Are you desperately craving a dash of color to distract you from the upcoming gray months? Consider getting some work done. Tile is the perfect material to update a bland space, since it can be installed over most surfaces, and comes in every conceivable color, material, and texture. You're almost sure to find something that fits your personal style, whether it be classic, modern, or eccentric. Transform a surface to fall modestly into the background, a platform for your other décor, or showcase the tile itself by installing an artful mosaic. The versatility of the material allows you to pick the size and scope of your project - you can cover a floor, the walls, or just the surface of an accent table - and there is an application for literally any room you choose.

For a good introduction to what you can do with tiles, check out Artwalk Tile on the corner of University and Atlantic avenues, where owner Joe Ventura and his staff can give you ideas on how to perk up your digs. Every conceivable space - inside and out - of the 10,000-square-foot, two-story, gallery-esque showroom is covered in all colors, textures, and combinations of tile materials. Floors sparkle with mosaics and guide your feet with wooden chevron darts; the walls, archways, and balconies are swathed; the windows are framed, the entry ways are paved. There's no way you could leave with designer's block.

Types and sizes of tile range from tiny iridescent glass squares to portrait-sized hunks of limestone. And that's just the predictable materials. Perhaps you'll choose the large, patterned metal plates, which look suitable for an industrial loading dock. Or you might transform your shower stall into a waterfall cove, with rough stone tile that juts a few inches from the wall, resembling the uneven face of a cliff.

Artwalk also specializes in decorative art projects, like Ventura's personal favorite, the shimmering mosaic replica of Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss," located on the exterior wall at the parking lot entrance. Klimt's piecey, geometric art is a great choice to be reproduced in mosaic, since the tiny square stones capture the expressive clasping embrace. But doing something similar in your own home won't come cheap: Ventura says that the installation process was "very involved," and estimates that it would cost $2500 to $5000 for something similar.

Pricing for tile itself ranges according to material and company. You can expect to pay $7 to $12 per square foot for glass, limestone falls into the $9-$10 range, and marble costs more, at $20-$30 per square foot.

Have cold feet about tile floors? Consider floor-heating products, like the Honeywell Electric Floor Warming System, a thin mesh mat with electric wires installed under tile and stone that uses radiant heat to warm the chilly surfaces. This will set you back a bit - for 213 square feet, you can expect to pay over $2300 at a store like the Home Depot. Or you could just stick with slippers for those chilly Rochester mornings.

For the eco-conscious crowd, a variety of green products are now available in the tile market, including cork, bamboo, and recycled tile, like Ergon Green Tech tile, made with 40 percent post-industrial recycled materials. It comes in an array of natural colors, from ivory to sage.

Cork is a natural wood product from the outer bark of the cork oak (no trees are destroyed in the harvesting of this material), and ranges from $3-$7 per square foot. It comes in easy-to-install interlocking tiles, and the benefits include the comforting softness underfoot, a high level of sound and heat absorption, and the longevity and resilience of the material. The mention of cork may evoke the boring, beige wine-stoppers, but cork is available in a variety of colors and finishes, include marbled and wood-grained cork, with various luscious, dark wood stains. A protective gloss can change the color and add shine.

Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, harvested at maturity every five to six years, available for $4 to $6 per square foot, in a rich range of wood stains. Some kinds are specifically designed to work with radiant heated floor systems.

If you're looking for something a little more outrageous, leather - that's right, leather - tiles can be used on walls or floors. You can even find recycled leather tiles, so the product is green, if not vegan. Finishes include crocodile and ostrich embossing, and the tiles come in variety of earthy colors for about $6 per square foot.

Maybe you're totally committed to your local scene, and prefer to support your crafty neighbors. If so, check out Family Worques, a Rochester-based tile business (cobblestoneArtTiles.etsy.com). The nature-themed, handmade pieces are great for accents, and range from $9 to $12 each. Offerings include ginkgo leaves, Celtic knots, dragonflies, and salamanders; my favorite is the pinecone tile.

If you're renting far into the foreseeable future, installing tile isn't exactly in the cards. Consider portable projects, like buying one great ceramic decorative piece, backing it with felt, and using it for a trivet. You could also mosaic over the top of a salvage table, or refinish a boring old mirror with a thick, plain frame by creating a mosaic on the frame. You can use all manner of random objects for mosaics: broken pottery, seashells, marbles, coins, etc. This way, you don't have to break the piggy bank - but if you do, save the shards and use them.