FAQ: How to Choose Tile Colours

Written by

Perini Tiles

16 October 2024

•

6 min read

Modern tiles are available in an endless selection of stylish colour options. From rich neutral tones to bright and bold feature colours, the possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing the perfect tile colours. With so many luxurious tile colours available to choose from, it can be quite daunting knowing just where to start; our guide runs through the most frequently asked questions when it comes to choosing tile colours to help you get started on your design journey.

Which Tile Colours are Timeless?

Creating a timeless look in the home is ideal, especially when choosing fixed items that cannot be replaced as easily as your home décor and furnishings. Choosing a selection of timeless tile colours in your next project will allow for a luxurious look that is always on trend while also offering you the freedom to experiment with a variety of different trending colours or patterns in your decorative pieces such as soft furnishings and home décor.

Generally, sticking with simple and elegant neutral tones when choosing your new tiles will help you create a rich and timeless aesthetic in the home. These include: white tiles, beige or light cream, soft greys and modern charcoal tones. Each of these luxurious neutral colours will create a sophisticated and earthy look in the home, with each being easily paired with a range of different brighter colours in your home’s decorating scheme to create a more personal and unique touch.

Timeless tile colour choices include beige, white, soft grey or charcoal. These neutral tones will create a rich and warm atmosphere in the home that always be on trend! Our luxe Cinder collection is pictured in this spacious bathroom design, adding a wonderfully tactile element to the space.

If you are however, renovating a home with a particular architectural style (such as a heritage home for example) you can also explore the many exciting collections of period style tiling solutions to suit your home’s character. From luxuriously rich and earthy terracotta tiles to elegant encaustic tiles, there are many stylish options available to choose from that combine traditional style with modern materials to ensure the character of your home is maintained.

How to Match Tile Colours

Matching tile colours is a task best done with physical samples of your tiles. This is because choosing from a screen or a printed brochure can be difficult with consideration to printing or resolution differences as well as the type of lighting and environment the tiles are portrayed in when being photographed. When visiting our tile showroom, we recommend you bring in sample swatches of other elements included in your new design scheme. This can include benchtop samples, paint swatches, fabrics and cabinetry colour samples. With each of these samples on hand, we can then work with you to narrow down your tile colour options.

Tiles that feature a bold range of colours or patterns can sometimes feel like a challenge to pair with other materials! A great way to create a sense of cohesion and balance in your colour palette while incorporating pattern tiles is to pick out a single colour from your chosen tile and match this in other areas of your design scheme. This luxurious kitchen for example pairs terrazzo tiles with a black speckled pattern with black kitchen cabinets to create a harmonious look.

When creating a colour scheme for your next project, there are many ways to ensure a cohesive colour palette. You may choose to restrict your colour scheme to a selection of two or three colours for example, with each colour being present throughout your home in your selected tiles, soft furnishings, feature walls or home décor. This technique ensures a consistent and unified look throughout the home, creating a sense of balance and tranquillity.

Should Tile Grout be Lighter or Darker than my Tiles?

Your choice of tile grout colour will be dependent on the final look you want to achieve with your tiles. If you are looking to create a seamless finish that will minimise the appearance of grout lines, choosing a grout colour that will complement or match your tile’s colour will do just the trick! This technique is a popular choice for large format floor and wall tiles as it creates a modern and seamless look. It is also an ideal solution for tiling smaller spaces as minimising the appearance of grout lines will create less visual clutter, enhancing the perception of space.

Choosing a grout that will contrast your tile’s colour creates a striking look that emphasises the tile’s shape and layout pattern. This style is an excellent choice for creating dramatic and eye catching feature walls in the home. Our luscious Riverside wall tiles are pictured in this bathroom design, paired with a contrasting white grout that outlines their sleek shape.

If you are using a feature tile with a unique shape (such as lantern tiles or fishscale tiles for example) you may instead consider choosing a grout colour that will contrast the tile’s colour. This will create a bold outline around each individual tile that will emphasise the tile layout, shape and pattern. This is also an effective solution for adding a touch of drama and character to a feature tile wall in the kitchen or bathroom for example.

For more tips on choosing tile grout, see our guide here.

Tile Colours that will Make a Room Look Bigger

If one of your goals when choosing a colour scheme for your project is to make a room appear larger then you may want to consider choosing light and bright tile colours that will enhance the perception of space. White tiles, light beige or creamy tones as well as soft, light grey tiles are all popular choices for these types of spaces. If you prefer to introduce some colour in your tile selection, light pastel tones are another excellent choice for smaller spaces. From light mint green tiles to soft blush tones, these colour choices will provide a soft pop of colour in your home’s colour scheme while still offering a bright colour choice that is suitable for small spaces.

When choosing tiles with the specific goal of making a room appear bigger, you will need to consider not only the tile’s colour but also the grout colour and the tile finish as well. Pairing a white wall tile with a black tile grout for example, will create a bold contrasting effect which in turn will emphasise the tile shape and layout. This can work well for feature walls in smaller spaces however, this technique is best avoided when tiling larger areas (such as your floors for example) in smaller rooms as the striking level of contrast can visually clutter the space and cause the room to appear smaller than what it is. Instead, opt for a grout colour that will complement your tile’s colour; this method will create a more seamless look in the room and assist in enhancing the perception of space.

Next, you will also want to consider the finish of your chosen tiles. When looking to create the illusion of additional space in a room, using glossy and bright finishes is an excellent choice. These glossy and reflective tile surfaces will allow light to travel and bounce through the room, creating a brighter look that will elevate your interior design style.

Our playful Taffee collection includes a lush array of soft colours that are paired with a rich, glossy surface finish. These stylish subway tiles can be used throughout your home’s interior spaces to create an elegant feature that will not impeded on the perception of size in a room.

When choosing your new tile colours, there are many different techniques and methods you can use to ensure the perfect colour scheme for your project. Whether you are looking to make a small space appear larger or update a period style home to create a fusion between the old and the new, our team at Perini Tiles can offer you advice and guidance at each step of the colour selection process to ensure a luxurious look in your home – Visit our Melbourne tiles store or start shopping for tiles online here where you can also order tile samples to be delivered directly to your door!