I wouldn't use wood and tile on the same bathroom floor as you describe... I think you might run into problems with expansion/contraction of the wood, so that the seal with the tile could be compromised. (I am not a builder so I can't say for sure.) If you want an accent strip, I think black would look fine since that's a classic look that can go with most anything; your bathroom floor doesn't have to match the rest of the house by any means. If you'd like a contrast strip that isn't black, you might consider gray. Gray and white is another classic look that could also fit well with modern decor, plus I think it looks great next to wood.

Thanks for the kind words. Big news on the countertop front. I was absolutely sure I was going with Torquay until I stumbled across the most gorgeous ever slabs of Madreperola quartzite! After months of looking, there it was! It looks amazing with the oak and with the floor tiles. So once the contractor talks with supplier they're mine! I love Torquay, and the durability of quartz is very appealing, but I have to say, a gorgeous natural stone is an amazing thing to behold. On an aside, I was at this particular stone yard looking at yet another quartz that promises to look like marble. A brand from Turkey called Cimstone, colour "Sienna". Probably hard to find but really beautiful as well.Very close to Carrara (as close as quartz gets).

Need some photos... not so sure about those colors. What style is the house? Will a tile installed in a diamond pattern suite the style of home? I dislike the tags of traditional and timeless - who really determines what falls into that and what doesn't. If you are going to live there for a long time, please do what you love

If you're concerned about the installation of penny tiles (and I agree with you, there do seem to be a lot of issues with it), how about a hexagonal tile? I agree with the previous poster that the floor should be closer to a solid color. The penny tiles you show look more appropriate for an accent. I recently did a bathroom with a large format retangular tile on the floor (similar to what you're showing) and hex tiles on the floor of the shower. On the floor you want as little grout as possible, but in a shower it's better to have more because it provides more grip. If you are going to have a tub instead of a shower you could back a niche in a decorative tile, but don't go crazy. :-) If the niche is too different than the background tile that looks strange. I also like medicine cabinets for storage. You'll find 99% of them are retangular, so you'll need to decide whether the storage or the shape is more important to you. Gold accents are frequently used with navy cabinets. Mixing metals is also commonly done now, but I don't know if it will be five years from now if that's important to you.