Don't give up on adding tile to your bathroom - accent the sink, shower and walls with splashes of color, design and texture courtesy of the latest tiles.

More beautiful, popular, durable, functional and, in some cases, inexpensive, today's tiles serve multiple purposes. Here's how to inject your interior with a style infusion.

When it comes to tile, choose from any size, shape, texture and color. Costs can stay low while style soars when it comes to tile choices in the bathroom, says Jennifer Condon, market editor of home-décor magazine Domino. "Bathrooms are high traffic areas with lots of visibility. When working with a small space, a little money goes a long way." Talk about bang for your buck.

The first step to accenting your bathroom with tile is assessing what type will work best. Like choosing a paint color for a new room, when it comes to piecing your bathroom together with tile, get ready to make some choices. Senior designer DeeDee Gundberg of Ann Sacks points out the popular options: "River rock, ceramic, glass, stone, clay, recycled materials, and metals in metallic, pastel, earth tones, tiles with lots of facial activity, mosaic designs, square and rectangle." And this is one accessory worth thinking through - ceramic or stone should last longer than you.

Less is More
Like the perfect bauble with your favorite black dress, think accessory. Known for designs from highly decorative to super mod and ethnically charged to personalized pieces, Gundberg says, "A fabulous way to use tile is as an accent." Her top pick? "Surrounding a mirror with tile offers just enough interest to be sophisticated without being overdone."

Shower Show
Condon sees a trend in using one shower wall as the canvas for creativity. Using highly detailed mosaic tiles, "People personalize this space like a tattoo, creating a custom look." She recommends brands like Bizassa and Sicis for decorative, colorful pieces. Or take this look out of the tub and mount pieces on the center of the wall. With just 12 pieces, create a piece of art.

Border Patrol
Taking Gundberg's mirror idea to the next level, use tile as a border for the entire bathroom. "This is a fantastic option to incorporate tile in a chic way," Condon says. "Use black and white tiles at the top, bottom or through the middle of the wall to create a checkerboard look."

Counter Couture
Tiles don't just live on walls. Mount the top of a counter or vanity. Keep it mod with black and white or go highly decorative with a Spanish floral design. "Anything that appeals to you works on this space," Condon says.

Get Grouting
Make style stick and use grout in a creative way. "With small penny tiles, be generous with the grout and use a contrasting color. Think black grout with white tiles or white grout with black tiles," says Condon.

Tile Tips
Use accents sparingly, warns Gundberg. "Overuse can result in a room that is busy and overdone." For Condon, "If the bathroom is small, stay light or dark. Keep the colors all the same in a really small space." For timeless tile, "It's best to keep trendy colors as accents so you don't have to re-do if the colors become dated or out of style."

Material Matters
When ready to showcase tile talents, it's okay to be materialistic. Here's a look at some popular picks.

• Ceramic: Dubbed the gold star of the bathroom world, ceramic offers a broad range of selection. "Ceramic is cost effective, comes in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors and finishes and it's the most durable," says Condon.
• Porcelain: Ranking up there with ceramic, this tile choice offers more shine.
• Glass: Mass appeal with maximum color choices.
• Concrete: Forget building blocks, this smooth stone is ideal for busy mosaic designs and solid shades too. Gundberg sees popularity with these tiles done in earth tones, chocolate browns and white.
• Marble: If money's no matter, marble is your match. "Everyone loves the classic, clean look of marble," says Condon.

Eco-edge
As going green goes mainstream the bathroom is no exception. With recycled glass, the finished product looks like specially produced glass only reconstituted to be stronger and more durable. Aluminum also enters the green scene. "When done all over this look comes off too industrial, but when used as an accent or border around a tub or as a countertop, it can be really pretty," Condon says. Recycled brass makes for another beautiful bathroom option. Use this metal all over for a vision of Versailles or use as an accent contrasted with plain white fixtures for a warm shine.

Tidy Tile
Today's tiles stay low-maintenance - regular cleaning keeps mildew and mold at bay. "Ceramic makes is naturally resistant to germs, fungus and bacteria," Condon says. Most clean up is aimed at buildup in the grout. When it comes to stone however, watch for different levels of pores. The larger the pore, the more room for dirt and water. "Stones need to be sealed with a penetrating sealer," says Gundberg.