Tile painting is an age-old art, but in recent years its place in the bathroom has been taken over by more neutral, contemporary themes.

"It’s a love-hate thing," explains Pamela Ashton-Rickhardt, a tile retailer. "You either really love that look, or it’s not you at all."

If you’re of the love camp, but are not sure how to incorporate hand paints in your bathroom, there are a few things you need to know.

Generally, traditional hand paints fall into three categories. The first two cover what one might describe as the shabby-chic look, with blue or sepia designs on off-white backgrounds. The third is more reminiscent of the spicy, Moroccan look, with polychromatic designs (blues, greens, lemons and reds) on off-white backgrounds.

The next thing to know is that genuine hand-painted tiles are not uniform or perfect, so if symmetry is your thing, they might not be for you.

"Even if the design you’ve chosen is from the same shipment, the reality is that there’ll be colour variations," says Pamela. "No two will ever be the same, and that’s the charm of them."

Because of this lack of uniformity, hand paints should be used in a thoughtful and sparing way. Unlike printed tiles, they don’t lend themselves to borders so, instead, consider scattering them around the bathroom for that element of surprise.

"One excellent way to utilise hand paints is to intersperse them randomly among your dominant tiles," says Pamela. "Try placing one or two in a shower wall, or put some on a 45 degree angle – they don’t need to be set square-on."

Pamela also suggests cutting them into your other tiles rather than simply lining them up side-by-side.

"Cut out the corners of your plain tiles and place the hand-painted one in the centre so it doesn’t look like you’ve tried to match them all up. If you don’t like that, then try buying your plain tiles and hand paints from the same company. That way their sizes and glazes are likely to complement each other."

If you’ve got a big bathroom, consider creating a feature wall or jazzing up an alcove using a hand-painted mural. And if you’re on a budget get the maximum impact out of the minimum cost by using a mirror to double their charm.

Finally, once you’ve invested in your hand paints, keep them clean and bright for years to come by avoiding harsh abrasives and chemicals when cleaning.