Here are solid-colored tiles to complement the pattern above.

I like the patterned tile, especially the colors in it. Patterned tiles are not for the meek of heart. I love the way the patterns make a statement. Lots of people on these forums will agree with your friends and say it's too busy. But I say if you love it go for it. If you Google Images for patterned bathroom floors you will find lots of examples and most of them look very nice.

I do think that if you go with the patterned floor you should choose a wall tile that is a solid color or almost solid. The color of the Argento tile looks like it coordinates will but those tiles do have a rating of V3 which is means the have high amount of shade variance across the tiles, so there will be some business in that tile too.

My son used the Majestic Mound tile (that you show as a possibility) on both his walls and floors. I love that tile but I think it would be way too busy with the patterned floor tiles. It's rated as a random V4 tile. Here's a couple pictures of it in my son's small hall bathroom.

If you don't get many responses on this forum, you might want to try the home decorating forum. It's usuall very active.

Good luck with your decision

I love patterned tile dearly but not this one..it's digitally printed I imagine and will always say "I'm not a real deal"..things like that become a fad, and people tend to get tired of them more quickly. Not because it's a pattern-but because it's not genuine enough.

I love Moroccan motives myself, and was exploring different options while remodeling..how do you feel about cement tiles? I didn't go with them because I'm very clumsy and these are too slippery when wet for me..but there are several stores you can get them at a relatively good price, and they are handmade in the US. The prices are especially good on in-stock tiles, promotions on certain smaller lots, and mixed patterns. Not all designs are Moroccan per se, you can find different motives..but there's a lot to choose from. If you want to check it out-try Villa Lagoon Tile, and Cement Tile Shop.

If you're strongly into porcelain though-Ann Sacks happens to carry lately new and relatively to them very inexpensive small collection, of porcelain tiles that mimic cement tiles. These are good, and look like a real deal. I would be fooled myself. With the contractor/designer discount, these will be 11-12$ per sq f

Thanks for weighing in. GardenWeb was down yesterday so this is my 4th attempt to post this second option. We would arrange these 12.5 x 12.5 tiles in a 2x4 or 2x5 rectangle in the center of the bathroom floor. This would be surrounded by solid-colored tiles, which would also go in the shower.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Merola-Tile-Avila-Arenal-Decor-12-1-2-in-x-12-1-2-in-Ceramic-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-FPM12ARD/203558988?cm_mmc=hd_email--Ready_for_pickup--20161116_PP_ET_Merch_Ready_for_pickup_2981613-_-product_desc__W543643648

Here's a picture showing what a 2x4 or 2x5 pattern would look like.

The solid-color tile options are as follows.

Golden Ground is the same tile as Majestic Mound, above, so it probably has too much color variation, although it's a really beautiful tile.

Here is what the latter looks like in real life:

If we go with this patterned tile, we will need to choose a non-gray vanity, probably something brownish, like these:

What do you think of this patterned tile compared to octagon one, above?

I like it much more. The pattern is busy but the layout is not. The details of the patterns are more pronounced, don't give that more fake "distressed" look that is amazing on tiles only when the time itself distress it. Like the big size. In short, I think it's much better.

Any reason to put a surround? I'd tile all the floor( well except for the shower where you have requirements)

If still sure about surround, for some reason-I feel you should give this tile its historical context so to say..so I'd pick either saltillo tile which is generally inexpensive..it looks similar to the pinkish tile you have on the last picture (probably saltillo too? or maybe porcelain that mimics it?)..or pick out the ceramic tile in one of the solid colors that have a big presence in the pattern. White would be the simplest, or maybe off white..whatever the background of the majority of tiles is. Then blue or, say, rust(rust will look like much like saltillo choice though)

Would abstain from pairing with stone or porcelain that mimics stone, whether travertine or marble..no Marfil, no Golden Ground..no veining, no yellow..the colors might slightly go together-but it will kill the essence of your idea. Or so I feel.

