3 Bathroom Tile Ideas to Try Today

An exploration of bathroom tile colour, size and shape and finishes

Discover the best bathroom tile ideas you need to have on your radar this year, with inspiration from traditional patterned tiles, natural textured tiles, and contemporary statement tiles.

Whether you’re after a quick and simple bathroom refresh or you’re embarking on a whole bathroom renovation, knowing what bathroom tile shape, colour and finish to pick is as important as picking the shower system. Large-format tiles can create a more cohesive and expansive feel while making maintenance easier by reducing the amount of grout visible, thanks to fewer grout lines. Crafting your bathroom into the perfect space for all the family comes with a lot of planning, so we’ve broken down all the bathroom tile ideas you’ll need to consider before embarking on your bathroom transformation.

Tile Colours

With bathroom tiles being readily available in a vast range of colour combinations, the possibilities for creativity within your bathroom design are endless. From plain tiles in monochrome shades, subway tiles in vibrant colours or bathroom floor tiles in muted tones, you have complete flexibility when choosing tiles for your bathroom. Complement your bathroom furniture with tiles that match or go for something that contrasts.

Black Tiles

Dramatic, sophisticated and sleek, black bathroom tiles are a great choice. Bold yet versatile, they have traditionally been used as bathroom floor tiles in the past, but new, more exciting tile designs in different shapes and textures have emerged since, including skinny black tiles, black zellige tiles and black marble tiles. Combine with white tiles to create an art deco chequerboard room or use solely to create a statement background for your brass fixtures.

Marble Tiles

Add timeless appeal to your bathroom with marble tiles. This material brings luxury and depth to the space, with the dramatic veining adding movement and interest to the walls, and creating a luxurious focal point. Whether you're willing to invest in natural marble stone tiles, or after a clever porcelain replica, the results you will get from having marble effect tiles in your bathroom will be show stopping. Be clever with your finishing touches and keep grout lines minimal to create a seamless look, ideally suited for a wet room.

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Green Tiles

Radiate mid-century charm with green bathroom tiles. Available in a wide range of shades, from subtle sage green to bold bottle green, add personality to your bathroom with this timeless colour.

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Pink Tiles

Dive into the popular trend of dopamine decorating and add a pop of pink to your bathroom. Complement natural plastered walls with rose pink wall tiles for a full pink takeover, or use pink subtly in a small splashback.

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Tile Shapes and Sizes

The endless shapes and sizes of bathroom tiles available to purchase allows you to be as selective as you like and really mix things up when it comes to tiling your bathroom. Mosaic tiles are incredibly versatile, allowing you to create artistic statement walls and captivating feature walls in bathrooms. Do you want large tiles for your bathroom floor or are you looking for smaller tiles to feature within your shower enclosure? Patterned shower tiles can create visual interest and enhance the overall aesthetic when paired with simple and neutral walls and fixtures. Do you want square tiles for your basin backsplash or are you hoping to create a patterned floor with hexagon tiles? The possibilities are countless.

Vertical wall tiles

Of all the bathroom ideas out there, this might be the most creative and impactful. A new trend in interior design, designers are using vertical bathroom tiles to create tiled, pinstripe walls in sunny seaside colours. This clever tiling technique can visually elongate the walls, making the space feel taller and more spacious while adding a charming twist to a shower area or feature wall. Whether classic subway tiles or skinny metro bathroom tiles are used, the result is alluring.

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Square tiles

Square bathroom wall tiles are slowly but surely making a comeback with interior designers, but not as we know them. The latest reincarnation of the tried and tested square tile is the square zellige tile which contrasts this simple shape with a textured, natural and unique finish. A beautiful way to add interest to a primary bathroom, square tiles work equally well as a splashback or within a wet room. They can also be used creatively in a black and white chequerboard pattern for a dramatic contrasting result.

Patterned tiles

If you're feeling more adventurous, geometric patterns are a popular option. Hexagons, bricks, chevrons and parquet-like tile designs are all very visually appealing, offering a playful patterned aesthetic to a space. Geometric tiles work particularly well in small cloakrooms for an all-over enveloping look.

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Countertop tiles

Make a centrepiece of a statement basin by investing in a built-in, tiled countertop for a durable and decorative surface. This option allows for creative expression through your choice of tiles, brassware and ceramics, adding both function and beauty to the vanity area. Choose bold tiles that complement the rest of the room's colour theme.

Large tiles

Large format tiles can be used as wall tiles or floor tiles to give a clean, airy finish to a room. A tile choice that minimises grout lines and creates a seamless look, large format tiles in the same material help to enhance the sense of openness in the bathroom. Opt for a traditional style with plain white tiles, or go bold with large format marble or travertine tiles for a feeling of pure luxury in your bathroom.

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Small tiles

Smaller tiles allow for a lot of creativity, whether you use a hexagon tile to create a n eye-catching mosaic shower enclosure or use a skinny long tile a to create a sleek, minimalist basin surround. With more of a focus on grout lines, you can be adventurous with grout colours - complement green tiles with a darker green grout, or white tiles with black grout for a striking finish.

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Tile Finishes

Once you've narrowed down the colour, size and shape choices for your new bathroom tiles, there's just one last consideration - glazed or unglazed. The finish of the tile you choose can make a big difference to the final look of your bathroom. Do you need a textured finish floor tile so it doesn't get slippy? Are you after a glossy surfaced tile that reflects the light? Are you after a natural stone tile that complements the other organic textures within your space?

Natural material tiles

For a truly timeless aesthetic, incorporate natural stone materials like terracotta and zellige tiles into your bathroom design. Often matt in finish, natural stone materials bring warmth and texture to the bathroom, evoking a sense of history and craftsmanship that enriches the space. Natural materials like terracotta work especially well in all-white bathroom spaces to add texture, interest and depth to white walls and surfaces.

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Glazed tiles

Glazed ceramic tiles are often the most popular style of tile within bathrooms. The glossy surface is easy to keep clean and reflects light beautifully around the room. Often this style of tile is hand glazed, meaning each one has it's very own subtle nuances. From crackle glaze with a depth of colour and texture, to smooth finishes, glazed tiles are a great option. Due to their shiny surface, glazed tiles can be slippery - especially when wet - so it's best to not use them as floor tiles.

Make your tiles work for you

Use tile colour and placement with purpose and easily improve your bathroom space. Tile floor options such as patterned, Moroccan, and clay tiles can add visual interest and cohesive aesthetics to the overall bathroom decor. Bounce light around a small bathroom with the use of bright tiles paired with clever lighting. Create zones within the bathroom space by tiling sections of the floor or walls.

Section your bathroom with different tile patterns - use a variety of tile styles to segregate the zones within your bathroom. Tile around your basin in one style and around your shower in another. This will help to section off the parts of your bathroom that serve different purposes. For example, if you have a freestanding bath, you could use a natural stone tile to highlight this area, and a bolder patterned tile as a splash back for your basin.
Extend floor tiles up the wall - beautifully simple floor tiles often get cut short of their potential. Many floor tiles would make a great design impression if they were allowed to carry up the walls and even onto storage units.
Light tiles make a space feel brighter - a lot of households have small bathrooms and as a result of this, they can easily feel quite claustrophobic and dark. Counteract this but choosing brighter tiles than will reflect more like into your bathroom. Complement this with clever bathroom lighting and mirrors to bounce around as much light as possible.