These Beautiful Bathroom Tile Ideas Will Make You Want to Renovate
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The foundation of building a relaxing bathroom retreat starts with just that: the foundation. Bathroom tile, be it big and splashy or quiet and traditional, has the power to shift your space and set the room’s color palette and style vibe. We’re here to help you pick the perfect tile with our best bathroom tile ideas and inspiration.
Want to make your small bathroom feel bigger? We have you covered with a mix of our favorite tile styles to help you do just that. Worried that the tile you love isn’t timeless or feels too dated? We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite fashion-forward tiles that will also stand the test of time. Best of all, these bathroom tile ideas aren’t just for floors! Try them on walls, in showers, around tubs (both built-in and clawfoot), or even on the ceiling.
Regardless of what you’re looking for, these 50 ideas are guaranteed to make your bathroom reno a breeze. Plus, you’ll also find ideas on some of our favorite bathroom decorating ideas, so you’ll be ready to dive into your project as soon as you’ve picked the tile—just don’t forget the paint!
For more bathroom decorating ideas:
Trust in Terra-Cotta
If you want to bring a little bit of rustic charm to your bathroom, avoid clean white subway tile and go for something a little earthier. In this Ohio farmhouse bathroom, rustic terra-cotta tiles in varying shades add timeworn charm.
RELATED: See More of the Tiny Ohio Cottage
Don’t Forget the Trim
We’ll let you in on a secret: Trim is the key to making any room feel professionally finished—including the bathroom. Try this with tile wainscoting to help pull the room together. You can go with classic black and white as Country Living’s Editor-in-Chief did here in her Mississippi hunting lodge, or you can choose to match it to your other paint or fabric choices.
RELATED: Take a Look Inside More of This Charming Farmhouse
Go Camp-y
While we love the idea of an all-white bathroom, sometimes the home dictates the space be a little more fun. Here, a quiet space by designer Max Humphrey gets a campy spin with the help of colorful tile meant to replicate the iconic Hudson Bay blanket pattern.
Try Oversized Hex Tiles
Delicate hex tiles will be a forever classic, but why not have a little more fun in your own space? We love the look of larger tiles that still have the same retro feel as the originals. If your bathroom has high ceilings, try larger silhouettes such as this to ground the space.
RELATED: Tour More of This Classically Preppy Bathroom Makeover
Create a Geometric Border
Take a note from designer Emily Henderson and go playfully geometric with your tile border. While she chose a clean-lined herringbone tile to cover the floors, Emily picked larger scale picket tiles to act as a wainscoting. A row-and-a-half of green picket tiles at the bottom of the wall adds a colorful geographic punch and helps blend the two tiles together into a seamless tableau.
RELATED: Colors That Go Perfectly with Green
Match Your Tile to Your Tub
If you have a colored tub, such as the black cast iron shown here, then take your tile inspiration from that! Matching floor tile with striking bathroom features is an easy way to create cohesion. If you love the look of an old painted (preferably peeling) cast iron tub, seek out one in fun colors at your local architectural salvage yard and then match it with large-scaled tile in a similar color. Avoid patterned tile as that will create too much visual clutter.
RELATED: Creative Clawfoot Tub Ideas That Work for Every Bathroom
Go For a Stripe
You love stripes on upholstery and rugs, so why not as a tile floor. If you don’t want to deal with the fuss (or the math!) of laying individual tiles in an intricate pattern, look for pre-patterned sheets of tiles. They guarantee you’ll get the same look and feel with half the effort of laying it yourself.
Create A Feature Wall
Mixing and matching tile is a great way to beef up the design bonafides of your new-build bathroom. Here in this bathroom by designer Jenni Yolo of I Spy DIY, a checkered feature wall, with the same blue tile that surrounds the sink, steals the show while a black-and-white cross tile design grounds the space.