If you feel strongly about this tile, the patterned one-you'll have to make all other tiles take it into account. They should support it. Should bow to it so to say:)

If doing surround-also consider making a narrow border around it, with solid you pick-will look more intentional, like you were laying a rug.

Yes, brown wood will be pretty much a way to go, when picking a vanity.

less red in it, more orange..say, like in a second or a third example. my favorite would be number 2,

Ah..if going for pattern and surround-I'd make the patterned part square if possible.

(you know you can't exceed 4 by 4 size tile in she shower, right? might make solid an easier choice, have no idea whether they make saltillo in small sizes, maybe they do..

Also, while saltillo looks great on the floor, it's kinda hard to imaging it going up the wall..if you consider same tile on the shower walls-I'd just do solid in ceramics everywhere the pattern won't go)

Esprins, I like those new patterned tiles even better than the octogon shaped ones you initially posted. The colors in them are beautiful. That tile looks richer than the other one.

My first thought when I saw your new post was that you should do the whole floor in the patterned tile not just a 2x4 or 2x5 section in the middle of the room. I just read the replies and see that aprilneverends also thinks you should do the whole floor in the patterned tile. I would do the shower walls and floors in a solid color. Since there are quite a few colors in the patterned tile you have lots of options for which coordinating color to use for the walls.

I looked at the Daltile website and didn't see any porcelain tiles that were solid color. Most have swirls, lines and variations in them and minimal if any trim pieces. Also most did not have smaller sizes that are usually used an a shower floor. Daltile's Natural Hue ceramic tiles come in lots of colors and a variety of sizes such as 6"x12", 12x12, 8x8, and more. They also have 2"x2" and 3"x3" which could go on the shower floor. Lots of trim pieces in different sizes too. Obviously there are many other tile manufacturers that you could look at too.

I think you are right about a a brown colored vanity. I'm not sure the headboard panels on the second vanity work that well but the color is great.

Take your time looking for the right coordinating tile. It will be worth it in the end.

My mother in law has these. I don't know if they're Morroccan but something like this could look nice.

It's less busy then the patterns you posted above but still is a lot to look at.

I still prefer your original choice. They are original and different. Your second choice seems to be the "flavor of the week" where everyone is doing patchwork pattern.

While the first version is similar in feel to the patchwork, being different shapes gives it some more interest and takes it away from the "everyone is doing it" feel.

I also prefer that they're a bit more subtle.

I respectfully disagree. "flavor of the week" at least has a lot of precedents, and hopefully won't look like a fad in the right house in the right location. while an attempt to do smth very similar AND add different shapes AND add different sized AND add fake distressing on top of that-I think has much less chance to stand the test of the time.

(There's also thing that's personal to me-the first pattern makes me more dizzy:) But then it's not my bathroom)

Together with that-I think people should do what they want, as long as it makes sense with other materials, style of their house, and their overall taste.

The constant thinking about current trends, future resale, and elusive "timelessness" is very tiresome, I agree.

You can't completely avoid it, and much of it makes sense too; but you shouldn't be a slave to it as well.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your insights & suggestions. I am leaning toward the mosaic tiles or the cement tiles that aprilneverends had recommended, esp. this one: https://www.villalagoontile.com/havana-cement-tile.html. That was a great suggestion! Thanks so much. I am hoping our tiler can do cement. The Havana tile makes me happy when I look at it (I've been to been to Cuba, Central America, S. America, Morocco, & Italy, among other countries, & have always loved the patterns available in ceramic tile). I feel like I'd be "settling" for the mosaic tile, even though I like it just fine. :)

When I went to a flooring shop here in Central PA and said we were looking for an interesting pattern in a shade of blue, she looked at me like I had 3 heads. All the tiles (other than tiny backsplash tiles) in this shop & another one I visited were a variation of cream, brown, or grey. With all the amazing colors in the world, why would tile makers and sellers limit themselves to such boring options?!!! I suspect if we lived in CA or the Southwest it would be a different story.

