angie, I just want to commiserate and say, "boy, do I know how you feel!". Tile choices were the hardest thing for me during our 1913 bungalow kitchen and, later, bath renovations. I couldn't get over how much there was from which to choose. It was overwhelming! Style: Does your home have a consistent style throughout? Is the rest of your home "original"? Do features from 1922 remain? Is there a feeling you are trying to evoke in your home as a whole? Would one style or another look totally out of place with the rest of your home? Or do you embrace the "eclectic"? What would look best with the cabinetry you've picked out? Practicality: Since this sounds like a hard working family bath, you want materials that are going to hold up well to use. Can you tolerate stains and etching in marble? White is not a problem, as far as color for ceramic/porcelain tile, but I think it is terrible as a color for grout. So, think about both. Test natural materials before you purchase them; drip shampoo on them, leave water standing on them, etc. Small spaces: (I'm sure others will disagree but...) I do think lighter colors make smaller spaces feel bigger. Do you have a window in this bath? Bring home lots and lots of samples. Invite a friend or relative whose opinion you trust about color to look at your tile samples with your cabinetry choices, etc. (it helped me a lot to show my BIL tiles - he's a printer and has a great eye for color). Don't worry about what's hot in the latest mags (or what's not). In the end, if you "like it all", you can't go wrong! Best of luck with your remodel!

Well now that I am reading up on how to post pix like sheesharee did so nicely above for me-- I am going to post the 2 or 3 lights that are now in the running. ( I still happen to really like the first one that you all agree is more traditional than the other elements...and am pretty close to orderin git- I keep thinking even if it is more traditional its on the ceiling will it really stick out like it doesnt belong? I dont think so but I do get that there might be better choices--and so I spend my time surfing the net...) Also to throw this off- the picture is of chrome but the item would be their empire silver finish which is sort of a muted silver-think brushed nickel-ish. This one would be brushed nickel... Obviously this next one is just plain plain but would it be better? And this one? They are all so similar... I am having such a party now that I read the instructions of how to post pix that are not in photobucket. Here's hoping it works!! Your thoughts?

Off-topic and please forgive....but a designer - not you OP! - posting to the world a photo of a Chicago Lake Shore Drive (ergo, super-pricey) residence with a cruddy filled wastebasket front and center?? Twice - thanks to the mirror. What were they thinking?? Sure not a good advertisement for their business. To the topic at hand, I think the swirling sand effect is very different and pleasing. And the thing about a neutral or serene effect in a bath is how easy to change the look with colored linens, a few accents, etc.

We're starting our master bath renovation in July and it's time to start making some design choices. This is a TINY (6'x7') bath in a 1898 Victorian foursquare home. We are not slaves to Victorian-era décor but I do want to use materials that generally look like they belong in a house of this age. Here's the proposed layout: As you can see, there's not a lot in the way of floor space, but what there is will be tile. I plan to tile the two walls of the shower enclosure floor-to-ceiling, along with the shower side of the brick chimney stack (we may or may not tile the vanity side of the chimney). Remaining shower enclosure will be glass; shower floor will be tile. Outside of the shower, I have considered using the shower tile to tile the walls up to wainscot height, but my contractor also suggested that beadboard or another decorative wooden wainscoting might be a nice alternative to tile. I am open to this option but I want to make sure I don't have TOO many different things going on in such a small space. Style-wise, I want to keep it somewhat simple but I am sick to death of white subways. I'm fine with some white, but I want to focus on soft greys and blues/greens/aquas in this bathroom. I really love the look of encaustic tiles and while I understand that true encaustics aren't suitable for wet environments, I'd love to find a porcelain look-a-like for the room floor, something like this: For the shower floor, maybe grey pennies: And then I get stuck. Coordinating grey subways for the shower, perhaps with grey wainscoting on the walls? Or pale blue subways in the shower and white wainscoting? Something else that's NOT subways? Marble hex on shower floor and walls? The choices are overwhelming, especially since my budget range can be pretty wide since I don't really need much in terms of square footage. I haven't chosen a vanity yet but I am planning on something grey with a white/grey marble or quartz top, most likely (and will use the same material for shower curbs/door saddle). Something like this: Thank you very much in advance for your suggestions!