Pretty It Up with Pattern
Hex tiles in various colors are great for making graphic patterns on your floor. The most classic, shown here in this bathroom by designer Halle Baren of Sil & Park Interiors, is the black and white rosette style. You can replicate this look in a multitude of shades to add a bit of cottage charm.
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Pick a Pretty Pattern
It’s no secret around here that we’re big fans of quilts and quilt patterns. We love the way this tile in the shower stall invokes that same sense of cozy, folksy quilted charm through it’s pinwheel-patterned tiles.
Define Your Space
If you have a sprawling bathroom, use tiny tiles to help delineate the space. Here, a quiet black border defines the sink and tub areas with ease. Up the wall, it separates off the shower.
Play with Plaid
Next to gingham, buffalo check is one of the most quintessentially country patterns. You can buy individual tiles to create your own flooor pattern or check out national hardware stores for pre-checked tiles. If you go with tiles that already have the pattern on them, be sure to buy them in a scale that’s most pleasing to your space. (The smaller the tile, the tighter the pattern!)
Try Tiny Geometric Tile
Perennially popular, classic white hex tile is always in style. Go with a gray or similarly dark ground to keep the space from feeling airy, and don’t forget to jazz it up with chic bath accessories, such as the humble (but still poppy) woven bath mat shown here.
Mix Your Tile Shapes
To keep white tile from feeling too one note, mix your silhouettes. On the floor of this bathroom, slightly oversized hex tiles contrast with rectangle wall tiles set in linear rows with a 50 percent offset.
Set the Tone with Subdued Tile
If you love the look of a airy space but want some pattern, try adding it in a subdued, washed palette. Taupe tile, such as the dragonfly-patterned floor tiles shown here, makes an especially eye-catching foil to shades of white.
Make a Marble Mosaic
Marble doesn't have to be “been there, done that.” In this stately bath, the mix of pure white and darker black marble floor tiles makes for a decidedly different look—without feeling too distracting or loud.
Stack Your Subway Tile Vertically
If you’re looking to make your bathroom’s tall ceilings feel connected to the rest of the space, then take a note from designer Jenni Yolo’s playbook and stack your subway tile end to end vertically. This look keeps the eye looking up while still connecting it to the space.
Craft an Artistic Composition
This bathroom inside a gorgeous Kentucky home features a stunning geometric floor tile design of concentric squares that climbs up the walls. Combining varying shades of tiles created the perfect vignette—and it makes the entire space feel far more luxurious and artistic.
Channel a Quilt
If you want your bathroom to feel a little less spa-like and a little more like a fun powder room at your favorite swanky restaurant, try going all out with over-the-top design elements. Here, boldly patterned floor tile mixes with a gilt-footed claw-foot tub, while a calming subway tile wall acts as a quiet backdrop.
Go Classic with Herringbone
Elegant and refined, a herringbone pattern is an excellent tile choice for a “barely there” but still statement-making space. For a subdued look, try shorter tile with neutral grout. Longer, thinner tiles amp up the drama with ease.
RELATED: 25+ Inspiring Ways to Use Wallpaper in Your Bathroom
Stick to Black and White
Black and white might be an oft-used combo, but there’s a reason: The pairing lends a certain simplicity and refinement to any space, no matter how small. In this elegant bathroom, it’s laid out in the popular octagon and dot pattern. Finish the space with a mix of glitzy elements, such as a chandelier, and humble wood pieces to channel French elegance.
Let Oversized Lead the Way
For those who love a white bathroom but want it to feel more thoughtful, seek out oversized tile in classic silhouettes. Here, 8- by 8-inch cement hexagon tiles make a serious statement in this bathroom designed by Jennaea Denhardt.
Add a Shock of Color
In a renovated ranch home, a bold stripe of blue at the bottom of this bathroom’s penny tile wall keeps things fresh and fun. To do the same, just be sure to follow the palette through the rest of the space by matching lighting or other decor to the accent color to ensure it feels intentional.
