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32 Bathroom Tile Ideas To Inspire Your Renovation

Designing a bathroom involves choosing fixtures and finishes that are both functional and stylish. These bathroom tile ideas provide a perfect solution for covering your floors, walls, and shower stalls. With a wide variety of tile shapes, colors, and materials available, you can easily find a match that suits your style. Whether you’re aiming for a spa-like atmosphere with sage tiles, a glamorous space with glossy options, or a moody retreat with a black-and-white combination, tiles can add personality to your bathroom.

Go beyond the standard white subway tile and explore these inspiring bathroom tile ideas. Create a luxurious ambiance with floor-to-ceiling marble, or embrace the maximalist trend with bold colors and celestial patterns. Tile is an excellent choice for bathroom surfaces due to its ease of cleaning and sanitizing, versatile style options, and timeless appeal. Whether you’re planning a complete bathroom renovation or just a refresh, consider these 65 designer-approved bathroom tile ideas to elevate your space.

Tile: Form Meets Function

Big Black and White Bathroom

Photo: Tessa Neudstadt

Tile is a staple material in bathroom design due to its durability, waterproof nature, and resistance to mold, germs, and bacteria. Common choices include glazed tiles such as ceramic and porcelain, encaustic tiles like cement, and natural stone tiles.

These options offer both beauty and functionality for bathroom flooring, walls, and shower surrounds.


2. Focus on the Floor

While this trough-like station is a great fit for a family with four kids in Jupiter, Florida, it’s also a statement piece, says designer Kara Hebert. She paired the black-and-white Kohler sink with Thomas O’Brien sconces that mimic the two-tone look. For a kick, she picked tiles by Cement Tile Shop in shades of blue. Mirrored medicine chests and a roomy basket provide storage.

Photo: Carmel Brantley. From: HGTV Magazine.

Incorporating a unique floor tile can significantly enhance your bathroom’s aesthetics. For instance, a bath with a black-and-white theme can be transformed by a cement tile floor featuring a kaleidoscopic pattern in shades of blue, adding a vibrant touch to the space.


3. Create Subtle Color Variations

Take it from Amanda and Thomas, few things thrill parents as much as transitioning from stepping over bath toys and competing for the sink to having your own spacious and serene retreat. Sleek sconces by Hudson Valley Lighting and glossy mosaic tile with a sea green tinge by Lunada Bay Tile give it spa vibes. “Renovations are hard,” says Amanda, “but then there are the days when you get to pick tile.”

Photo: David Tsay. From: HGTV Magazine.

Achieve a spa-like atmosphere with luxurious materials and patterns. A main bath with a Carrara marble herringbone floor and a glossy glass tile backsplash can exude elegance. Mosaic tiles in a basketweave pattern with subtle color shifts, ranging from watery blues and greens to grays and creams, add to the serene environment.


4. Embrace Your Flair for Dramatic

Green and Gold Bathroom

Photo: Alise O’Brien Photography

For a bold statement, consider deep, rich colors. Emerald green walls in a main bath create a dramatic backdrop for a Calacatta marble vanity and a basketweave marble tile floor. Brass accents add a touch of golden glamour, enhancing the luxurious feel.


5. The Stars Have It

Photo: Lisa Romerein. From: HGTV Magazine.

Incorporate trendy elements with classic appeal by using cement tiles, also known as encaustic tiles. These tiles feature petite cream and gray star patterns, blending modern trends with traditional bathroom design. Cement tiles are ideal for wet spaces due to their non-glazed, non-slippery surface.


6. Customize for Kids

Faith and her brother got a shared bathroom, with double vanities and a full bath with a tub — great for bubble baths. “We decided on subway tile throughout, but Amy had the idea to put in thin stripes of blue tile,” says Amanda. “It’s one small tweak that made a huge impact — guests have always asked about it!” Faith likes to perch on her stepstool (by Serena & Lily) to check out hair bows in the mirror. The little blue light is by Feiss.

Photo: David Tsay. From: HGTV Magazine.

Kids’ bathrooms offer an opportunity to experiment with playful patterns and colors.


7. Carrara Tile

Yellow Bath
Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Carrara marble tiles, known for their subtle veining, offer a simple yet elegant look that can enhance any bathroom. When arranged in a herringbone pattern, they add a touch of visual interest.


8. Unique Details

Add a Little Sparkle
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Hexagon tiles with contrasting black tiles create flower details, adding an intriguing element that complements the bathroom’s black paint.


9. Subway Tiles

Meg Lonergan Houston Craftsman Master Bathroom
Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Barbara Schmidt

Oversized white subway tiles are a versatile choice for bathrooms and other areas of the home. In this example, they are paired with smaller, darker floor tiles for a cohesive look.


10. Zellige

This master bathroom’s shimmering Moroccan tiles are a softer take on the vibrant greenery outside and create a relaxing tone for a long soak. The light green tub—instead of a traditional white or cream—unifies the space.
Photo: Linny Morris; Stylist: Sunday Hendrickson

Zellige tiles, handmade and unique, originate from Morocco. Each tile varies slightly in shape and color, creating a lively and beautiful surface.


11. Blue And White

Blue and green accents liven up this pretty white bath. The room appears larger thanks to the vertical boards and the painted ceiling.
Photo: Rick Lew; Stylist: Matthew Gleason

Blue and green accents enhance this white bathroom, giving it a larger appearance with vertical boards and a painted ceiling. The classic blue and white color combination is consistently stunning, extending from paint and linens to tiles.


