How to Choose the Right Tile Color for Your Grand Rapids Home

Tile color is one of those decisions that looks simple until you bring samples home and realize that the tile that was a clear winner at the store reads completely differently under your kitchen lighting. Michigan's natural light — overcast skies much of the year, long winter days with low sun angles — changes how tile colors appear in ways that showroom fluorescent lighting does not reveal.

Understand Undertones Before Anything Else

Every tile color has an undertone — a secondary hue that influences how it reads in your space. White tile might have pink, gray, yellow, or blue undertones. Beige tile might lean cream, tan, or terracotta. Gray tile might read blue or purple depending on the light.

Undertones matter most when tile has to coordinate with cabinet colors and countertop materials. A warm-white tile next to a cool-white cabinet reads as two different colors rather than a cohesive palette. Understanding undertones before you commit prevents the most common tile color mistake.

How Michigan Light Affects Your Color Choice

West Michigan gets a lot of overcast, diffuse light — especially from October through April. Diffuse light flattens colors and reduces contrast. Tile that looks crisp and bright on a sunny day will look flatter and darker on a gray Michigan afternoon, which is most of the year.

Light also changes with direction. North-facing rooms get consistent but cooler light all day. South-facing rooms get warmer light in the afternoon. East-facing spaces are bright in the morning and dark by evening. Consider which direction your kitchen or main tile area faces and bring your tile samples home to look at them in that specific light at different times of day.

Light vs. Dark Tile

Lighter tile makes a space feel larger and reflects more light — useful in Grand Rapids homes where natural light is limited during winter months. Light tile also shows grout changes and surface staining more readily over time in a kitchen environment.

Darker tile hides everyday dirt and grout variation but absorbs light and can make a smaller room feel more enclosed. In a larger, well-lit kitchen, dark tile can read as dramatic and intentional. In a small kitchen, it typically requires thoughtful lighting design to avoid feeling cave-like.

The Sample Test: What to Actually Do

Always order full-size tile samples before committing to a color. Live with the samples in your space for several days, positioned where the actual tile will go. Look at them at different times of day and with your kitchen lighting on and off. Check them against your cabinet color, countertop edge, and flooring material.

If you are deciding between two similar colors, choose the one that looks better on your worst light day — the flat, gray overcast afternoon — because that is what you will see most often in West Michigan. Call Adam Baker Masonry at (616) 612-1284 to discuss tile selection for your kitchen tile installation or backsplash project.