Either paint the border tiles, the same colour as the shower recess tiles, or leave them alone. In my opinion.

Once the tiles are the same colour, or left as is, a pale green would look good painted on the walls. Leaving the wooden vanity as is, to add warmth and texture to space.
The vanity would look good painted, but I'm not sure how it would look against the dark terracotta tiles. Your personal preference, as you can see the whole room. We are just looking at partial photos of each area.

Thanks, Dreamer. The shower recess tiles are the same brown as the rest of the laundry and bathroom floor. Too dark a colour to add to the top strip of the wall tile, I think. Thanks for your other suggestions - a very pale green wall might work.

Given the patterned tile is the top row how feasible would it be to remove that row and then just paint wall? and I'd pick a sage green

I would be very cautious about painting any tiles in a shower recess with the amount of heat and moisture applied regularly.

best of luck,

Thanks Dr Retro House Calls and CP. When you remove tiles do you run a pretty big risk of ruining the wall? If in the shower area, does removing them also impact the waterproof membrane potentially?? Have never done it before :)

South Aussie, I meant by shower recess tiles. I meant the wall tiles that the border tops, NOT the floor tiles. Painting the same as floor would just look silly.

Remove the top layer of patterned tiles and paint the timber vanity white .

Leave the floor alone. Paint the feature tiles out in the same green as in the current tile, it will help cover the colour. You should seek professional help with the tile prep to ensure good adhesion, may need to decommission the shower for a several days to dry in winter, depending on which state you are in.

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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.

To keep it simple I would cover the boarder tiles with the mosaic tiles I suggested earlier, preferably in similar colours to what I chose as they will blend with what you already have. I would paint all the walls in whisper white to freshen up but still tie in.
Add colour with the accessories, that’s all it needs. Then if your still not happy, you can always paint the cabinet and window sill in 1/2 strength whisper white.