I live in a 1947 bungalow and am looking for some general advice on remodeling our bathroom. The room is small, approx. 5 x 7 ½ feet with a toilet, sink, and tub. We have 9 foot ceilings. It is 5 feet from the door to the edge of the bathtub. I want to go old style, more along 20’s and 30’s and I want to create an illusion of space

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First, I’m thinking of surrounding the tub with white subway tile with an accent strip. Should the tile go all the way to the ceiling or do I leave a bit of wall (painted).

Second, is the room too small to do some sort of wainscoting on the walls, with painted walls above?

Third, I want to tile the floor and I’ve seen several patterns I like. But since the floor area is so small, I don’t know know what size tile to use. I like the 1920’s hexagon tiles in black and white, but I’m afraid it would look too busy. I want to have the illusion of space.

Any advice or suggestions are much appreciated.