7 Trending Bathroom Tile Designs & Ideas
Are you thinking of selling your house and are looking for the latest bathroom tile trends? An updated bathroom is one of two known buyer hot spots (the other is your kitchen) that increase the value of your home.
Or perhaps you’re simply looking to give your bathroom a fresh look that you can enjoy. A lick of paint and replacing tired taps are some ways to update a bathroom. But few changes are as impactful as replacing faded, worn, and outdated tiles with more current bathroom tile designs.
Bathroom Tile Designs & Ideas
When tiling your bathroom, you may want to only do the shower, floors, and halfway up the walls. Alternatively, you may want to tile the whole room up to the ceiling, or add a highly decorative tile as a vanity backsplash and repeat that in the shower cubicle.
Whatever you decide, from a practical point of view when remodeling your bathroom, you want tiles that are waterproof, washable, slip-resistant, and durable.
From a design point of view, you are less constrained and the possibilities are literally endless. Think glass, porcelain, ceramic, or stone tiles. Then think of all the shapes, sizes, colors, designs, and finishes to choose from. Daunting but exciting!
To ensure you get the bathroom makeover of your dreams, check out these inspirational bathroom tile trends.
Patterned Tiles
Patterned bathroom tile designs are in high demand right now. Bold and daring, they bring a small bathroom to life or can add a fun decorative touch to a feature wall in a large bathroom.
Patterned tiles include colorful Moroccan mosaics (think Chefchaouen blues with a touch of magenta) or the classic geometrics of the Greek meander pattern in black or navy and white. Elaborately patterned Turkish Hamman tiles are a perfect choice if you’re thinking of installing a wellness shower.
Pattern clashing is another popular way to use patterned tiles. Combine straight-edge subway tiles on the walls with eye-catching chevron-patterned tiles on the floor. Or, place two-tone herringbone-pattern tiles on the floor and, staying with the tones, striped or floral tiles against the walls.
Matte Bathroom Tiles
Glossy tiles are so yesterday. Say hello to the powdery finish of matte tiles that feel more natural, regardless of the color you choose. Reputed to be more slip-proof, they also better conceal smudges, stains, soap marks, and dried water droplets. They are also much easier to clean!
Matte tiles create bathrooms that ooze sophistication and understated elegance. They can make the entire space feel more roomy and serene.
One thing to note is that they don’t reflect light as much as glossy tiles do. So, make sure you have enough lighting – both natural and artificial – to brighten up the space if you choose this bathroom tile trend.
Large Tiles
Large tiles were often used on floors, but today they’ve made their way up the walls. Used in a large family or master bathroom, they add a feeling of uncluttered roominess. They are also a good option for small bathrooms thanks to fewer grout lines.
Large tiles are popular for their seamless aesthetic, so always choose a grout color that matches that of the tile. Speaking of color, most interior decorators will tell you that if you go for large bathroom tiles, choose muted colors and tiles with little color differentiation between them.
White & Neutral Tiles
When it comes to a classic bathroom look with a spa-like feel, nothing beats whites and neutral colors. Neutral colors are those soothing, nude tones found in shades of gray, beige, and cream.
While these colors are associated with cleanliness and serenity, you do want to avoid the sanatorium bathroom vibe. Introduce style and character with creative bathroom accessorizing such as matte black- or gold-colored fixtures, a strip of patterned tiles behind your counter or around the shower floor, and adding pops of green with a large fern or another plant.
Wooden Bathroom Tile Design
Wood-look or wood-grained tiles are a hugely popular bathroom tile trend due to their organic feel and little upkeep. You can find them in maple, oak, and cherry, to name just a few. And all of these can be given the distressed, weathered, or white-washed look.
Porcelain wood-look tiles work well in bathrooms because they are water- and stain-resistant yet retain their real-wood look and feel.
And there’s no need to limit them to the flooring. Folks are using them on the walls and ceiling to create a Nordic sauna-like bathroom that feels warm and inviting. You could also use wood-look tiles to create a wood-paneled feature wall in your bathroom.
Dimensional Tiles
This is one of the most exciting bathroom tile trends. Instead of completely flat tiles, designers are getting creative with dimensional or 3D tiles that turn bathroom walls into works of art. The 3D effects include waves, pop-out hive blocks, criss-cross patterns, ribs, and swirls.
Also known as sculptural tiles, the textured patterns create ‘movement’ in the tile and add depth and texture to the interior bathroom design. Combinations using 3D tiles are almost endless, and you don’t have to stick to just square or rectangular shaped tiles.
Shaped Bathroom Tile Designs
Shaped tiles can be used to break up boring walls or add interest to the shower or vanity area. We’re seeing lots of geometric shapes, especially hexagonal tiles, but keep a lookout for diamond shapes as well.
Penny tiles that were popular a century ago are also seeing a resurgence. Available in various colors, patterns, and sizes, today penny tiles are made of porcelain, glass, ceramic, stone, or metal. They are available in convenient sheets of pre-attached tiles that can be cut to any shape or size you like.
Conclusion
Whether you express your favorite bathroom tile design trend with a set of textured tiles or a clever pattern-clashing design, tiles are becoming the pinnacle of personal expression in any bathroom.
It’s a simple bathroom renovation that can create a high return on your investment, but also bring you so much joy for years to come.