From subtly shimmering white subway-style walls to dramatic colorful mosaics, tile is one of the most seductive ways to enhance the beauty of a space. Long prized for its durability, tile has become more of an object of aesthetic desire than ever before. Your heart may be set upon using it, but with thousands of imaginative options available, you may not know where to begin. Now, The Art of Tile beautifully illustrates what to use, how to use it, and where to use it.

First, design writer and tile enthusiast Jen Renzi walks you through the basics of using the medium: selecting the best materials for certain spaces; installation and maintenance considerations; and aesthetic aspects, such as using tile as an accent or pairing tiles with different patterns in the same area. She then helps you answer the big-picture questions: Do I want eco-friendly bamboo tile in the bathroom? Gorgeous gold-leaf Italian glass tile on my backsplash? Or just a neutral-colored tile with a raised texture? Along the way, you’ll see dozens of installations to spark your imagination, including all of the latest advances and never-before-seen options, such as luxurious leather tile floors that coddle the feet, surprisingly realistic imitation-wood tiles made from porcelain, and an explosion of roses in a red-and-white dining room mosaic.

If you’d rather page through thousands of options to make your choice based simply on what strikes your eye, the catalog section of this book is the ultimate resource: more than 1,500 tile options organized in groupings such as:

* Color (typical color families, as well as pastels, vivids, and pure white)

* Pattern (damasks, dots, loops, herringbone)

* Motif (such as nautical themes, animals, food, or flowers)

* Texture (from subtle to dimensional)

* Shape (beyond squares, circles, and rectangles to hexagons, diamonds, and ovals)

* Material (including ceramic, cement, stone, and shell)

* Mosaic (from interlacing vines to abstract geometrics)

With inspiring photographs of tile installations from Montauk to Morocco, an extensive resource guide, and expert advice from architects, designers, homeowners, and tile manufacturers, The Art of Tile is as much a feast for the eyes as it is an indispensable and comprehensive resource.