Geesh, I have 24 x24 tiles in my shower and it drains properly. I don't "get" tilesetters who can't design a slope with anything other than mosaic type tiles.

Really like that! any chance you remember where you got it? did a google search and couldnt find one that had the different tones of gray like that

jmm,, it's for traction so people don't slip and break their necks. normally a smaller tile is used for that purpose. a good tile setter can lay larger tiles and still get a slope. maybe his guy isn't that good.

Eric, if you're in SoCal, it's in Anaheim. State College Distributors. I threw away the papers w/the info on them. If you call them and ask for George Solis, send him this pic, he can find it or look it up under my name. They could prob order it for you. It's really nice tile. somewhat matte too.

Beth I understand the thinking, but I'd take a big tile with a good anti slip rating over a small tile with a poor rating averytime. We've had our large tiles for five years and, trust me, they are not at all slippery.

jmm, yes, i know there are some nice matte tiles one could use. without knowing the dimensions of his shower though, it's hard to comment on why. for instance, one like this is perfectly fine for larger tiles.

Eric, HomeDepot has something like this. both of these are basalt. (seal first before installing)

this one is porcelain.

https://www.tile-shop.com/products/stoneone/stoneone.html

Beth - just to be clear, I agree that a lot depends on the size of the shower, so large format tile isn't suitable everywhere, and I do like the examples you've posted. I just get exasperated hearing tilers say that something "cannot be done" when what they really mean is "I don't have the skills to do it."

The zen vibe: In my mind zen evokes images of floral murals, orchids, a mixture of white and wood elements, filtered light, plants trailing down from glass orbs, etc. That seems really different from the modern/minimalist vibe. Modern/minimalist evokes images of a high-end European hotel or the kinds of spaces that advertisers use in print ads to evoke luxury. I'm not a designer. Maybe Beth can help you marry these seemingly very different, at least to me, styles.

Shower floor: Some people don't mind it, but I don't like the look of the triangle shapes that the tile pro has to cut the big tiles into in order to install them on a slope, so I always pick small tiles for the shower floor. If you install a linear drain all that triangle-cutting in not needed. But I still worry about slipping, even with tiles that are matte, and have the right traction coefficient for a shower floor, because water + soap + me + early in the morning = I'm probably going to slip one of these days.

Pebble tile might fit with the zen vibe, because if they are charcoal colored they remind me of a hot stone massage. But I don't see pebble tile fitting with a modern/minimalist style.

One thing I learned about the bathroom floor, curb and shower floor is that there should be some contrast because in low light (or if you're tired, or as you age, or if you take your glasses off to get in the shower, etc), you can trip on the curb if everything is the same color. Since your bathroom floor is going to be dark, make sure the curb is lighter, with enough contrast for safety. I have a dark bathroom floor, white marble curb (matches vanity) and dark shower floor, so there are clear visual lines of demarcation. You don't have to put white if you don't want to (although it might look good because your counter is going to be white). You could just do a lighter color, with enough contrast.

Tiling all the walls: Again I'm not a designer. But whenever I look at bathrooms that have all the walls tiled everywhere it makes me think of the gym. Maybe a real designer can show you some pictures of fully tiled bathrooms that don't change your modern vibe in to a YMCA vibe.

Accent tile on shower back wall: We did a full wall of accent tile on the back wall of our shower (the focal point like you said). It's a mixed random linear mosaic in soft green and white marble, clear and opaque glass, and we love it, but we were decidedly NOT going for a modern, minimalist, or zen vibe. It fits with the style of the bathroom, but not sure if it would work if you want minimalist. Maybe Beth can show you an accent shower wall that is still modern/minimalist.

The mosaic wall was expensive. I didn't want to pull the trigger until I was totally sure, so I mocked it up. Just take a sample sheet, lay it down on your printer (lay a towel or something to block out ambient light so it will copy well), and make a bunch of copies of your prospective accent tile. Then tape all the paper-tiles together, overlapping the white edges to hide them, and tape your mock-up on the wall. That visual helped me to decide. I forgot to take a picture of that mock-up, but when I did it for my boys' bathroom floor, I remembered to take this picture. I have trouble visualizing things, so this kind of mock-up really helps me make decisions.