I agree that the overall feeling of your bathroom is great. The doors are amazing. The tile is beautiful and rustic. And it looks like you get a lot of light coming into the bathroom. I think a few changes might help you love your bathroom. I'm guessing you're afraid the tile "will melt" with grouting because it's cheaper slate? Perhaps one of the tile experts will chime in, but as I understand, a tile installation is generally made significantly stronger once grouted. Did you do proper waterproofing in the shower before tile installation? Also, I've read that in general a proper slope is difficult to achieve with large format (larger than maybe 4-6"?) tiles on a shower floor. Assuming your shower was properly constructed with waterproofing and drainage in mind, I think you should go forward with grouting it. In my opinion, tile work almost always looks better when grouted and your installation looks really lovely in the pictures. My first tile installation took forever, especially the tile cutting. It gets easier with practice, but I agree it's a labor of love (and frustration). I can absolutely understand your trepidation. I also agree that the shiny black toilet isn't quite right for the room. Do you have a local Habitat for Humanity Restore? When I have been to mine I've seen numerous colored toilets for sale. Perhaps you can find a more mid-toned neutral color. If not, I checked the Kohler site and they have a huge variety of colors. I think a mid-tone like Thunder Gray or Cashmere or Dune or Sandbar or Mexican Sand might work. I agree with the others that white might be a little stark and not in keeping with the soothing rustic character of your bathroom. While I like the gray on your walls and ceiling, I do think it's making the room feel much darker. I would try a lighter color, maybe a light creamy beige or lighter gray. I also think keeping the ceiling a light color (maybe cream or creamy beige) would help. You said your sink isn't draining properly. Is it properly vented? I am no plumbing expert, but the lack of an overflow should not affect the way the sink drains. Proper plumbing including ventilation is generally key to good drainage. Also, I believe copper will naturally patina, so it will probably never look sparkling clean. But isn't that part of the point? Your bathroom has a lovely rustic quality and I think the copper sink enhances that. Personally, I would work on replacing the vanity. I agree with others that a poorly constructed particle board dresser might not be the best idea around water. Personally, I also think the brown paint is not working very well either. I think a rustic stained wood piece in keeping with the doors would be better. In my local area there are always fantastic solid oak old/antique dressers for sale on Craiglist and in the classifieds. I think your husband could work his magic with a good quality antique and you'd have a much more beautiful vanity that will last. If you do purchase an actual vanity, I'd go with something maybe oak or pine or with other strong grain and slightly rustic. I'm including some pictures of what I mean. I realize the Restoration Hardware vanities are probably way out of the budget, but I wanted to show some general ideas of what I'm thinking.

threeapples--You are definitely getting hit with alot of decisions all at the same time! The dune is pretty, but colors tend to go out of style. Are you ready to commit to that color tub for the next 5,10,15,20+ years? Let me ask you this...If you were buying a house instead of building one, would you be ok with a turquoise, rose, or yellow tub or would it be on list of things to replace? Would you buy a floor model tub in A-1 100% perfect condition from a plumbing showroom display in turquoise, rose or yellow today for this house? (I actually had that opportunity when I was making my selections--you'd be suprised what you can find in showrooms in small towns!) If your answer to either of these questions is no, then I say don't go with the dune--just stay with white. The white tiles + the white tub should give the bath a clean, simple, yet elegant feel. Or you could always use your tiles for that splash of color in the bath & go with something other than white. Just a thought--have you considered using "large subway tiles" or rectangular tiles set in a brick pattern in the kids' baths--bigger tiles means less grout for you to scrub. Just a thought...

We put a charcoal gray (anthracite) Blanco Silgranit sink into our last home (about 12 years ago) and after a few years of use, we were less than pleased with its performance, especially for the price tag. At first, it was amazing and we loved how it looked! Over the years, we used it for everything - normal kitchen/dish washing use but also occasionally to wash out paint brushes, soaking clothes, even washing show chickens in it. (No utility room sink, so the kitchen sink was the go to spot.) We kept it clean and well cared for. We believed all the hype back then that Blanco sinks were impervious to just about everything and I guess we should have been more careful. It basically started looking blotchy and losing its color on the bottom. It then started pitting on the bottom and was no longer a smooth surface, especially around the drain. And the blotchiness wasn't really stains but rather "burns", according to what we had read online. By the time we were ready to sell the house, it was pretty unsightly and we had to replace it. (Due to the less than helpful Blanco customer service folks who refused to honor any sort of warranty, we went with a Kraus sink.) But we only had the Kraus sink for a few months before moving, so not sure how that one will hold up. So now I'm trying to decide what to do with our new (but 15 year old home). I like how durable stainless sinks are and how cost effective they are but since spots and smudges on the stainless steel appliances drive me crazy and I'm CONTSTANTLY wiping them off, adding one more stainless item to care for in this kitchen doesn't seem like a wise decision. Anyway, thought I would add my 2 cents. I still can't decide if I want to do another composite sink (but do a more reasonably priced manufacturer like Kraus) or go with something else. If I do composite again, I will definitely go with a darker color and be super diligent about ONLY soap and water going into the sink.

I just went to the MSI showroom to view slabs. The slabs of Arno I saw had dark gold veining only with a bright white background. No other colors or variation. It was pretty. I'm on the fence. Our contractor said to look for jumbo sizes only. I wasn't expecting that and now feel somewhat limited. Arno is pretty and comes in prefab and jumbo size. Check out Vadara Quartz. I prefer their quartz colors. I also went to their showroom and I think their quartz is gorgeous.