Tile is a fun material to design with, because it gives you the opportunity to truly express yourself. You can be bold with patterns, go with colorful options, and create a unique design. With tile you can add texture and determine the tone of any room in your home. It can go on the floors, walls, and even the ceiling. Needless to say, you have a ton of options! Many times, the last step in the tile design process is selecting your grout color, which a lot of people don’t think much about ahead of time, but it is also one of the most important selections!

A classic example we can all visualize is white tile with white grout. A very clean and classic look, but the tile and design can tend to get lost with a matching grout. This is a great option if you have a very bold element in the space to balance it out. A light color grout – think pale grey or beige – can accent the tile and design by providing contrast and borders without overwhelming you visually. A dark grout makes the tile area jump; great for a large area or with a vintage design.

As bright and colorful tiles come back on trend, consider going with a light or white grout to give the bold tile a spot center stage. Matching or going darker with grout can distract from the tile product itself, because the grout adds a prominent sightline. When thinking about grout a good rule of thumb is with a bolder tile, go with a light or white grout, whereas with a more muted tile, you can make it bolder with a darker grout selection.

As always, we recommend working with a designer to assist with decisions and use a professional installer to make sure your dream design becomes a reality!