Often clients love the look of certain tiles and really want them but they are totally impractical for the use they plan to put them to, says Robin Moore, director of Regan Tile Design. You need to take into account what they will be subjected to. Natural products, such as limestone or terracotta, don't take kindly to frequent spills because they discolour, even when they are sealed. Think carefully before putting them into a kitchen especially if you have children, otherwise they can look awful within a year or two.

If you find it difficult to choose colours, opt for one you feel comfortable with. One useful tip is to open your wardrobe and identify the dominant colour theme. If you wear the colour a lot, the chances are that you will like it on the floor or the wall.

Interior design used to be a thing apart from the world of fashion, but increasingly fashion trends have influenced interiors. While bold colours are still popular in some quarters, tiles in cool pastel shades that mirror the unstructured clothing worn on the catwalk are in vogue at the moment.

While fashions change, however, tiles are a more permanent fixture. An understated look will not date as quickly. You can add more impact with fabrics which can be easily changed as styles change.

Using a warm colour can make a north-facing room more cosy, while a pastel shade will calm down a hot, busy space.

The eye can be tricked into thinking an area is larger than it is by the size of the tile laid on it. A small room will look larger with bigger tiles on the floor. Tiling through from a hall into another room can also give the impression of greater space.

Think about tiling only part of an area, such as a splash back or behind a hob, so that you can redecorate the space around it when you want to give your room a new look.

The stone look is popular at the moment, using natural limestones or travertines. These can be straight edged or worn. As an alternative, you can use one of the replica stone tiles which have a ceramic or porcelain base. There are lookalikes for marble, limestone, travertine, terracotta and slate, all resembling the real thing, but man made and requiring little maintenance.

It is not unknown for tiles to pop off walls after a year or two and the tiler will often blame the supplier but it is either because the surface wasn't prepared properly or there was an underlying damp problem. Another problem is where floor tiles crack because the surface is uneven. You should really have marine ply laid on the existing floor - screwed down every six inches.

If you use the wrong sort of grout in a power shower, the water pressure will wash it away. Tell your tiler if you are installing this type of shower so he can use one of the many brands of fixing materials made specifically for this purpose. Under-floor heating also makes floors expand and contract and if your tiler doesn't know that you have this heating, the look of your floor will suffer.

Regan Tile Design,

2 Corrig Avenue, Dun Laoghaire Telephone:01-2800921. Fax: 012807162. E-mail: rtdub@indigo.ie