Thanks olldbobbi.. I have grabbed some cream and black samples and the cream def. looks a lot better than the black.

Thanks robandlyn. I see what you mean about the black. I initially thought that too but when I put a black sample up against the tiles it looked quite harsh against the 'softness' of the tile. The tiles have natural undertones and some brown/natural coloured flecks through them and I thought a browny colour would tie in and add warmth. But I'm open to others' opinions!!

It depends on what colours you are brave enough to use. The tile colour you have chosen will match with a lot of colours. There are so mosaics in white too if you don’t want colour. Beaumont’s tiles have 27% off all tiles at moment. I noticed that they have a smaller subway in Carrara look but would probably enable you to use cool and warm accessories in bathroom.

I'd just live with it, paint the walls and vanity your sage green. My decision would be based on the fact that getting rid of the pattern is either going to be extremely time intensive or $$ intensive for not much gain. You can leave that pattern and update the bathroom easily by painting walls and vanity. The only way to get a nice finish on painted tile is to have it resin coated professionally. It's not cheap. With a stone toned bathroom it's always going to look dated because that colour way has been out of fashion for about 30yrs anyway. Best to just update cheaply and refresh the whole bathroom once it's no longer servicable. You spend on average 30mins a day in the bathroom. If it's neat and clean that's good enough. Close the door on it after use.