Perfect placement

A uniform scheme of the same tile on floor and walls will help visually enlarge a small space, with grout lines matched to flow flawlessly between the surfaces. Conversely, a contrasting floor tile helps define the room. “Subtle variation within a floor tile will be more forgiving than a solid colour, which can appear flat and a little dated,” suggests interior designer Naomi Nimmo of Nimmo Nielsen Collective. Feature tiles help direct attention towards the prettier parts of the room, so put them to work behind a hero item – not the loo! – and keep the remaining walls simple. “Where budget permits, feature tiles work best on a decent scale such as an entire wall, not just a small niche,” adds Naomi. Running an attractive floor tile up one wall is another option, and this creates the illusion of a longer room, while contrasting grout can help make a feature of a plain tile. However, make sure the grout is sealed to help prevent it discolouring in patches.

“Gone are the days of selecting dark grout on the floor to avoid unseemly staining – you can now use lighter grout colours, which will not change over time” ~ Vanessa Cook, Smarter Bathrooms