1. Pick an unusual colour or mix of colours. Tiles in white or shades of white tend to be the most affordable, but you might be surprised that the extra charge for other colours is not that high.

The red subway tiles in this Bayswater bathroom offer a fun and fantastic burst of colour, while the mix of light grey and white subways in the traditional bathroom is a solid, classic choice.

To Infinity and Beyond

2. Run the tiles to the ceiling. Now what you spend on the labour can counteract how much you pay for the tiles. We are using the subway tiles in this post as an example as you can pay as little as $10 a metre for ceramic subway tiles. The key to this is even the highest quality subway tile by nature looks imperfect so the cheaper ones are almost identical if not the same.

So instead of paying $50 to $60 a metre for the tile, the lower costing options allow you to put some of that budget into higher tiling which feels more finished.

3. Go for a less common laying pattern. Running (or brick) and stack (or linear) bond are the most common tile layouts, but numerous other options are available.

Ask your designer or tiler in Perth what they think will look best. It’s a great way to make a commonly used tile look special. This herringbone design below was used in a Perth bathroom renovation creating a must look at feature.