Barnes.... I actually know of a product that cleans that off with ease!!! It's new has had testing and has been through the process of intellectual property and is now currently under production. If you are interested I can try source you some.

Hi mluh You've obviously done your research on these products, so it's most likely going to come down to personal preference. As you've mentioned, a natural stone is going to come with an amount of maintenance but the beauty of Travertine is within its variation. Once sealed with a good quality sealer (I recommend Guard Industry), the maintenance is really quite low and most spills are lost within those natural variations. 99% of spills can be cleaned up without too much trouble. Porcelain, on the other hand, can be quite difficult to clean once it's been marked. That said, the external porcelains have a great non-slip texture and are very hardy when used as paving/tiles. I'm personally not a fan of using them as pool coping, but many people love it. Again, both have their advantages and disadvantages so I would recommend using the product that you're happy looking at for the next 10-20 years. - Jordan

Hi Audrey, appreciate what you're saying. Here are a couple of bathrooms we recently did in Melbourne that might be helpful for inspiration. As a rule, we try to avoid white tiles (& white grout) on the floors for the cleaning issue you mention. If you want more inspiration check out this freebie: 101 Kitchen and Bathroom Design Ideas Good luck. Richard@themakeovergroup

Rose, wall paper in bathrooms not a good idea as steam from shower or a very hot bath removes them. Powder room okay just don’t overwhelm the room with too much of a bold pattern. To save costs paint is cheapest. You also don’t need to tile or paper all walls. My new bathroom has floor tiles going up one wall, a textured subway up to the window sill on another with paint above, and paint above skirting tile on another, last wall is glass doors hiding laundry. I have another bathroom fully tiled and I hate it as it feels like a public restroom, tiles do not induce cosiness.