I like this tile as well. Very sleek and mod looking. I would consider running it vertically instead of the picture horizontal pattern. It might give the illusion of more height in the shower surround. The color is great. If you are worried about it being "too much," you could always see if they have the same tile in a different shade and mix the two or doing one wall in a contrasting (lighter) color. I personally like it as long as you have good lighting.

A good quality sheet vinyl floor is going to give you the durability and cleanability you're looking for. It will last forever. There are lots of different choices of colour and pattern and you can probably find a remnant at a good price. You say you need something durable for the wall too? Do you mean the walls in the shower, around your bathtub, or the walls in the rest of the bathroom? A company like Bath Fitter offers an easy care solution which is seamless (for the bathing/showering area) but a good quality paint should be fine for the rest of your walls.

Thank you Groveraxle for the virtual ! you are too good a designer that is why I cannot help troubling you ;) you have your biggest fan in me ever since your first advice:)) As for an in-house designer I am certainly going to call somebody soon . Just that I get such a lot of options and great advice from highly accomplished and talented Houzz designers ..I would be better prepared after these conversations ..please forgive me for pestering you guys like this:)

Fareham, Although from your description it appears to be grouting gone wrong thing but attached pics tell a different story. The size of floor tiles selected is not appropriate. It appears that someone may have walked over the tiles while the cement was still wet. If waterproofing was not done properly then these things may eventually snowball into a bigger problem. Looking at the pics , we would not recommend you to call the same contractor anywhere near your place again. It will be costly fix but it should be redone (at least the flooring tiles) to avoid further damages. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs, Bangalore.