The Green Herring

Just a tip. When you're in a tile shop in Noosa, and a lady called De De tells you the tile you've selected is 'very special' and 'made to order', don't bother getting too attached to it. If these tiles aren't going to drive you around in their convertible Porsche or take you on holidays to Monaco, you're probably going to be hard pressed to justify the cost of them.
These are the ones in question, they look harmless enough don't they?

 And they would do the job we had in mind for the downstairs living area, which was something like this.

However, at $180/metre plus delivery, presumably in the convertible Porsche, they are cost prohibitive over 45m.
Here's another tip. When you go to 10 tile shops and everyone tells you the tile you are after doesn't exist, go to the 11th one and they'll have it.
We finally found our more affordable floor quality subway tiles at The Tile Mob in Mitchelton. They have an amazing collection of tiles for such a little shop tucked away.
We're now waiting on our first quote from the tiler to lay these babies, one by one, over the vast living area and laundry. There'll be tears, I know. Then there'll be more trips back to the drawing board.
When you're renovating I know that the budget is annoyingly dominant in what you do and don't do, however, I think there has to be one element of your house that is non-negotiable. You can't finish the job and still be without something that you absolutely loved, and got in the end. So far, we've been non-negotiable on the vj walls and ceiling, the skirting and trims and the doors, all of which could have been done for a lot less if we'd used more inferior and less traditional materials.
Maybe the floor will have to give? This is what we have in mind - black and white herringbone. The tiles we've picked are smaller than these ones below, but still a honed stone look with square edges.

Tiles can be laid in all types of patterns if you want to get creative about it.

Or this....

Tiles and paint, that's the fun stuff for me. So now we'll sit and wait for the first laying quote to come in, then we'll go from there. Fingers crossed people!