I thought I had this all figured out and then I see something I like better. So hard to decide. I have three combinations that are grey, white/cream that I am considering: #1. Marble 3" hexagon floors with a slightly larger 4 x 8 white subway tile for the shower and marble or quartz counter-top combination. So pretty and classic looking. Like the last picture from Firsthouse_mps work #2. Large format light grey 12 X 24 floor tiles that also goes into the shower or tub surround. Marble or quartz counter-top combination. #3. Large square porcelain (marble look 18x18 tiles from Mission Stone & Tile. $4.35 sq. ft. ) Tiles on the diagonal with the subway tile in the shower and Marble or quartz counter-top combination. Beekeeperswife bathroom pictures link below. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0608243517727.html/beekeeperswife/DSC_0106-5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC_0106-5.jpg"/> I have time to decide because we haven't even started demo yet. [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Charleston General Contractors HND2 Associates Firsthouse_mp's bathrooms all gorgeous: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg032129146009.html?35 Edit: spelling check This post was edited by rtwilliams on Mon, Mar 10, 14 at 11:41

Let's take these one at a time.... For lighting fixtures located over a tub or shower, you can only use lamp fixtures (usually recessed, with a plastic lens) that are specifically rated for use over a shower or tub. This is because this area is extremely damp and often gets wet (either from direct splashing or from condensation), causing regular lamp fixtures to quickly rust or corrode. So they make special "shower lights" - usually a round 6" recessed fixture with a white plastic lens, either flush with the ceiling or with the plastic lens dropped about 1/2" from the surrounding trim ring. And unfortunately, these are typically rated for a maximum 60w incandescent bulb, although a 23w compact fluorescent (which is as bright as a 100w incandescent bulb, once it warms up about 30 seconds after it's turned on) can be retrofitted. You'll probably need to use a "micro-mini" CFL bulb, like those from Sylvania or Philips. Your best bet here may be a shower lamp that takes a GU24 CFL bulb only, as these allow for instant-full-brightness CFL bulbs (about 32 watts) that are as bright as a 120 watt incandescent to be used. The GU24 base is a new bipin base that can accept a variety of high-efficiency CFL or LED bulbs in various wattages, but not incandescents. Brighter bulbs are likely to become available in the future, as this is where the R&D money is flowing nowadays. You can get bright heat lamps/floodlamps without a fan. Amongst the most common are these: Broan 161 - a 250w heat lamp (white or infrared), with no fan. These cannot be installed in insulated ceilings (IC), often found on the top floor of a house, unless surrounding insulation is kept 3" away from all the sides, and also must be 6" away from any side walls. Or.. Broan 163 - which has two 250w heat lamps but no exhaust fan, and unlike the single-bulb 161 can be used in insulated ceilings. I'm not sure if this one is silent or utilizes a small, quiet fan that keeps the housing cool (but is not ducted, and doesn't blow air on the people standing below the lamps). Or maybe they're silent and without a fan now - check the specs (I'm not an expert at this stuff). You can either use two 250w infrared lamps, two white floodlamps up to 250w, or one of each, switched separately or together. There may be some non-IC recessed fixtures available from traditional recessed can manufacturers like Progress, Lightolier, and Juno as well that can accept 250w heat lamps - these are typically round in usual recessed lamp style. For areas not near the tub/shower, there are lots of styles available for use in bathrooms that are rated for damp (need not be "wet") locations.

Wikipedia - Toile de Jouy, sometimes abbreviated to simply "toile", is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a white or off-white background on which a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex scene, generally of a pastoral theme such as (for example) a couple having a picnic by a lake. The pattern portion consists of a single colour, most often black, dark red, or blue. Greens and magenta toile patterns are less common but not unheard of. Toile is most associated with fabrics (curtains and upholstery in particular), though toile wallpaper is also popular. My powder room is done in Toile. It is a Raymond Waites pattern and some people love it and others hate it. I will see if I have a picture. I love it!!

Hi Sophie, Have your tile installer calculate the amount of tile you'll need. Make sure they include overage (I think about 10-15%)to make up for any mistakes. Another suggestion is to speak with a designer at a retail or wholesale tile store. I was able to get some good ideas about varying the tiles in my design for our kitchen. Good luck!