I moved from Virginia to Texas many years ago. In Virginia, I ALWAYS used a marble threshold (saddle) in the bathroom entry. Having said that, I could get travertine, carrera, black, green red, brown marble to match almost anything....not so much here in Texas. A threshold adds a nice break between the two materials and, as it is slightly higher than the B/R tile, it also tends to be a "dam" that tends to contain any water leaks or spills from the B/R. Totally blew my mind when, here in Texas, most contractors just said to "butt it up against the carpet and tile," just looks cheap to me......

Johnmari, Thank you for sharing about the many variations on white. Now I'm a little worried. We really don't have $ to go for custom treatments. If I go with the white, maybe I should order, try one, and then understand I may have to return? Yes. Absolutely. That was JM's point and what I assumed (and shouldn't have) you already knew. You need to have a plan to check the color before you commit. Or, as Annz said, there are many other resources out there at about the same price point as JCP where you can obtain samples before you buy. My Lowe's for instance has a nice supply of take home color samples for blinds and plantation shutters. You mention a mix of mission and contemporary - again, either would work. Someone made the point the wood tones do not reflect as much light into the space -- that is accurate. If you have abundant natural light, might not be such a concern. But if you're having trouble deciding between the two, that factor is something to consider. Exterior - Again, either can work. It's a matter of your deciding which choice, white or wood, is going to fit best with the design and look you're marching towards interior as well as exterior. Maybe make a spreadsheet and list the pros and cons of each color choice to help you see which one 'fits' best at least on paper.

You are so helpful - I'd hate to do this without you! I'm 98% sure I'm going with the star and cross. I LOVE, LOVE the picket in the wave but those are big tiles and I'm afraid the impact would be lost with how the doorway breaks it up. Another wall, maybe the fireplace in the kitchen:) Regarding edges on the star and cross, I was told that a beveled edge would be the right treatment for the outside corner. Using Sketchup, here's what I came up with, with hopefully very exact dimensions and 1/4-3/8 grout lines, and the white clay body (which is a little smaller than the recycled). This shows the left side of the pantry, and then the front. In this case, tiling would start at that outside corner, which would be all beveled stars, cut in half. (Please ignore the discrepancy in grout colors; the right side would be what is desired). The 'messy' parts are the far left of the left side, and the far right of the front. I'll ask my designer for input. As you point out, I can tweak the width of the trim, but I believe this should be in place before tiling starts, no? Regarding grout color - current grout is TEC silverado (here's a closeup). I'll definitely mock up a few sample boards once the tiles arrive. Next up... line up a local installer (or remember who we used last time...).

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.