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Are you looking to define a specific area in your kitchen or bathroom? Want to add more depth to your shower? Or perhaps create a mosaic-style pattern on that painfully bare wall? Accent tiles can result in an instant makeover and allow you to showcase your impressive attention to detail!
Given their almost magical powers, you certainly don't want to pick them randomly. Imagine ending up with tiles that don't really pop or, even worse, that clash with your existing décor!
Follow our expert tips in order to choose accent tiles that can turn your wall into a fresco-worthy exhibition.
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When choosing accent tiles, you'll find plenty of design choices, but deciding between these two categories can help you weed out lots of irrelevant options:
They're the best option to create a colorful contrast against the wall or your other more traditional tiles, or even to accent a specific part of the room that only allows for a small number of rows, such as the wall behind your sink;
These murals can help you fill your barest walls and, although they can come in smaller sizes, they're usually better suited for larger rooms and bathrooms that don't already feature lots of other attention-grabbing patterns.
Square is the most popular shape for accent tiles, as it's the most versatile and can easily help you define smaller areas as well as cover larger parts of the wall;
Rectangular tiles are another interesting option that can result in completely different looks simply depending on the tiles' orientation:
Horizontal or listello tiles can emphasize the length of the accented area, and are often used as kitchen or bathroom backsplashes;
Vertical tiles can help you open up smaller spaces and are therefore popular for shower walls.
To give you a starting point, the average square accent tile is between 4 and 6" whereas listello tiles are usually 4"x12", but there are plenty of smaller and larger options.
To find the right size for you, consider your accent tiles in relation to the rest of the room or, more specifically, the area that you're planning on decorating:
Smaller tiles can help you draw the eye onto their pattern and its repetition, and are particularly handy for Mediterranean-style designs;
Larger tiles will result in fewer grout lines, making your room look bigger.
