I ended up with tiles from Seneca Tile in their Handmold line. I absolutely love the way the tiles look surrounding my fireplace and they would be just as beautiful on a backsplash. I searched high and low for handmade tiles that weren't $$$ before I went into a more boutique type tile store and found exactly what I was looking for. The link doesn't do the tiles justice at all. For example, the tile picture below is the color "sierra", which on the website looks beigy. IRL, it is far from being beige. Here's an old picture, but you get the idea. Here is a link that might be useful: Handmold collection

I'm late to the thread - got here on from a search for more info on the Bosch Electric slidein. What impressed me most - was how appropriate the Bosch smoothtop looked in that period kitchen. It looks much bettter than any gas range with the ugly grates would look - and far better than those gawdy inudstrial wanna-be lookalikes that IMO very inappropriately dominate and destroy the look of a proper reproduction early era residential kitchen. Despite the modern electronics on the oven - the Bosch has that classic UNDERSTATED elegance which is the true character of an early 1900's home. The Bosch is obviously not a true reproduction antique stove - but the flat top FAR more closely reproduces the iron flat top that was truly autentic to stoves in the same era as your home. We're currently undergoing a total interior reconstruction on our 1905 Edwardian Home in Toronto, and also are taking pains to be true to the original character like you were. LOVE the backsplash - and the black trim accents - was well worth the effort. Currently - the Bosch Integra Electric HEI7282 is on sale at Sears in Canada. We're thinking of purchasing one today - and immmediately using it in the temporary living zone we have carved out in our otherwise total construction zone house. Can't seem to bring ourselves to clean up and use the 20 year old filthy, came with the house, electric coil range which has been stored in the garage all winter - LOL. Our new kitchen won't be ready for a few months.

cpartist and kats737, I had bookmarked Heritage but hadn't ordered samples yet. I will definitely do so, now that I have a better idea of what I'm looking for. plan2remodel, I'm keeping an eye on which ones are suitable for wet areas and definitely need to think about that. The tile person at the P&L dealer here said her experience was that their gloss/non-crackle finishes worked fine in showers, but I know the virtues of rectified tile, esp. porcelain, and will get multiple opinions before committing. I did use ceramic tile with a fairly wide grout line in my old shower (previous house) and it held up brilliantly, but I definitely don't want to make a bad decision for this large expanse and large expense. kats737, on the layout, I have an 8-foot-long wall that currently holds a 5' tub and 30"-sq (much too small) separate shower. I'm thinking about how best to use that run of wall with a new tub and no separate shower stall, leaving room for towel-hanging and hopefully a heated towel rack or new radiator at the opposite end of the run from the showerhead. A slightly longer tub would be great; an alcove tub would require building a little half-wall for its other end; and both the alcove option and the Bow option would present different possibilities about how to use the space left over at the end of the run. If I did an alcove tub, it would need an arrangement something like this:

In Ontario any homeowner can submit their own drawings, however, they will be reviewed by the planning department to ensure the drawings meet code. However, a professional I,e, draftsman, designer, architectural technologist etc must complete and pass exams and thus obtain a (Building code identification no) BCIN. An architect does not require a BCIN, however, they must be licensed in the province in order to have construction drawings approved. Some further explanations http://www.andythomson.ca/2016/11/15/why-a-bcin-is-not-an-architect/