If you can't clarify your preferences and how they will coordinate with the rest of the home, perhas it's time to hire a designer to help you.

If you like greys and whites perhaps something like my daughter is using in her bathroom remodel would work for you. The tile is Daltile's Florentine series in Carrara. It has a marble look but none of the marble maintenance concerns. It comes in some other colors than the Carrara too. It is a porcelain tile that comes in several sizes an in a matte or glossy finish. It has coordinating trim pieces too. The cabinets are Fieldstone Cabinetry in their Pearl color. The counter type is a remnant of quartz and I don't know the name of it. They are planning to a medium tone grey on the walls such as the sample shown. If you went with dark grey cabinets you could use a white or light grey countertop.
I can't show you the actual bathroom yet because it is a work in progress. It should be done in about 2 weeks.

These are samples of the items she is using.

I thought I had this all figured out and then I see something I like better. So hard to decide. I have three combinations that are grey, white/cream that I am considering:

#1. Marble 3" hexagon floors with a slightly larger 4 x 8 white subway tile for the shower and marble or quartz counter-top combination. So pretty and classic looking. Like the last picture from Firsthouse_mps work

#2. Large format light grey 12 X 24 floor tiles that also goes into the shower or tub surround. Marble or quartz counter-top combination.

#3. Large square porcelain (marble look 18x18 tiles from Mission Stone & Tile. $4.35 sq. ft. ) Tiles on the diagonal with the subway tile in the shower and Marble or quartz counter-top combination. Beekeeperswife bathroom pictures link below.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0608243517727.html/beekeeperswife/DSC_0106-5.jpg"; border="0" alt=" photo DSC_0106-5.jpg"/>

I have time to decide because we haven't even started demo yet.

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Charleston General Contractors HND2 Associates

Firsthouse_mp's bathrooms all gorgeous:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg032129146009.html?35

Edit: spelling check

This post was edited by rtwilliams on Mon, Mar 10, 14 at 11:41

i would look at lots and lots of pictures on houzz. search for white tile, gray tile in the search box up top. narrow down your look, then show a tile place and ask them to match it within your budget. that worked for me anyway :)

For your small powder room look at photos of smaller rooms and see what works best in a small powder room. Scale matters. Especially for the floor tile. If you want to go a little 'crazier' in that room, it might be ok...darker walls or a darker vanity top for example. Something more dramatic than what you might use in your family hall bath or even your master bath.

Make a couple of copies (for each bathroom) of what you really like as your inspiration. Take them to the tile store and cabinet maker and show them what you're going for. That really can help someone help you pick out a tile combination.

Don't go too crazy with tile set patterns running every which way in the bathroom. A good tile setter will know this but sometimes they will just do what someone tells them or what 'they' think is right. For example stick with a simply laid pattern on the floor if you're going with an alternating pattern in the shower.