I guess I should be kissing my tile installer. 80sf floor, white on white octagon and dot with a black and white border and installation of 2 10'x30" suntouch heat mats with self leveling compound on top. 3' x 5'6" shower with kerdi, all walls and ceiling tiled (herringbone tile on the ceiling, running bond ) but no floor - corian shower pan. Some liners and decos etc, mostly plain subway though. About 132sf all told, 21 of that herringbone. Bench top will be a piece of corian. 4'4" high wainscot with a 6x6 base, 1/2" x 6" liner, 13 courses of 3x6 subway tile, another 1/2" liner, 3x8 deco, 2x6 chair rail for a total of about 155 sq ft $2800 for labor including thinset and grout and self leveling compound. $850 for the floor and $1950 for everything else. That's about $10/sf overall for the floor and $6.60/sf for everything else (counting liners and chair rail in the per square foot price.) The shower walls have been durocked for him - does not include the actual kerdi membrane, tile or suntouch mats. He's incredibly meticulous, conscientious and the work I've seen of his is gorgeous. Sounds like I'm getting a killer bargain. I'm in NY about 75 miles north of the city. He's been doing this for 20 years.

A lightly trafficed bathroom is fine, but I wouldn't do it in a kitchen. Yes, it will get scratched, and those scratches will hold onto dirt. It might look good for 3-4 years before you notice it, but it'll become increasingly obvious the older the installation becomes.

Thank you all for your comments. I've seen so many beautiful photos on Houzz of the curbless walk-in shower, and am both inspired and envious. @Sophie Wheeler, you are absolutely correct in that I lack understanding on how showers are planned. Thank you for providing your additional guidance. My contractor stated that I would need the curb for the reasons you stated, but I really wanted to see if I could get around it. I was hoping to have a curbless shower so that a wheelchair could be wheeled in, if necessary, but the size of my bathroom, and the expense to make it a "wet room" makes this prohibited. I will go with the 2"x2" mosaic tile, and with the curb. Thank you everyone for taking the time to offer your expertise. I will provide before and after photos when done. Have a great day!

I'm def. not a pro. My husband and I did the tiling in our two bathrooms. One bathroom is similar to your set up, with the cabinets to the left of the entry, and the door opening to the right side. For esthetic reasons, we measured the flooring and 'started' the tiling - using whole pieces - dead center with the entry way, as well to the left of the entry (where the cabinets are). I, personally, do not like to see cuts when I look into any room, from the doorway/s.