RELATED: See more of This Renovated Family Ranch Home That is Every Texan's Dream
Have Fun with Silhouettes
If you’re up for a little fun, stray from the standard subway, penny, or hex tile. Pick something with a little personality, such as the black fish scale tile shown here. If you want to make a statement that doesn’t totally steal the show, opt for a larger tile to create cohesion.
Space Out Your Pattern
If you love the look of a patterned tile floor but want it to be a little less busy (or just have a large bathroom and need to stretch the design), then don’t be afraid to add a little more space between the designs. In this bathroom, the black hex “crosses” are spaced out far from each other, giving the bathroom an airy feel.
Throughout this California house, traditional millwork, such as crown moldings and beadboard, joins modern, clean lines and a zillion windo
Alec HemerStick to Small Shapes in Small Bathrooms
If your petite powder room is in need of a style upgrade, start with the silhouettes. To ensure the space still feels roomy, pick right-sized fixtures and paint the walls a bright white. In this tiny house bathroom, small hex tile with a dark grout helps ground the space.
RELATED: Tour the Rest of this Charming Backyard Retreat That Was Made From Two 100-Year-Old Sheds
Spiffy Up Your Surround
Tub surrounds are necessary, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also make a style statement. Take a note from this lake house and pick pretty porcelain tile to give your bathroom a soothing, spa-like feel.
RELATED: Tour Inside More of Country Living's 2017 Lake House of the Year
Pick Contrasting Grout
If you’re in love with the sleek look of black tile, pick a contrasting grout to make it really stand out. Here, black accents through trim, textiles, and hardware help tie the room’s palette together.
Take the Tile to the Ceiling
Embrace the drama of a floor-to-ceiling tile like this DIY couple did in their attic-turned-primary bath. This homeowner called the tiling step of turning her attic into a master bed and bath “a beast of a job.” No wonder: Between the floor and the walls, almost everything is covered in tile—but all that work clearly paid off! We love the mixed-and-matched shapes and scale.
RELATED: See More of This Renovated Attic-Turned-Primary Suite
Show Off the Shower
If you want tile in your bathroom, but don’t want it throughout the entire space, pick a focal point and stick to it. The shower is perhaps the best and most obvious choice for this. Keeping tile confined to an area like the shower allows you to warm up the bathroom with other materials, such as wood.
Go for Gray
While most white and black are the most popular bathroom tile colors, don’t overlook gray! It can bring a sense of warmth to an all-white space without feeling too out-of-the-box.
Create a Subway Tile Buffer
Pattern lovers, this one is for you! Installing subway tile as wainscoting on the lower half of a wall separates splashy wallpaper from a boldly painted floor.
RELATED: 20+ Brilliant Ideas for Painted Floors
Go for an Marble Floor
Tidy slabs of marble with barely visible grout lines can set a classic tone in a powder room. When paired with dark wood furniture, such as the antique-dresser-turned-vanity in this bathroom, and a mix of textiles, a marble tile floor goes from stark to stylish.
RELATED: See More of How This Suburban Cape Cod Home Went From Cookie Cutter to Classically Country
Bring in the Brick
Brick pavers take the place of tile in this renovated California cabin’s bathroom. Though the material is normally used outdoors, it makes for a humbly chic flooring option in a bathroom.
RELATED: See Even More of This Renovated California Cabin Is Packed With Budget-Friendly DIY Ideas
Bring In a Pop of Color
In a small California cottage, the homeowners capitalized on their bathroom’s ample natural light by incorporating equally cheery white tile: hexagons for the floor and subway tiles with an eye-catching band of green accent tiles on the walls. If you aren’t ready to fully commit to a colorful bathroom makeover, small accent tiles are a great way to bring in a little color. Complement it with less permanent decor such as towels or artwork to pull it together.
RELATED: Love This Bathroom? Tour More of This Small California Cottage That is Brimming with Big Style
Play Up Pattern
When it comes to pattern, sometimes more is more! When paired with green toile wallpaper, the bathroom in this Tennessee farmhouse by singer-songwriter Holly Williams achieves a maximalist style that feels bold and timeless.
