Hi jalsy6 - well, just to confuse you - I am one of those people that tries to follow my gut instinct of what "I" really like. Personally I like a "heavier/beefier" look to most things when I think about it -so I chose larger glass knobs on all my upper cabinets. This might make people think I went overboard here but I actually used 1 3/4 glass (small wardrobe) knobs on my uppers. I felt that with my 10 ft. kitchen ceiling with box beams my cabs could handle the larger knobs. I think they look great and they don't look too big. Realistically, there are many handles/pulls with larger profiles that would be just as "eye catching" so I went with larger "knob" style. I knew for both my husband and I, the larger knob would "feel" better in our hands and my husband did not want anything small and as he would say "dainty" in the kitchen. Going with larger pulls was our personal preference. My contractor however said they would look like "hockey pucks" which worried me . . . temporarily. Especially after I had already purchased them. I decided to stick to my guns and get what "I" liked and as soon as they were up I knew I had made the right choice. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the look, even on my smaller upper display cabinets they look great. I also used chrome pulls on the lower cabs from a different mfg. Stick to what YOU like. Hope this is helpful. I look forward to sharing my pics in the near future as I was a "lurker" for quite some time.

Hi Sooz -- I happen to love the kind of tile you had; I grew up in a 30s house with strongly-colored tiles in that pattern carried around the room. So while there are many, many options out there I sure wouldn't rule out a variation on the theme. One thing re your window -- have you really checked to make sure there's no rot around the window or into the walls? Because now would certainly be time to replace things. We're wrapping up our bath reno so I do have some photos of what we did plus a few inspiration photos I can share -- none are exactly what you're looking for but some have the elements you mentioned. If you're committed to just keeping the tile in the shower/tub area vs carrying it around the room, I think keeping things simple is probably best. Simple can be serene and gorgeous! Good luck with your project! 6x6 Tile on the diagonal (inspiration pic) Think this is 4x4 field, with grout blending in (inspiration pic) Contrasting grout (inspiration pic) More rustic approach to grid, with wide grout lines (insp. pic) Know it's tough to see -- white 4x4 grid, window (insp. pic) ********** My bath, Before shot (ceiling dropped to 6' over last 1/3 of tub) My almost-done bath (1905 house), done in DalTile's pale yellow 6x6 in a running bond vs grid pattern My bath, window area -- we removed double-hung and did a tiled-in aluminum below, awning window above

After seeing Lindybarts photo ledges I've been planning on doing this in my hall for over a year now. My hall isn't as wide as hers and my ceilings are only 8' so I'm actually making ledges so they don't stick out far. Lindybart's hallway. If I could redo I would've just bought the ledges from Crate and Barrel for $14 but I already have the wood. I suggest taking posterboard (tape together if you have to) and cut out mock ups of where I wanted them on the wall. I've seen photos in blogs where the shelves are real low. I wouldn't worry about not having anything below them. I think the display should read as a whole item so I'd probably aim to keep the middle about eye level. Start at 60" from the floor and adjust from there. I think this is a great idea not only because I never see it done around here but it will keep me from getting too wild/cluttered with photos in my hall.

wendy - Great points. Since the original layouts posted above, I've been trying different things with a lot more frames. I'm getting the hang of it, I think. I won't be sticking with anything like the original layouts I posted. pammy - I will watch the height placement of the smaller frames. shee - I know what you mean about the symmetry thing. I did purchase many more frames, so that is helping, but I actually need more yet! Well, this little project has turned into a bigger project. juddgirl - Thanks for the links. Some of the frames came with matting already, which is nice, and I got a lot of the frames at 50% off (after Christmas sales). So, right now I have 17 frames, some matted, and I've spent less than $200. While I agree that having identical frames and matting makes it easier to pull everything together, I'm attracted to the more casual look of a variety of frame styles. I am sticking to the same color for them, though. I know I'm making it harder in doing it this way, but I'll figure it out somehow.