Question about design. I would like your opinions about visual clutter in a small bath. I posted this also in the bathroom forum but I think my questions are more about design than about the bathroom itself.

My bathroom being remodeled is fairly small. It is 84 sq ft if you exclude the footprint for the washer/dryer stack which I think will be included inside the bathroom (with loover door on front). Also, 84 sq ft includes a relatively large 5X5 curbless shower which dominates. This room is the hall bath in a small house (1900 sq ft).

So...I talked to a designer recently who I paid on an hourly basis. I found her very good at helping me make decisions and also at making me aware of some options I hadn't thought of. It didn't surprise me that she is encouraging me to think about minimal "visual clutter" because of the small space. She agrees that there should be good design of course but limits should be maintained regarding number of colors used and amount of extraneous trim.

This last part about the trim is what I'm struggling with. She likes my simple neutral 12X24 gold calacatta porcelain tile for most of the wall (i.e. field tile to the ceiling). She likes the taupe porcelain plank tile I have chosen for the floor. She doesn't like the horizontal trim I was thinking about that would be a 14 inch wide horizontal strip around the walls of the room. The strip was going to be created by layering together 6 inches of 2X4 calacatta porcelain tile sandwiched between 4 inch layers of pebble tile. All very neutral. No color contrasts.

Problem is I LOVE the pebble tile. When I put together the few pieces I have to form this trim, I think it is gorgeous. (Of course this doesn't take into account the grout that will be a significant part of the pebble tile installation).

One of the options she has suggested is a shower door that is frosted/etched with some kind of simple artistic motif. I REALLY REALLY like the idea and have been comimg up with symplified drawings of a tree, etc. for the motif. She said it won't be very expensive.

But problem is that the horizontal pebble trim and the shower door with an etching seem like they will create a lot of visual clutter together.

Final info is that the bathroom will have a fairly contemporary, (almost) minimalist style with a wall mounted toilet, and wall mounted vanity (5 ft). Which means it won't blend in with the rest of house very well since house is 75 years old and mostly has an eclectic style.

So I was thinking maybe the visual clutter of the pebble tile would be a good thing by breaking up some of the minimalism and make it more eclectic?.

My main concern is the fact that I LOVE the pebble tile, it speaks to me. I don't want to regret not using something I love (which doesn't happen that often).

See diagrams for whole bathroom and my sketch of what a basic wall would look like (apologize quality of diagram is poor). Most of the walls will have medicine cabinets or niches or shower fixtures or a window.

What I think I'm coming around to is a decision not to use the pebble tile but to sill have a horizontal strip that consists of the 2X4 subway tiles only. Both large and small tiles are same color/hue, FYI.

Thoughts?