I'm in the middle of remodeling my 7' x 8' bathroom. The design style is an odd mix of modern and traditional, but it works for me. But I haven't figured out what to do for the space of wall behind the vanity above the sinks and below the mirror. I think the options are

1) do nothing, just paint the wall

2) use the same tile as behind the tub, but will it look odd in just this spot with no adjacent wall being tiled?

3) use the countertop material for a "runner" piece along the wall but does that style look dated

4) tile a lot more of the bath than currently planned to get a more seamless look.

Below are the layout and specs. Please note that almost all the item decisions have been made (therefore "that's a terrible combination" or "I hate the way those look together" comments aren't very helpful at this stage).

-Floor tile is a blue/white large french-style pattern (traditional)

-60" double vanity is craftsman (the only place black pulls appear will be on the vanity, the rest of the bath is all polished chrome) (traditional)

-Countertop is quartz faux-marble b/c for budget reasons its coming from the same slab as my kitchen (traditional)

The 60" mirror above the vanity will actually be a double medicine cabinet, frameless with mirrors) (modern)

-Bathtub is an 'alcove' soaker tub except the far short side will be a pony wall not a whole lot higher than the tub itself (modern)

-Pony wall will have the same quartz as a topper.

-[NOT 100% decided yet, but leaning toward:] Wall tile is 3 x 12 white subway, except with that "handmade" look so its not 100% flat. (traditional)

NOT decided yet is grout color or tile pattern. Either subway (traditional) or possibly stacked (modern), leaning toward a very light grout, not the dark-grout-white-subway look.

Current thought is to have the tile go from tub to ceiling on the two alcove wall, and as needed on the pony wall. Was not planning on tiling the rest of the bathroom because its a small space and the floor is the 'busy" focal point, adding in more tile will I think make it too busy.

Layout (close but not exactly to scale):

Floor, vanity, counter, and tub:

Wall tile (tentative):

Mirror/med cabinet (not exactly but similar enough for the idea)

Inspiration photos:

Using the countertop is prob easiest (seems dated?)

This is a good example of what the tile might look like EXCEPT this one has the tile continue along the walls so its not just over the vanity as mine might be:

This is more akin to what the setup might end up looking like (except no shelf as a top barrier)

I know this is long, but would love advice on this...