Have you done your bird bath yet? If not I have a few suggestions. I have been working with cement, making garden art, and I there are a couple of ways to revive an old bird bath. You can fix any cracks with morter mix. As far as painting goes you can use cement paint, or cement stain. If it has already been painted you don't have much choice than repainting it unless you strip it which is a nasty job. Or you could add another finish layer, say morter some tile, or stones on it. Dee

Short answer is yes, If you look in HGTV design files under Candice OlsenÂs top 10 bathrooms she did a very nice bath using 1" mosaics and a beautiful red vessel sink. I think if your going to stay in the house any length of time do what makes you say wow! If youÂre going to sell right away then go basic and neutral. Just make sure the materials you choose are easy to clean and hold up well. I myself am stuck on the finishing choices of tile and color. I think I am going to have to check myself into a mental ward somewhere cause I have been kicking this around for 3 years and each time I kinda get interested in something I change my mind. I have seen all the bath shows and when I go to the grocery store you can find me looking at the design mags to find something that knocks me over and I say I have to have that. Well that did finally happen but the bathroom had a Green moss granite and well it's like 60.00 per sq foot just for the granite Opps. Yep, I got great taste.

I agree with Ranton, assuming I understand that you've already decided on the cabinet choice? If you have and you've got the style and stain/paint picked out, I'd do the counters 2nd. I'd do the floors 3rd. Flooring, unless "it's in your face" attention grabbing, tends to just be the anchor and gets relegated to almost being overlooked. If you only want the blaring floor to take center stage,(that's your main objective) then highlight that and let everything else just be a supporting role for the floor. That being said, if you have a lot of movement in the graining of the wood (cabinet), you don't want to fight "movement with movement". So let's say you have a really intense movement in the wood grain that will show through the stain, I'd quiet it down on the granite and/or pick a quartz that is quieter to the degree that the cabinets are already "speaking". ** One thing, are you looking for a certain look or style? Can you tell us that if you know? The reason I ask is that depending on what look you want to achieve be it for example, sleek/modern/minimalist, Tuscan/Mediterranean, French country, Craftsman/earthy colors etc., you get the idea. So write down some basic words that you think of when people say (your) XYZ style. From that, when you are looking at each material or pattern, what is the first word that comes to mind when you see that pattern/color/style in the granite yard or flooring? If what comes to mind belongs to another style/look, you may be about to combine things that don't belong in the same "box". Something to think about...... Oh, definitely choose the granite then choose the backsplash color/pattern/material after that. Regarding flooring, ask your DH the one thing that he wants to first be noticed in your kitchen. I.E. if someone where to come for a visit after it's completed and says they love XYZ about it. What element would be choose as the strongest thing that stands out when you walk into your kitchen? I know on some of these design shows when it comes to pattern be it fabric, upholstery, wallpaper, whatever, they suggest that the "scale" of each element not be the same. Like if you had a large print on a fabric in whatever color you'd want to choose a smaller scale on the other elements in the room so they don't compete. If you've got several large (busy) 'in your face' patterns in the room, they compete with each other. The result is that the eye bounces around constantly from large pattern (i.e. movement) to the next large/busy/heavy movement pattern. What happens is a feeling of vibration and competition between all the elements that is not restful to the eye or mind. I know I'm jumping around here. All these things are coming to mind that might help you so I'm just throwing it out there before I think of something else. Question: Are your and DH's style the same or different? If they are different, there was an HGTV show that integrated the two (sorry, can't think of it or the host's name) but there were some good points in how the host did it. Good luck and let us know how it goes. I don't know if I've helped here or not, but hopefully it will spark some thought processes that might help you.

There are so many other floor tile choices other than the 2 you mentioned. Are you being forced to use limited choices from a builder's design center or can you go to a good independent tile store with more options? I think you might have too many materials. Hard to say without seeing the samples and a floor plan and elevations. Usually people will use the same tile on the master floor and the shower floor. You just use the mosaic size in the shower. My floor tile was a large 18x38 and it had a matching 2x2 for the shower.