Thanks Orangecamera. It's still a work in progress and mud everywhere Sorry we did look at having the steps' off set' but it didn't seem to go with only three steps and a small area. And about the zen well the cats are doing that for us much to our disappointment (it's still like a litter box to them). We went to the garden supply place still not knowing what kind of stones we were getting. We stood in front of all the bins (there where many). We even looked at mixing some. The grey stones had a bin more the size we wanted but we ended up getting the golden fleck. It was a little smaller, which was a shame, the bigger ones were so mixed in their grading it looked too messy. So this is what we finished up with. It was seagardens that got me thinking away from grey and nwduck mentioning the drainage. So this has really helped. Also everyone seem to think the wooden steps needed to go a lot lower. Next it's figuring out where the large river stones should go

Penofin Exotic Wood Stain Review Penofin Hardwood Stain Penofin Hardwood Stain Penofin For Hardwood Stain is a 99% UV protection Brazilian Rosewood Oil finish. This stain was developed to protect and preserve Hardwoods such as IPE and Mahogany. Their exotic hardwood formula penetrates deep into the wood cells. This results in a natural finished look to your wood. Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish can meet the needs of hardwood in fiber protection, penetration, stabilizing, and nourishment. Important Note: Testing for Exotic Hardwood Deck Stains Exotic hardwoods such as IPE are extremely dense and difficult to penetrate. These wood types when stained will always fade faster the other woods such as Cedar, Redwood, and Pine. Testing will be changed to 1 year instead of 2 years for exotic hardwoods. two to three coats allow a week between coats

I think it is outdated too.. But some people love the strip. I just planned my showers and had no strips. Instead I did a tile change half up the wall (tile chair rail between) and in my master did this picture frame look (pic below)

The mosaics behind the vanity are called extra light diamond from Rex. I have added the website http://www.rex-cerart.it/en/extra-light/ The tiler will screed the wall in white so no other colour comes through and then use an adhesive in white and then grout. I have sealed the grout also as white grout can discolour. You will see on the website some amazing applications of this little glass mosaic. Happy hunting