RELATED: See More How Country Music Star Holly Williams Transformed Her Tired Farmhouse
Go for Gold
At first glance, you might only notice the classic subway tiles on the walls (and of course, that vintage claw-foot tub!). But the real showstopper in this bathroom is the stunning black tile floor, laid in a herringbone pattern. If you love the look of a stunning black bathroom, mix in gold or brass finishes for contrast. Pair it with weathered furniture to make sure it doesn’t veer too glam.
Frame Your Backsplash
If you are creating a tile feature wall, trying framing it up with other tiles for added impact. In this bathroom makeover, straight subway tiles are framed around a herringbone design.
Bring on the Basketweave
For her farmhouse bathroom, former president of One Kings Lane Debbie Propst opted for tiles laid in a basketweave pattern. The result is a stunningly textured but still subdued floor. Choose this less-common classic if you want a timeless look with a bit of an in-the-know feel.
Embrace Lightly Saturated Hues
Lovers of color who also want a calming retreat, have no fear! The non-colorful, colorful bathroom of your dreams can exist. The key is to bring in pieces with only slight saturations and neutral grounds to compliment your white palette. Here, creamy-colored tiles with just a hint of green break up the palette and help connect the more saturated wood elements with the space’s white wall color.
Try a Renter Friendly Option
You can still have a chic and on-trend bathroom without having to retile the space. Floor decals, like these by Quadrostyle, lay over existing, dated tile, and are a great fix for renters or indecisive decorators looking to upgrade their basic, builder-grade bath.
Match Your Grout to Your Tub
We here at Country Living are firm believers in the idea that small touches make a big difference, especially when it comes to designing utilitarian spaces. Matching your grout to your claw=foot tub is one of those small touches that can really bring a room together. Go for dark colors if you are planning on laying white tile for maximum impact.
Embrace Vintage Bathroom Tile
Rather than rip it out, we say candy-colored vintage tile should stay! You can pair it with clean, creamy walls or something totally unique like color-matched paint or wallpaper.
Try a Tonal Border
If you love the look of a tile border but want to stray away from dark blacks or bright hues, try a soft gray similar to the one shown here. We love the way this looks with chrome or nickel finishes.
Get Creative in Shared Spaces
If your Jack-and-Jill bathroom serves a multitude of people, try this fun tile typography. It doesn’t have to be boys v. girls, you could also spell out names!
Make The Shower Floor a Feature
Whimsical touches, such as featured flooring, can liven up a space with ease. Here, square tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern cover the shower floor, while Carrara marble subway tiles keep things calm on the walls.
Match Your Curtain to Your Tile
The gray-and-white marble mosaic tile steals the spotlight in this all-white bathroom, while the simple gray shower curtain helps keep the color story cohesive. To try the look in your home, stick to softer, tonal colors and install a solid-colored shower curtain in a cotton or nubby linen.
Try New Materials
You don’t have to stick to expected ceramic tiles! The bathroom floor tiles in this California farmhouse are made of earthy limestone embedded with fossilized rocks and shells.
Reverse the Classics
While rosettes with black borders and white centers are common for hex tiles, this Texas cottage flips the script with white rosettes and a single black tile at the center. Don’t be afraid to try new spins on old classics.
RELATED: See More of This Charming 1930s Texas Cottage That Is Packed with Vintage Character
Stay Classic with Subway Tile
When subway tile hit the mainstream a few years ago, it became an instant classic—especially when paired with warm woods and a white cast-iron claw-foot tub, like in this Georgia farmhouse.
RELATED: Step Inside and See More of This Pretty Country Farmhouse
Try Wood
If none of the above tile ideas speak to you, then maybe you should think about a wood-floored bathroom. With proper sealing and care, it'll last just as long as tile.
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