Who knew bathroom tile would be the hardest part of the remodel? Or the most stressful part?

Background: I always, always seem to want what isn't in style, isn't in fashion, or what isn't available. When I was shopping for an "L" sectional couch years and years ago... they just didn't make them. I had a place to fit the furniture, and a desire for a nice square corner (because I always lay on the couch, feet propped up... I never sit on a couch "proper" unless I either have company or am at someone else's house). But nobody made them. Anywhere. I looked and looked for two YEARS trying to find a couch. I finally found one that had to be special ordered from Denmark. Oh yeah, and I wanted it in charcoal gray. HAH! There was only one fabric I could choose that came anywhere close.

A couple of years after I bought it? Charcoal gray was in! And "L" sectionals were plentiful! Of course! It's only when I want it, that it's not readily available!

And so it is with tile. I had already chosen my counter top... a nice Coffee Brown Silestone counter. I wanted to have that rich coffee/chocolaty brown reflected in the floor and other horizontal surfaces. Go ahead. Try and find a chocolate brown tile. I dare you. Oh, and I also wanted a very light cream or latte' color for the walls, so it wouldn't be dark like a cave. But a warm light color, not a cold or stark white like before.

First things first... when looking for tile on-line, the colors you see on your screen bear little or no resemblance to the actual physical color of the real-world tile. I learned this the hard way, when I thought I found the perfect tile on line, and went to look at it in person, and... it wasn't even close. The color was even called "Dark Chocolate". In reality, it was a light rust. Oy. But it was the closest I had found to that point, so I "settled"....

...until I got the samples into my house, and it was just all wrong. The 'light' tile was way, way too dark, and the 'dark' tile was way, way too light. There wasn't enough contrast between them. And since I had planned to use the dark tile as "accent pieces" on the lighter walls, it would have really looked stupid. Damn.

So back to the drawing board I go. I look everywhere. I find four new tile places in town with showrooms. And voila! I find the perfect floor tile! It's a rich chocolate brown, without getting too red and without being too 'cold'! Only... the series didn't have a 'light' tile that fit, and it was the "wrong" size (13x13 instead of 12x12). Oh well. I liked it a lot anyway. And next to it, in a different brand and style, there was a light tile that sorta worked. Okay, it was a little too white and cold in color, but hey, I'm settling already, but I'll settle for that if I can get my rich chocolate tile, right? The sales lady told me they had it all in stock, so cool! I walk out having made my choice. I even took the samples back to my bathroom and they looked good enough. I even re-designed my entire tile layout to accommodate the 13x13 tiles. Fine.

Until yesterday, when the contractor goes down to buy the tile. They only have the 13x13 pieces in stock, not the 6x6 pieces or the bull-nose pieces you need for the edges. If I wanted those, it would be six weeks. SIX WEEKS. Sigh. So back to the drawing board again. The contractor pointed me to a couple of other tile show-rooms and brands he knew of, and I go off to look around.

And seriously, there's nothing. Well, there's this one. It's sorta close, but not really. And there are HUGE shade variations between each tile. Some are much closer than others. It's sort of a cold, dark, brown, rather than a rich warm brown. But the matching 'light' colored tile is almost right on. And they have 3x3 accent pieces, in addition to the 6x6, 13x13 (why does all tile come in 13x13 now??), and bull-noses. And they can fill my order in two days, guaranteed. So... for what feels like the fourth time (and in fact is the fourth time ... I left out an iteration so as not to bore you too much), I "settle" again.

So, we're a day or two behind on the tiling. But it's ordered, and it's in, and it'll start this week. Still, what a pain!

( And now, after all that, you want to see pictures?? Okay, here are pictures! )