update-my fabricator and GC talked me into the 2 1/2 backsplash telling me that I will eventually regret not using one. I can't go higher because the beadboard crown/chair rail. I can't imagine that it will look off. I wouldn't even notice in my3dogs pic unless it was pointed out. palimpsest- just curious, you said your sink doesn't have one-is it a pedestal or vanity? My setup is a 5 ft double sink vanity with wall on left side and pony wall to shower on the right. This may change your opinion, because now I have 3 walls to protect in a squeezed in double vanity. The outlets/switches are on the right and left walls only and the placement of the framed mirror is 4" from countertop spanning the length of vanity. (I am 5'2" so like a lower mirror)

While it can depend on the overall style of the room, as a generic statement I'd say that I wouldn't have one tile pattern meet another pattern straight on with no transition between the two. That's for most people and most installations. I think what you have to do is look at a lot of online photos. Or do mock up with your materials on hand. You may not be able to verbalize what you like, but when your eye sees it, your brain will give a "yea" or "nay" vote, and that'll help you define your style. Stye-wise...if you were going for a minimalist design? Simple? Clean lines? Minimal visual distractions? Then having one pattern butt right up to the other can look just fine. But the two tiles should relate to one another in some manner: Pattern, shape, size, color, texture, material, etc, etc. Some folk find pattern-abutting-pattern pleasing. But it depends on the tile, the pattern, etc. Others find it jarring. For a more traditional design, having a border or transition of some sort between them may be the better way to go. For a border or transition? If your shower wall was, say a marble subway. I'd terminate that pattern at the edge of the tub with a vertical run of tile. For a less busy look the tile for the vertical border could be the same used in the shower. If you want to blend details, it could be a darker tile, or something for example you used as an accent elsewhere in the shower, perhaps the same tile you used on the back walls of the niche. Easiest and safest is to use the same material as the shower tile. The vertical of the border will act as a transition between the marble in the shower and the backsplash pattern on the sink wall. In the end, trust your eyes and your gut. If it feels wrong, it probably is wrong. For you. Good luck.

LOL - Not a good person to ask because I am splurging on ALL my tile - kitchen backsplash as well as tile in the master and guest bath :-) Obviously it's all relative to what one can afford and I assume that $500 is not an amount that is keeping the wolf at the door - i.e. if you had unexpected expenses do you have money in the bank to pay or would you need to charge it? If the $500 is essentially discretionary income, definitely splurge because for the length of time you will be looking at it, it's pennies a day. If you are on a tight budget and $500 is a meaningful sum in terms of emergency savings and/or you would have to take the $500 from some other aspect of your remodel, then you need to decide what compromises you want to make and I would not spend it. I am trying to decide whether to spend an additional $2000 for the tile in the guest bathroom - I am leaning towards the more expensive one that I love - but mine would be 2" x 4". I am having my designer get me what she calls the "come to Jesus" moment when she presents me with a rough estimate of what else I need to buy LOL. I have the GC contract which so far doesn't have a lot of surprises but I am buying all the discretionary finish items as well as new furniture. Depending on whether I can be picked up off the floor when I see the total, I'll decide whether I can continue splurging LOL

If you’re not worried about the wood counter then I’m honestly getting a wallpaper vibe. Something with a white background and a lot of negative space, maybe a large scale print. Not really busy, but whatever your taste is (floral, geometric, striped) and then look for a simplified version of it. I also like the idea of wide panel woodwork, vertical or horizontal, because I think it would contrast nicely with your tile. You can definitely do a tile backsplash but I think it’s a little more complicated on the vanity wall next to the shower because you have to choose more carefully. Since they are next to each other, there’s the consideration of how much of the wall you do in relationship to the shower, and then consider the other vanity. I think you can be more creative if you opt to do something different altogether. I’m not a huge fan of accent niches but honestly as far as they go it’s a good choice! A white wallpaper with some kind of fineline black print would look great with the tile and the wood. Something about lower tile back splashes right against a full tile wall is a little harder for me. I’m having a hard time with this one in one of my projects and I have found I generally like switching materials altogether instead of breaking up the wall. Also, i love bathrooms with little quirks and I have a feeling whatever mistakes you made you will still love this one in 20 years.