Threeapples, I live in Philadelphia but found the tile online at a granite and marble slab wholesaler in Jamesburg, NJ (EGM). The company had a section on the website called closeouts, or something to that effect, with various lots of remnant tiles including photographs and lot size. I went up to see it and told them that I saw online that they had some remnant tile. They looked puzzled, and I told them where I saw it on their web site. The impression I got was that they don't ordinarily sell that product direct to customers and that section of their web site has since been removed from public view. Regardless, they were very helpful in going through their electronic inventory to find a size of calacataa gold in a honed finish that would work for my application--a remodel of a bathroom in a 186-year-old house. They had it shipped from their Brooklyn location so that I could see it in person, and I then bought 200 square feet of it and packed it into a rented SUV and drove it back to Philadelphia.

The skirting is inside the shower, but the difference in the depth of the tile at the upper edge of the skirting and the large tile is not much. Yes, the cornice piece has a slight edge, but no more than the Sonoma tile. Here is the profile of the Sonoma tile. I completely understand the concern of the protruding edges or ledges, but I'm not sure how you'd get the look without that detail. I don't mind using a squeegee or wiping down the shower after use. As has been discussed in other threads about the microfiber towels, wiping down the shower keeps it looking like new and requires very little 'cleaning'. We currently have 4" square white tile in the shower with white grout and after 25 years, it still looks very good. With the larger tile on the bottom 2/3 of the shower, we'll have a lot fewer grout lines.

We are updating our master bath now and using Charme Calacatta Gold mosaic tile with an accent band on the shower floor. We chose Tobacco Brown grout to compliment our pine floor. The walls are Aquarella Nanda 3x12 subway tile with bright white grout. I am going for a more neutral look and didn't want it to look too busy. I am adding a pic of the shower in progress and can update when it's completed. As far as trim, we used Benjamin Moore Harwood Putty, which is a nice white that looks great with the tile. The fixtures are Delta Trinsic in Champagne Bronze.

If you like gray, use the technical aspects of the above tile layouts as a blueprint, and use a light gray tile with a black liner and cap for the details. Maybe find a chiclet or hex floor in grays with a bit of green, or all green. Green with gray can be tricky though. I’m not feeling the encaustic tile look at all. It’s much too trendy for a Victorian. Especially how you show it. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Merola-Tile-Metro-Hex-Matte-Light-Green-10-1-4-in-x-11-3-4-in-x-5-mm-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tile-8-56-sq-ft-case-FXLM1HMG/203784114 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Merola-Tile-Hudson-Penny-Round-Mint-Green-12-in-x-12-5-8-in-x-5-mm-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tile-FKOMPR32/300133743 Something faux encaustic in a more classic, simple shape, for the floor would work better than as an accent wall in the shower. I realize that his is real encaustic, but there are porcelain lookalikes. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Villa-Lagoon-Tile-Spark-C-May-8-in-x-9-in-Cement-Handmade-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-SB20RH16-SPAR3-S2-PS/306640859