When choosing tile for the bathroom I find that many people are so afraid to make a mistake they end up settling on basic white.  While a basic white tile has its place, it’s best installed on the walls, not on the floor where it will show every bit of dirt.  But if you must have a white tile floor, consider adding a pattern that incorporates white and one or two other colors.  For older homes, a hex tile is a great solution.  You can order a custom pattern like this (or create your own)  from Dal-Tile, which is available nationwide.  One thing to watch out for: the tile patterns are assembled by hand, and there are sometimes mistakes (like a white tile where there is supposed to be gray).  You can fix this in the field, or leave it and accept it as part of the hand created look of the tile.

My friend and contractor Rod McLamb at Spyglass Building Company and I have been discussing pebble stone tiles from Costco, which run about half the price of our local tile shops.  Since these tiles have a relatively wide grout joint, it’s important to choose the right grout color.  Typically my experience is that a grout color that is darker than the pebbles will look better than a lighter color.  A darker color will recede into the background and let you focus on the actual stones.  When the grout is significantly lighter than the stones, it tends to accentuate their shape, and almost ‘flatten’ them, making them look slightly fake and ‘cheap’. Since the grout plays an important part in the appearance of stone pebbles, my recommendation is to have the tile setter create a sample prior to grouting the actual installed pebbles.

Dark Pebble Stones with Dark Grout

Dark Pebble Stones with Light Grout