Oh C'mon V Richards...every epoch has its treasures. B4 you make a mad run for it stop a while and consider the period and the reasons for the style...it can be extremely enlightening....unless its not the period you want to escape from but from some of the opinions. I spent many years of my youth outside of Australia living surrounded by old ruins in Europe. I forgot what it was like here. When finally I returned to Australia and found myself living in some of the 60s and 70s places..I found much to admire and wonder about. I may not have fallen in love with much of it but there was a certain mistique and a feel that I can still conjure when talking about certain places. Not saying that it was all romantic and pleasant but it conveyed something of the era and the kind of Aussie from those days.

The patterned ones come in a mixed box, as in a mixture of all patterns. You could have all patterns or throw in the plain one with slight marble effect (Hex Carrara Bianco) as in the attached photo from a Beaumont tile brochure. If your room is small you could consider the lighter version which is white and grey - Hex Blend Bianco.

yes to all, we did have the tiles professionally sealed, but sealing is not a cure all in my experience but I'm sure it helps considerable . my wife does buy those hand made goats milk styles soaps etc and I don't imagine there is anything more testing for stone, and yes it does mark. The Grey ( bane of my existence )granite much more so than the beige travertine ) I must admit though, the kids bathroom was almost non existent as one has sensitive skin and uses pump pack. I would also imagine climate, airing/ sunlight, volume of use and the time you have to manage it would also be contributing factors. We are way short on time and they don't get the attention they deserve, so I would suggest asking around, others may manage it better and it not be an issue. If your only doing your bathroom you may consider the risk factor not worth it for the volume, but for me, the advantage of travertine in the rest of the house far out weighs any marking issue in the showers, and wont stop me from using it again. To be honest when we sold the last house I just took to the shower with one of those paint scrapers with the razor in the end and most of it came off and it didn't detract from the look of the house. Sorry i have probably only muddied the waters even more, good luck with it.

I would but not to the extreme of the picture you provided. I would use them as a feature maybe a strip around the room or a vertical section running down the middle of the shower. It would certainly reflect light if you have a dark room. The picture provided is way over the top and takes away the beauty of the tile effect.