I love this tile! I think I would maybe do an oversized rectangular tile in a creamy tone that coordinates with the lightest square....or you could go with a gray that would coordinate with the slate floor or the "grout" in your accent tile. I would then do the vanity in cream or gray. You will have to decide whether to go the cream or gray route...but I wouldn't go with blue or a color...it will compete with this tile...which should be the star.

It would help if you could also include a picture of your slate floor, since it sounds like that is staying.

I am not sure this would mesh with the vintage/chrome/subway/soapstone vibe, so maybe you need to pick one or the other.

But I can definitely imagine a warm grey cabinet with soapstone counter, slate floors, this tile as an accent in a shower with subway tiles in a solid color picked from one of the lighter colors in your mosaic - maybe a paler version of the grey on the vanity?

I think it is great to have one thing you love to use as a jumping off point - it will help you eliminate a lot of options quickly.

I would suggest getting a sample of the tile (even if you have to buy 1 square foot) and taking it tile shopping to a variety of stores. You could go many directions, but they certainly don't have to be travertine. What do you mean by your "slate colored floor"? More tile or some other material? This mosaic tile has quite a variety of colors including what seems to be a pale blue and maybe some pale creamy white or pale green. I would look for ceramic or porcelain tile that coordinates nicely with this. Your tile guy may be a skilled craftsman or even have some good taste with tile selection, but it doesn't mean his tastes will match up to yours. Listen to your instincts and pick something you like.

There is really no way to answer your question without seeing the other materials and colors your are considering. But I agree with you that you should not let a tile setter design your bathroom :-)

It is pretty, but I think your original idea of a vintage theme will be one you won't tire of/will allow you more freedom to change paint and accessories as you wish. This tile will lock you into a narrower color scheme and feel.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Anele, I am afraid you may be right so I am a little paralyzed right now. I am def. not decorating to sell, but I still wonder if others will thing that a 1920's bathroom in a 1980s house is just weird!

I have been thinking of this. What about using a larger and/or glass subway tile and more streamlined fixtures (not so ornate)? It might give you a happy medium of modern + vintage.

Ideas

This post was edited by anele on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 9:00

They make solid color ceramic tiles that are a little bit crackled and slightly thicker for a more hand made look. Getting those in the soft cream or beige tones that match the tile would look great. Of course, I can't match on the screen...you have to take the tile to the store and look. Also, I find it sooo helpful to ask for help in a tile store. A good salesperson is worth his/her weight in gold as they are familiar with their stock, and do color match and thickness match all the time. They can also make suggestions you would've never thought of, but that you come to love.

{{!gwi}}

Think about cutting up the mosaic in ways to make it an accent in the room. You can use a few rows to make a border or you can cut out a square of 4 or 9 to make a dot... You can put the solid field square with a diagonal dot, or you can put the field diagonal with a square dot.

Then for the paint, you can lean toward the blues or the rusts....very pretty.