looking into a bathroom and staring straight at the toilet. rotate it, put shelves over it, keep the window, and bring in some plants. something like this. (this is a shallow vanity/sink-about 15") simple wood shelves for plants. run a wood shlef above the sink (and toile) for toiletries or plants, art, etc. Ask your contractor if he can do it. (the toilet) Shouldn't be too difficult to rotate it w/the back against the long wall. remove those weird shutters. do you need the privacy? if so, obscure the glass on the lower window. you see this one? just about the same width as yours. (minus the shower) window too. toilet looks much better against the other wall though. Here's another one almost the same. before and after I really like this one w/the shiplap, the window molding the vanity (do an 18" depth vanity. it should work. measure it out. do a wall mount faucet too. you'll get more sink space if you don't move toilet, do you like the beadboard wainscot and pedestal sink? nice floor tile. This is a very inexpensive redo. materials shown here are pretty cheap. You like the wainscot? Notice the window, the trim, the flooring, etc. you could do a shallower vanity. in your inspo pic you have a tile accent, but you could do a wallpaper, or even a stencil design if budget is a concern. if you like that tile accent, here's a closer look at how it's done. and this board and batten wainscot is a bit more casual than the other one How about a tile wainscot w/a bold color above? your room isn't this narrow, but just look at the design. hang two pendants (or two sconces) instead of the light bar over the mirror. If doing a simple white tile like this, go bold on the floor w/a print or design. A type of tongue and groove paneling is also an option (vertical or Horizontal). This is a custom wood vanity that's pretty easy to DIY. Top it w/a remnant piece of stone, vessel sink, AND the wall mount faucet. the advantage to this is you can make the depth of the sink custom. do a cool mirror and a sconce overhead, or on the side vertical wainscot. you could do a shiplap type plank, or a beadboard topped w/rail molding. this looks like a pennyround tile floor. you could also do a console sink, or a pedestal sink. simple mirror and sconces. or a pendant. I like this dark vertical wall treatment, the wood top vanity (more on that) sconces. do the same wood shelves over the toilet. or hang a plant in the corner. do a cool floor tile. another take on that style. do the whole room in the batten trim panels (easy) paint it all black (another reason why you keep that big window!) and bring in these other elements. if you like the plaid tile, they make them in an 8x8 size. you can find a smaller vanity. i'm digging this one doo. board and batten, porcelain brick-look tile laid in herringbone, turn your toilet, and do a similar vanity (these are easy to custom make to size) top w/remnant marble piece you could also do a little console sink like this if you think you need something shallow. If you look at 15- 18" deep floating vanities, you should be able to find something that works in there I have a bunch of ideas if you want a live edge wood vanity top. interested in seeing those? Wall mount faucet of course. so many ways to do these adhere it on a cleat screwed into the studs: make it more like a console w/a waterfall side (s) This one is actually super easy. I could make one of these. Then you could tile the entire wall Budget idea. this is a wall stencil not a wallpaper. beadboard wainscot, simple black vanity, (do custom knobs) and vessel sink w/a marble top. this is my bathroom from a house we redid and rent out. the vanity cost me $150 to make. 1950's chest I painted glossy black and added crystal knobs, topped w/a marble remnant ($50), and a marble sink I found on clearance ($30). Tiled everything myself. if you need some storage in there, see if your guy can make some shelving in between your studs. sorry, I get carried away w/pictures. so many great ideas for that bathroom. give me a budget and tile, design you like and I could put something together for you