12. Border

2021 Idea House Twin Bedroom Bathroom
Marta Xochilt Perez; Styling: Page Mullins

A consistent tile design throughout a space can be elevated with a designated border, transforming a white-tiled floor into a striking feature.


13. Multiple Sizes

Add Historic Character with Classic Materials
Photo: Laurey W. Glenn / Styling: Anne Turner Carroll

There is no rule that restricts using just one tile size. Mixing different sizes can add variety and interest to a bathroom design.


14. Same Colors, Different Pattern

2022 Idea House guest bath
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREY W. GLENN; STYLING BY KENDRA SURFACE

This bathroom features white and greige rectangular tiles arranged in stripes on the wall, with the floor complementing this design in a basketweave pattern.


15. Speckle Effect

Hide Clutter with Baskets
Photo Robbie Caponetto and Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

Using tiles of various shades within the same color palette can create a nature-inspired and cohesive look, allowing the floor to blend with multiple brown tones in the room.


16. Mandala Patterns

Master Bath Shower
Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

A delicate blue mandala pattern adds a touch of spice to an otherwise simple bathroom, creating an eye-catching feature.


17. Match Shades

Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam Charleston, SC Home Pink and White Master Bathroom
Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Lizzie Cullen Cox

Choosing your tile first makes it easier to select coordinating paint and other details. Matching shades ensures a harmonious design.


18. Contrasting Grout

Heather Chadduck Hillegas Blount Springs, AL Lake House Bathroom
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Dark tiles paired with light grout create a visually interesting floor. The light grout prevents the floor from appearing too dark and disconnected from the rest of the space.


19. Hexagons

Lake Wylie Bathroom
Brie Williams  Styling: Jennifer Berno Decleene


20. Tile All Over

2022 bathroom trends
NOMI

Covering a large space entirely in tile is a simple yet effective design strategy. Whether using the same tile or different ones for the floor, walls, and ceiling, the result can be stunning.


21. Stripes

2019 Idea House Bunk Room Hall Bathroom Sink
Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Liz Strong

Tiles can form patterns not only through their arrangement but also through the use of alternating colors, creating unique designs like stripes.


22. Statement Color

Brown bird wallpaper bathroom
Courtesy of Peter Spaulding, Photography by Kelley Kish

Incorporating colorful tiles into a neutral room can create a striking focal point. For a versatile approach, consider following Feldman’s advice: repaint the tiles in a new shade whenever you wish to refresh the look.

23. Quilted Colors

2021 Idea House Bathroom
Marta Xochilt Perez; Styling: Page Mullins

By weaving different hues of square tiles together, this bathroom floor achieves a quilted effect. This enduring pattern is one that homeowners are unlikely to tire of soon.


24. Oversized Tile

The floor and walls in this Fire Island bath are clad in Carrara marble (by Ann Sacks) tile to resist trapped moisture and tracked-in beach sand. The cool, monochromatic color scheme gives the room a soothing, spa-like feel.
Jonny Valiant

This bathroom features large tiles, further enhanced by even bigger slabs. These larger pieces allow the beauty of the marble to truly shine.


25. Herringbone Layout

The Wren cabin bathroom
Photography by Brian Woodcock; Styling by Natalie Warady

Tiles can be arranged in numerous ways depending on their shape and size. A herringbone pattern, created by zig-zagging rectangles, is a classic and appealing choice.


26. Stone Tiles

Anna Braund White Cottage Master Bathroom
Laurey W. Glenn

Stone tiles, whether glossy or natural, showcase the material’s natural veins and color variations, grounding the room in a pleasant way. Select a stone that complements your bathroom’s color palette and suits your maintenance preferences.


27. Composite Tiles

Meg Kelly's 1960s Ranch Bathroom
Alison Gootee; Styling: Matthew Gleason

Instead of sticking to traditional shapes like rectangles, squares, or hexagons, consider a composite format using multiple shapes or sizes of tiles. For example, combining rectangles with small squares can create a woven pattern effect.


28. Abstract

Coastal Guest Bathroom with Green Accents
Brie Williams; Styling: Page Mullins

When using patterned or multi-colored tiles, geometric formations are a common choice. However, this homeowner opted for a more abstract approach, yielding remarkable results.


29. Tile Panels

In the guest bath of the Rosemary Beach Ultimate Beach House, an oval mirror is suspended in front of the window so as not to sacrifice the natural light for function.
Tria Giovan

For a layered and dynamic bathroom design, consider alternating tile with other materials. In this example, tile panels are paired with a variety of textures, such as the rope on the mirror and woven shades, creating a rich and diverse aesthetic.


30. Glossy Tiles

christinakim-pc_raquel-langworthy.jpg
Raquel Langworthy

Tiles come in various finishes, each adding a unique touch to your space. Glossy black tiles, for instance, offer a sleek and shiny surface that looks particularly striking when clean.


31. Pebble Tiles

2019 Idea House Resource Guide Guest Ba
Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Liz Strong

On the floor, tiny oval-shaped tiles are used to create a pebble-like effect, adding an interesting texture beneath blue rectangular tiles laid in a brick pattern. This combination brings a natural, elegant touch to the bathroom.


32. Mediteranean

Blue and White Tile Bathroom
Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, Stylist Elizabeth Raines Beeler

Inspired by the vibrant, historical patterns found in Mediterranean regions, these tiles bring a touch of global flair to your bathroom. Drawing inspiration from your favorite travel destinations can help you create a unique and captivating design.

Bathroom Tile Ideas