I've ripped up about 3K sq. ft. of saltillo! Saltillo is usually not completely flat, making for a slightly uneven walking surface. We did not like that uneven surface in the main rooms or bathrooms. We also had smaller size saltillo tiles in the showers and in addition to the uneven surface, they were also a bit slippery. Buyer beware!

wow. hard to believe-but this Havana tile is one of my favorites! was seriously looking into it, at some point

anyway. I hope your tile setter can work with everything whatever you choose. If you ever feel like sharing the progress, regardless what you go with-that'll be amazing to see.

Wow--quite a coincidence! I really love that tile. Will keep everyone posted on the progress!

yeah..i was one of the folks who said it's slippery when wet..I really wanted it to work, so I made sure to check..to me, is an ice rink. but again, i'm extremely clumsy. made choice of flooring for the bathroom really, really hard. almost everything was too slippery. otherwise cement tile was my dream. then we found deep fired porcelain...indescribable beauty and not slippery..well, this beauty was 130$ per square feet. maybe more. so we went with the cheaper tile they could customize in terms of texture.

everybody's very different in that regard. I was checking every tile that sparked my interest. pouring water on it, and all that.

I hope though your sense of balance is better than mine, and you can choose what you love and enjoy it too.

I hope though your sense of balance is better than mine, and you can choose what you love and enjoy it too.

That's the problem. My ex used to say that I trip over air. Of course comments like that were one of the reasons he's my ex. ;)

OK, so I've found a tile I really like from here: https://www.villalagoontile.com/havana-cement-tile.html

Questions:

(1) Should we use a contrasting, solid tile in the shower? I'm worried it will look too busy with patterned tile everywhere. If so, what color? These are the solid, in-stock tile options from Villa Lagoon. (Dry Sage is used in the patterned tile.) We could also order solid tile from somewhere else.

(2) The cement tiles come in 8x8. Is that too big for the shower floor?

(3) Which color vanity would go best with this tile? I'm leaning toward brown.

Brown:

White (I'm concerned about the white getting dirty):

Pictures of the Havana tile with various kinds of furniture are available here: https://www.villalagoontile.com/havana-cement-tile.html. 

(4) One more tile option. Too busy?

1) You have a restriction on the size for the shower floor-the max size you can use is 4 by 4. The absolute max.

2) Wouldn't do anything contrasting-would draw the solid from the tile, maybe lighter or darker shade depending on a color. This pattern is gorgeous enough. The colors are yummy. Let them sing. You can bring contrasting accessories later if you feel so. Or think about bringing a tad different color with hardware. What finish were you planning?

3) Brown. Would look great. Cement tiles usually appreciate a tad darker wood..I'm sure there's a "geographical" reason for that.

4) Love patchwork but not from these guys. The colors don't look deep enough to pull it off .Too busy-and not in a good way(I like busy). If I was to choose patchwork-I'd order from Emery et Cie..they're in Belgium or Netherlands or something..:) Amazing company. Mind blowing. Expensive (patchwork is cheaper though). no VAT for us:)

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't mean contrasting as in a different color, but rather a solid that matches the patterned tile. Planning on chrome (the faucet we like comes in chrome). https://www.brizo.com/bath/product/65014LF-PC 

I am not a designer, but when I read your post and resulting thread, I liked some of the Moroccan looking tiles, but not for your bathroom.

I think the #4 above could be a lot of fun -- if you keep everything else simple, fairly plain. Then you can play with the colors in the quilt like busy tile by selecting fairly plain towels, vase, or a few accents. I have no idea what house and decor style are like, and that would have to be considered. In the right setting, that #4 tile could be fun.

What a terrific choice. Love it. (Not the patchwork)

Personally I'd choose the background color as my solid color tile. This way the colors in the tile will jump out at you vs one of the darker colors.

And I agree the brown vanity.