The perfection of man-made is lost on Olivia Bell Buehl.
She finds pleasures in nature's imperfections such as a plant that leans into the sun and cotton sheets that wrinkle; slubs on linen towels - and tiles that don't square up on the wall."Many of us have overdosed on the regularity of machine-made products," she says. "A tile wall, even when it is all the same color, has a little bump here, a slight imperfection there."
Buehl, a former editor of Home and other decorating magazines, has written "Tiles: Choosing, Designing, and Living with Ceramic Tile," (Clarkson Potter, $40).
Her personal decorating odyssey to a charming blue and white porcelain bathroom led her to help others make even inexpensive tile installations creative.
"Most tile sold in the United States is installed in the kitchen and the bath and is white, off-white or beige," she says. The colors, she concedes, are chosen for their resale value.
If you must use a white or a neutral, she says, choose a tile with a little texture, or vary its shape or placement. Put rectangles on the walls and squares on the floor, or lay the tile on the diagonal on the floor and on the square on the wall.
Buehl's favorite way to add interest is to add a colorful border. If the new homeowners don't like the border, they can replace it.
Another way to liven up the mundane is to use colorful handmade tiles as insets or borders with mass-produced neutral tiles.
There also are tiles notched at the corners to accept tiny inset tiles called dots. White tile with black dots or colored dots is surprisingly effective.
Some tile makers are issuing a variety of shapes in the same color or design to make creative installations easier. One combination might include 4-inch or 6-inch squares with a 4-by-6 rectangle. Molding pieces for the corners help even the amateur installer to make neat turns.
A tip for amateurs: Try tiling a small table top before tackling a backsplash or floor. Also lay out the tiles with as few cuts as possible.
High-end trends in tile use are illustrated in Buehl's book. Among them are borders that combine several groups of tiles into a complex pattern. Another is to inset tile into another material, such as a tile "rug" set into a wood floor or a tile "patchwork quilt" set into a marble kitchen work island.
Tile prices range from about $1 a square foot for a closeout to $35 a square foot and up for decorative tiles and imports. While labor-intensive projects add to the cost, a few tiles can make a visual splash.
Consider a chair rail of tiles for the dining room. Give the border further emphasis by wallpapering above it in a coordinating color and pattern.
A tile baseboard can add interest to a house bereft of architectural detailing. Tiling the soffit area between the ceiling and the top of kitchen cabinets is attractive. The tiles are easy to clean when grease adds to grime.
"Tiles also make interesting and durable stair risers and draw the eye up in a nice way," Buehl says. "They are practical because they can take scuffing."
And, she says, a certain type of tile has such a strong identity with a specific design that it can be a short-cut to creating a look.
"If you're after the European country look, terra cotta tile on the floor does it," she says.
For an Art Deco theme, select pale pink tiles with a black and white border. For the arts and crafts look, choose green tiles with a sculpted border.