I would consider using hex but not in a white color and not with the flower pattern. After the 1920s, the more popular colors are pale greys and pastels. (Technically 4x4 would have been more common than 3x6 by the 1930s too, but the brick shape is in such common usage now, I don't think this matters). If you are not using rectified (flat edge) tile, look at Daltile, they also have a 2" hex which was more common later. Look at American Restoration Tile for period colors and other patterns. The Pentagon and Block Random patterns (under "Spiral") would be very appropriate, and there are alternate hex patterns as well. Here is a link that might be useful: American Restoration Tile

Have you looked at images on Houzz.com? There are so many pictures. You can search for gray floors. Hanging sinks. What ever. What about a nice hybrid of vintage and modern? Not to tire people of my bathroom remodel but I have a picture of my almost finished slate tile floor. Be aware that there are floor stiffness requirements for tile and even stiffer requirements for stone. If You don't have access to improve your joist and subfloor to meet the demands of ceramic or stone, there are some lovely floor coverings that look like stone. My "in progress" slate floor. This is 6x12 Brazilian slate that I cut down from 12x12 tiles (the white tile boards are my wall sample boards, testing grout colors): I've attached a link to a recent bathroom remodel by Barbcollins. She used a vinyl product for her floor and there is a picture of it on the post. I think it is very nice looking. Here is a link that might be useful: Barb,s Budget Bathroom

i ordered some ming green marble mosaic from this place called mosaictiledirect.net (through ordering samples on ebay). they were not super-responsive at emailing for tracking info, etc, but I got everything on time and as promised. I thought the quality was pretty good and prices were quite good. might be worth checking out. they have quite a selection of marble mosaic tiles. good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: mosaictile direct website

Thanks for your comments, all! (Pardon the lack of formatting, I've been typing this all on my phone!) ____________ Roarah: I think the marble-look hex option looks great! And the grey tile for herringbone is lovely too. I actually was set on doing a herringbone floor at first until it became more difficult to source a 3x20 or 4x24 length tile (I prefer a very long and lean look with a herringbone). Not sure if this will help you differentiate/decide between them, but the herringbone in that size feels a bit more modern to me, whereas the marble hex feels more classic/luxurious but I'm sure either choice will be beautiful on your floors! mrsshayne & grannysmith18: Thanks for sharing your experiences (I've been researching the heck out of those who've lived with penny tile floors to see if they ended up loving/hating them; interestingly, I found much more info on the black penny tile look but not a lot regarding white (except not to use white grout). Yeah, I think the amount of grout and worrying about it getting dirty is what's holding me back. Also, whether having such a large floor area of penny tile will be visually overwhelming instead of soothing and inviting. ____________ Latest Update: I actually returned the original 12x24 grey Porcelain (it was beautiful but was a bit rough in texture which I wasn't sure I wanted underfoot in the bathroom) and ended up buying a White Penny Porcelain mosaic with Mapei Flexcolor CQ Frost grout for the floors. However (>_<), I still can't help but have that nagging sense that this isn't the "right floor" yet... I realize I'm doing the penny or considering hex tiles because I feel like I owe it to the Victorian gods to be historically accurate but at the same time, if we could just have a smooth, one surface (minimal grout lines), white or light grey colored, easy to clean floor, I would. In other words, I feel like I'm trying to put in penny or smaller hex cause that's what it seems like I'm "supposed" to do, but I can tell that I don't actually love them (except for the marble hex which is out of our budget, since we have over 100 SF to tile) which is probably why I ruled them out in the first place, sigh. So I'm still in dilemma mode...but am thinking of choosing one of these really large format tiles from a local retailer (who offers bargain prices on bathroom fixtures and larger cement-look tile): https://goo.gl/photos/3wE9kcS3WPbp9sD18 Mainly, I'm reminded that my original goals for the bathroom were to make it whiter and brighter (maximize the minimal light), more spa-like, with some modern flair/finishes at a reasonable cost, though choosing the "right" tile seems like a decision that will never end until we finally get started on laying things down. Along with trying to choose a finish that a future buyer won't curse me for, the way I did when I saw the red terra cotta on the bathroom floor :P. ____________ I'll keep the thread updated with how things turn out (I really appreciate when others have done the same; it's neat to see people's considerations for why they did what they did and the incredible changes that can be made), just hope the bathroom doesn't turn out ugly (cause then I'll be less inclined to post :P!) Thanks for reading!