How to Choose Decorative Tiles

Decorative tiles make any room or small space memorable. These durable, practical works of art add personality and an upscale look for $5 to $50 each. The hard part of choosing accent, border, mural and mosaic tiles is narrowing it down to your favorites.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Imagine what colors or designs will reinforce your room's decorative theme--you'll have thousands of options. Handmade artisan tiles offer rich glazes, strong textures and whimsical pictorial designs, but cost more than mass-produced tiles.

2. Contact kitchen design stores, interior designers and ceramic supply shops to find a tile artist in your area.

3. Mix field tiles and accent tiles for a striking and less-expensive effect. Repeated across a large area, plain or solid-color field tiles are sold by the square foot; accent tiles, which are added to trim or decorate field tiles, are priced per piece based on size, design, glaze and how they're made.

4. Use border tiles to emphasize a horizontal plane, frame a mirror or window, define where different surfaces meet or cap an area of related field tiles.

5. Repeat a wallpaper, china or fabric motif with a tile mural. Mass-produced murals using stock decals cost less.

6. Re-create old-world texture and detail with mosaics, now available preassembled on mesh backings for easy installation. Glass and metal are the hot materials in this category. Their reflective and translucent qualities wake up bland kitchens and bathrooms.

Tips & Warnings

• Install pricey tiles strategically for budget-conscious pizzazz at eye level or in locations where the design attracts notice.
• Ask an interior designer for advice if you're unsure about mixing tile shapes and proportions.