What Color Wall With Mottled Sand Tiles?

Monochromatic

• A monochromatic color scheme keeps everything within the same color family -- in this case, shades of beige. Beige offers plenty of room for tonal variation, so explore colors like ivory, ecru, eggshell, putty and even shades of brown. Lighter colors will open up a smaller room, while darker colors add richness and intimacy to a larger space. Play with texture to keep the room from looking dull. The monochromatic beige color scheme results in a soothing, casual atmosphere, but beware -- most beiges show stains and can look dirty quickly, so this may not be the best color scheme for a room frequented by small children or pets.

Pastels

• Pairing pastel colors with sand tile evokes a beachy atmosphere that can be as cheerful or tranquil as you like. Pale blues and greens are more soothing, while pale peaches and yellows tend to be more upbeat. The lighter the pastel, the larger it will make the room look, but a brighter pastel can brighten an otherwise dark room. Pick your favorite color for the walls, but keep the trim white or as closely matched to your tile as you can get to avoid looking overdone. Pastels look their best in rooms with lots of direct sunlight.

Brights

• Sand tile provides a neutral background for the use of bright, saturated colors. These are the colors you find toward the middle of a paint chip, and they generally contain no white or black. Bright colors create a fun, casual look that hides wear well, but plan your color scheme carefully. The interplay of brights should never be equal; choose a dominant color that will provide about 60 percent of the color to the room, a secondary color to provide about 30 percent, and a tertiary color to provide the final 10 percent through accent pieces. Otherwise, you run the risk of a fun-house look.

Darks

• Dark colors can create a warm, elegant space with sand tile. Look closely at the mottled texture in your tile, and determine the accent colors at work. You may notice subtle shades of green, blue, purple or orange, and those are the colors you should consider for your walls. Keep in mind that dark colors close the room in, so they should be reserved for larger rooms with plenty of natural light. Accent the room with luxurious materials and fixtures to keep the dark color scheme from looking drab, or try subtle paint effects on the walls to add visual interest. Painting stripes of the same color but two different types of sheen turns an ordinary wall into a sophisticated point of interest.