The room looks so nice, great job! I'm no pro, and fretting about my own bath reno going on. Haven't picked paint yet. But I would have to be strongly encouraged to add gold accents in your bathroom. Your look is so classic and clean, I would lean toward chrome, and maybe a matte black mirror. Does Balboa Mist compliment with your grout maybe? Can't tell from the photo what color the grout is. At the BM store near me they have all their popular white shades on 5" crown moulding pieces so can really see the hue differences.

I would not say Balboa Mist is cool. It is a very popular light gray, that to my eye is warm.

Here are some whites I think you should look at, particularly, Simply White, Decorator's White and Chantilly Lacy. Dove White is one of Benjamin Moore's most popular white.

I am not a fan of Dove Wing for your space.

If your not opposed to Sherwin Williams I love this white for the black and white theme.

https://vintagerevivals.com/my-secret-formula-for-the-best-white-paint-color/

You could do black floating shelves with the white walls.

You should always get a tester and create a sample on a piece of drywall, poster board or watercolor paper (my favorite) before buying any paint.

I got a medicine cabinet that fit into the old hole, but the mirror was a few inches longer on the top and bottom. It had a beveled edge. Perfect for my 1935 bath. I got mine at a plumbing supply store several years ago. It was made by Broan. They are now part of Jensen and I can't find a similar model.

I think you should stick with chrome.

Love your tile and agree that you should stick with chrome, however I think a color on those walls would be beautiful. Maybe a nice vintage color like mint or aqua.

Sherwin williams pure white or Ben Moore decorators white would go well with your white tile. Ben Moore white dove can go cream as well

Thank you so much, everyone! Your insights have been very helpful!

I carefully took every bit of great advice here into account, did a bit more research, consulted with my husband, chatted with the Benjamin Moore associate... and once again in the scramble to make a decision, sort of messed up. I chose "Pure White" (which was one of the suggestions here in this thread, thank you so much, although I only realized later it was for SW Pure White, not BM Pure White, which is different). So this is what it looks like -- colour not captured accurately on my iPhone, but it looks quite greenish-bluish-white much of the day, and warmer at other points. In real life it looks less dingy than it does in the pic. It's more stark than I was envisioning, but we'll definitely happily live it for a while! (Click pics to see fuller image.)

(Incidentally we'll be changing the lights, hardware, etc.; will post questions in a separate post.)

Now we have a new dilemma. The very faintly blue-greenish new shade on the wall really draws attention (to my eye anyway) to the fact that the bath ceiling tiles are warm off-white in contrast to the cool white of the other tiles beneath the black bullnose line. (How the original owners made their decisions is always a mystery to us! Still, we want to keep some degree of this 50s vibe, not to mention we really don't want to gut this plaster-and-lathe room built like a tank.)

Here on the upper left you can see the upper tiles whose beigey tone really stands out now against the new paint:

Any thoughts you might have on that upper beige tile problem would be most welcome! I am half considering having one of those "tile painting" guys come and spray the whole upper section a cool white, but my husband thinks that may turn into a whole new headache.

Thank you all so much once again! Very grateful for all your insights.

So obviously this can drive you bonkers and know that the room is quite lovely! To entertain your desire to do something about the beige tiles, I'm wondering if you could raise the shower curtain to the highest point which would minimize how much beige tile is seen. I can't tell on the left if the wall goes to the ceiling or not so that side might determine your max height. Of course you'd need a longer shower curtain but it could be something like a black and white pin stripe or a fabric you like that will draw the eyes to it rather than the tile. If you or someone you know can make the shower curtain that could be an option.

Your black and white tile is perfect for putting some color on the walls! I'd use a soft blush, or go bold with emerald green or pink. You could also use a graphic black and white wallpaper.

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Those beige white tiles were probably put in later, when someone has a issue with the walls in the shower. I've read that you can paint tiles, but I don't know if it will work for the ones in the shower.

I would paint the tile with an epoxy paint specifically made for tile. If you go this route and don't hire someone else to do the job you will need to take your time and thoroughly and carefully prepare the tile for paint and you will need to leave plenty of dry time before using the shower. after you paint.

I would leave the tiles, and add a beautiful shower curtain, like mentioned above. Pick one with a pattern that looks fantasic when it is pulled completely closed. Plastic for the inner part, to pull across when using shower, and a pretty fabric for the outer. If you need to raise the shower curtain, you can buy longer shower curtains, if that is necessary, or even use regular draperys for the outer part.