Out of your selection - I would choose the middle one on the bottom row - it gives you a modern look and pattern without being too ghastly - it would fit in with the retro vibe as well. Good luck!

I think it is because if the tap handle doesn’t overhang the sink then wet hands drip water over the bench behind the sink. I have an undermount sink with same issue due to required setback from sink and we are learning to shake hands before turning off tap. Pro for wall mount no gunk around base of tap Negative according to my husband who refused to have wall mounted is the tap connections are in wall so if you get any leaks it’s hard to fix. But this goes same for shower I guess. We did have a faulty basin tap that leaked inside the handle area and down into cabinet so had to get replaced so I didn’t-push for wall mounted again.

It can either look really dramatic or too dark, depending on the size of the room as well as your other components. I've attached a couple of images of our work using dark tiles, the smaller bathroom we have surrounded the bath with dark tiles but then balance it with an extra large mirror to bounce the light around the room. The larger bathroom we have taken the floor colour way onto the wall but used a different texture on the walls for drama. Hopefully this gives you more of an idea but you shouldn't to nervous of the room being dark, it's where you can create a contrast as well as textures. Look forward to seeing what you go with in the end.

thanks to everyone for your helpful comments! I was going to have to pay around $190 for 6 more, but will order them from Beaumont who have a 25% sale on at the moment. I agree that I need to just live with the cost and finish the job properly, but your shortcut suggestions were all really interesting and much appreciated. And archimondo, I'd say it's like having a kangaroo loose in the top paddock.