Did you have a tile in mind for the floor to go with the tile you have selected? I think the tile you like could look great as a feature wall around the vanity with a flat tile in the same colour/finish for the other walls. I feel that dust and soap scum in shower would probably gather on the textured surface tile, perhaps that us what he was referring to?

Tiles look great. White never dates. I think the pattern is quite a classic design and shouldn't date. It's like a pressed metal ceiling pattern. Dark grey/charcoal for floor also will look great for years. The black taps do look great but I wonder if we'll all go back to the design classic of chrome in the not to distant future? The vanity looks awesome too.

I agree with scottevie, the tile you like is very nice but may be best in moderation. I personally think it looks more balanced when the floor and wall tiles are very different sizes.

I have hexagonal white floor tiles, they make the room so large and bright, I love their classic style but they do require regular cleaning.

Be careful when selecting floor tiles. A friend has recently laid matt dark brown tiles and they are an absolute nightmare to keep clean and scuff-free, particularly in the shower area.

You speak of the fear of installing a dated bathroom... my interior designer colleague says the bathroom niche will be the stand out feature to date a bathroom in a few years. They are very handy to have though!

Good luck with the reno's.

My idea of any bathroom is a place of relaxation and pampering. If this is your feeling and you have ideas that 'gel' with your feelings then stick to it. True that plumber and tilers are not decorators and designers, just tradies and resellers...plumbers install the plumbing which their establishments probably sell and the same with tilers...don't let them put their interests before your ideas! The last fellow I employed to do some carpentry for me...according to my designs lost his job because he 'dissed' my ideas and wishes and even argued with me.....and it was not anything out of the ordinary! I ended up building the cabinet myself!
The first thing I would suggest, if this were within your possibilities, is remove the toilet cramping up the floor space and put it in a room of its own. I believe that there's so much discussion going on about toilets in bathrooms today that the preence of a toilet in a bathroom will be the sure thing to date any bathroom, even the swankiets, in a few years...forget the niche..it will be anice touch. If you could remove the loo you would then see what possibilities exist in this otherwise cosy, nice bathroom. I like the pedestal basin and the current tiles but you are obviously up for a change. Is it the white ones that your tradie-tiler says would be difficult to keep clean? Rubbish! Be interesting to ask him "why" they'd be difficult to clean!!! Bet he has never cleaned a bathroom in all his days! I think that's just a ruse! For me, I would not choose a black and white colour scheme...that will date too. A "retro" style bathroom will never date if you upgrade it and spruce it up. Some of the modern bathrooms today will be outdated in five years. A classical bathroom will never date.
Something I really dislike in up-dated bathrooms is a vanity cupboard jammed up against a bath. (Seethe example photo in cloudpants' post.) Worse...a toilet jammed up against the bath in old bathrooms.
You seem to have some really clear ideas on what you like so stick to your guns and make your tradies do your bidding no nonsense!
The idea of a cabinet with the morror is a good one for storage of your personal bits and pieces.
Just one caution about tapware. Most tradies suggest the blck matt tapware because it is metal and lasts as opposed to the shiny chrome-like tapware and even shower heads that are really cheap white plastic material silvered to appear to be chrome.
I wish you all the best...and am glad that I'm not doing it...can be a real pain when tradies give you the run around. Could not believe the elaborate nonsense that one plumber told me would be necessary to install a replacement rose rain shower over my bath,,,because I was not buying the new plastic assemblage from his establishment! Eventually I had a genuine chrome plated brass shower head shipped from China...beautiful craftsmanship and cost only $79AUS all up!
Keep on keeping on!

Pity about the toilet...but that is a really nice vanity unit....simple, sleek...and love the placing for the plumbing!

To move the toilet to somewhere else would cost just as much as the bathroom reno and that's in a house, not a unit! Bathroom isn't huge but really en-suit size if in a house. Should still work ok. Cool vanity!

As for trades, remember they do their jobs day in, day out and probably deal with tight wad clients, day in day out. They will almost always prefer the easy simple cheap way as so many clients they come across don't want to spend any money so they would push the easy way to actually make money or just even get the job. I come across it all the time when I get jobs done, they must think that if they quote to actually do the job you've asked for, they'll be too dear and you won't actually ever do the job!

Hi Anne, glad there's so much investigation - cheaper to replace shoes than a bathroom. One thing I was was caught by some years ago with a shower mixer is to make sure the water pressure will allow it to work properly - instantaneous hws don't always work well. The tenants in the unit have adapted however - by running hot water into the basin while in the shower.

Love the shower head. Making your niche a feature removes it from the date line. Finally, just to add another possibility, there are some fantastic pressed metal panels available.

Cheers and good luck.

I imagine it's far too late to comment now, but I hope you went with one colour tapware throughout. :)

I hope you swing by sometime with some updated photos so we can see how it panned out. I loved the most recent selection of tiles!