Although all types of natural stone and porcelain tile materials look stunning in the right space, when it comes to considering bathroom tile ideas, it’s important to select the right decor for such a high-use space.
Of course, choosing bathroom tiles isn’t always a simple process, especially if you don’t have a particular aesthetic in mind, and you may even find yourself feeling overwhelmed while browsing – not to mention needing to settle on an agreed tile layout with your tiler prior to installation to ensure a smooth, successful installation process.
So, in order to give you a better understanding of how to choose bathroom tiles for your home, and to make the selection process that much easier, here are our top tips to consider.
What to consider when choosing bathroom tiles
When it comes to preparing for a bathroom tiling project, our main tips for choosing bathroom tiles are as follows:
- Consider bathroom tile ideas that highlight the main focal points of your bathroom, such as your bath or shower, with accent tiles being used to break up the space for a more distinctive overall look.
- Be sure to consider both your bathroom floor tiles and wall tiles that complement each other yet won’t overpower one another.
- Choose appropriate tile sizes for the size of your room. For example, large bathroom tiles are ideal for small bathrooms because they make the space feel that much larger.
- Choose slip-resistant tiles for when your floor inevitably gets wet so that it’s safe underfoot.
- Shortlist bathroom tiles that look good together no matter their layout or the cuts required to install them.
By bearing these points in mind when picking your bathroom tiles, you’ll quickly be able to narrow down your choices, allowing you to pick and choose your tile designs more easily.
How to pick bathroom tiles: material
Without a doubt, one of the main aspects you’ll need to consider when choosing your bathroom tiles is selecting what sort of tile material you want underfoot and on your wall. A white porcelain bathroom wall tile might be a classic, but that’s not to say you can’t opt for natural stone or a patterned porcelain design instead for a more characterful feel.
So, when deciding on your chosen tile material, consider the overall aesthetic of the room and the feeling you want to create within that space. Is it traditional or modern? If it’s the former, then porcelain or porcelain effect tiles might be more suitable. However, if it’s the latter, then you can get creative with natural stone or antique-effect tiles to really bring out the personality of the room.
Manhattan Grey Porcelain Tiles
It’s also important to consider the patterning of materials when exploring suitable tile choices for your bathroom design. Marble tiling features distinct veining and a sense of fluidity through every tile, which feels very modern compared to other natural stone options.
Limestone tiles, on the other hand, generally portray more subtle characteristics, featuring intriguing genuine fossil details that add hints and highlights of interest to different parts of the room.
If you are wanting a tile set that is both durable and stylish, then any combination of our bathroom porcelain tiles is an excellent choice. Versatility and easy maintenance are just some of the benefits of porcelain as a material choice, helping you to meet your bathroom’s needs.
Five bathroom tile ideas for your home
After considering your tiling material, the two other things you’ll need to consider are your tile’s style and colour, which there are countless combinations and options out there to choose from.
To help you know where to get started, we’ve included some of our favourite bathroom style suggestions below, as well as some tips for choosing tiles to match these aesthetics:
1. Classic Cottage-core
Natural stone tiles are a great option for a timeless cottage-core look and come in a wide range of finishes. Tumbled edges offer a worn, ‘antiqued’ look that complements a cohesive classic-country style, while honed or polished stone tiles will provide more of a smooth, modern look.
The colour variation of natural stone is rather extensive, so you should take your time when browsing and be sure to order a set of free samples to compare the subtle colour differences in person. Doing so also means that you can easily select a tile to best suit your bathroom’s paintwork and fittings for a flawless finish.
2. Boutique Hotel
The ultimate choice in understated glamour and elegance, if you want to recreate a boutique hotel feel, then we highly recommend going for a set of silky-smooth, honed marble tiles or marble-effect porcelain tiles for that luxurious underfoot finish.
Tiling both your floors and walls in marble provides you with the ultimate high-end decor feel, and finishing the look with gold accessories or brassware will take this style to the next level.
Ibiza Bianco Honed Marble Tiles
3. Minimal Monochrome
White porcelain tiles are the perfect choice for a clean, minimalist bathroom – but incorporating a touch of dark grey or black creates an instantly fresh, contemporary feel, especially when using chequerboard tiles of a combination of monochrome metro tiles to add this bold element of contrast.
Alternatively, for those wanting to opt for this style in a more subtle way, introduce eye-catching accents of black around key features of the room, such as your mirror frames, furniture handles or decor accessories.
4. Natural Scandinavian
Ideal for recreating a relaxing spa-like bathroom, wood-effect bathroom tiles beautifully embody the organic influence of Scandinavian design, without all the hassle and drawbacks of traditional natural materials.
Adding natural warmth while still being safe to use in a bathroom setting, wood-effect porcelain is just as durable as other tile types, ensuring that it won’t be worn down by high levels of foot traffic or moisture exposure.
5. Urban Chic
Finally, for an edgier take on a contemporary design, why not try your hand at an industrial or urban-inspired bathroom by using concrete-effect porcelain tiles? This modern style of tiles perfectly complements exposed brickwork or black bathroom fittings to work with the industrial, sleek influence of the design.
Lavo Silver Concrete-effect Tiles
Choose your bathroom tiles with Stone Superstore
And there you have it, those are our top tips for choosing bathroom tiles, including our favourite bathroom tiling ideas and style suggestions. Learning how to pick bathroom tiles can seem like a daunting prospect, but once you know what style and design you’re looking for, everything comes together quickly.
If you do have any more questions about how to pick bathroom tiles, then be sure to get in touch with our team. You can also start browsing our wide selection of tiles today to get started with your project - or, for more helpful tiling articles, you can browse the rest of our tile advice guides, where you’ll find further bathroom tile ideas, inspiration, and top tips.
