Hi pennyjm, An option for you to consider is porcelain floor tiles, as they do not require sealing or ongoing maintenance and are very easy to clean. We have a range of designs to suit your space and concept, most of which can be found here. These floor tiles are designed and manufactured by the Porcelanosa Group in Spain. Please see attached photos for your reference, if you would like more information or to organise a consultation please contact us in Sydney, Melbourne or Newcastle, our showroom staff will be happy to help you. Kind Regards, Earp Bros - Innovative Tile Solutions

Hi siriuskey Thanks for your advice and images. Yes I am the pro but somehow doing my own bathroom has been different to helping others, mainly because I have to think about my family who live in the house as well and what they like. (and I'm not so arrogant to think that I know everything just because I'm the "pro". It never hurts to get other opinions). Totally agree that panelling looks great but when I mentioned this to the builder and cabinetmaker they nearly had a heart attack and refused to put wood panelling in a bathroom, especially a small bathroom where it is more likely to come in contact with water, hence the subways. I think the subways will look okay as I'm using white grout which will be more subtle and they are only going halfway up the wall as in the second last image you provided (which I love by the way). It's only a small bathroom so not that many subways really. Thanks for your input. It's greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to go with the 45 degree pattern. I'll post a photo when it's finished. Thank you to everyone who contributed. :)

The size of the tiles is dictated more to the skill of your tiler. Some tilers prefer smaller as its easier for them to get the fall right. Using wastes that are linear like the grates make it easier as its straighter for them to cut the tiles. Having round drains do make it harder to tile a fall in the floor with larger tiles but now days there are so many choices with the waste options for the shower spaces that it allows more choice in sizes of tiles. What size shower are you wanting to go? Will it be more like a 1000 x 1200 rather than the standard 900 x 900??

I currently have the same problem It quite braves to use White on the floor ( I know you said grey) but we are toying with as it works well with the grey bath we have chosen Have a think about swapping it around to have black on the floor which works great with a contrasting colour bath (white) Also think about contrasting colour for taps (black taps against white or grey tiles)