Five Popular Bathroom Floor Tile Ideas

In this Home Flooring Pros design post we show off five beautiful on trend looks that have bathroom tile flooring front and center. Blow the competition away with these popular bathroom tiles.

Already chosen, your bathroom tile? Check out our kitchen tile flooring ideas.

Remodeling your kitchen and bathroom are two of the top renovation projects that are likely to add resale value to your home. So how should you go about choosing a design for your bathroom that will add a real return on your investment? What about starting with some popular bathroom floor tile ideas and working your way up from there?

1. DARK CERAMIC TILES THAT LOOK LIKE WOOD

This is probably our favorite out of the five bathroom tile floor ideas. In a move away from the streamlined minimalist and urban industrial looks that have dominated interior design in recent years, a more comfortable, generous aesthetic using natural materials is a very popular right now.

This can be seen in a resurgence of rich, dark wooden flooring – the kind of flooring that normally would suggest high maintenance, hours of careful oiling and polishing.

However, by combining the aesthetic of the trend with the latest ceramic tile that looks like wood, you can enjoy this gorgeous trend for a fraction of the cost and maintenance hassle – plus ceramic tile is a clear winner in wet bathroom areas.

Opt for a top of the range wood look ceramic bathroom tile for the best authenticity and quality – the Hampton Brown Porcelanosa Par-Ker ceramic parquet tiles shown above are utterly realistic and utterly covetable: now all you need is that fabulous bathroom view!

Top range suppliers like Porcelanosa usually have bathroom wall tiles to match the floor and create seamlessly chic design statements.

And if you can find similar toned wood for other fittings in the bathroom you will create a very polished look, as noted on design blog Freshome:

“rich toned wooden flooring … is one of the most popular trends for the bathroom… Use the same tones on the cupboards and units with the bathroom as they’ll complement each other felicitously.”

Combine dark brown bathroom tile flooring with warm creams and honey tones on walls and accent with natural materials in your soft furnishings, like bamboo blinds or rattan laundry baskets, to make your bathroom a soothing sanctuary.

2. GEOMETRIC PATTERNED TILES 

Tile patterns have also been creeping back into the limelight over the last couple of years, mostly to add a personal touch to block color schemes, either in soft furnishings like rugs, cushions and curtains, or – in a slightly bolder fashion – by using wallpaper to create statement accent walls.

In 2014, bold and colorful pattern went one step further by now featuring on floors: in the design world people are referring to the floor as the “fifth wall”, and choosing it as the place to make the big impact gesture!

For us mere mortals, the bathroom is the perfect place to experiment with new bathroom tile design ideas partly because it is generally one of the smaller rooms in the house, and partly because it is a more separate and private space which lends itself to having a different, unusual or bolder design to the rest of the home.

Tile is also the ideal material to use for patterned flooring, as there is such a huge amount of choice readily available – you can even simply pair a plain tile with a contrasting colored grout to create an instant grid pattern. But for maximum on-trend impact, according to the style gurus on the Love Home blog you should choose

“fashionable geometric designs that have a retro flavor.”

Encaustic cement tiles for the nathroom like the ones pictured above are perfect for this idea, and contemporary designers such as Lindsey Lang and Claesson Koivisto Rune are creating new geometric patterns that are simply divine!

With this look it’s important to let the floor do all the work, so don’t overwhelm the space: match patterned bathroom tile floors with simple vanity units, bathroom fittings and soft furnishings.

3. LUXURIOUS STONE EFFECT LUXURY VINYL TILES

Nothing says class, elegance and effortless style more than classic stone tiling. Stones such as marble, granite, sandstone and slate have been used as interior décor for centuries and their appeal has never diminished.

Related Reading: Where Does Granite Come From?

Whether you pair stone with simple modern lines or a more intricate rococo style, the finished look is guaranteed to impress.

Because stone tiles for the bathroom are often not a cheap option, this look often gives off an air of affluence and luxury – and luxury is a definite key trend right now.

According to the trend forecast in Elle Décor, more and more of us will be craving the kind of luxury look in our bathrooms that is usually reserved for spas and up-market hotels, with fittings such as

“extra-large, luxury showers with multiple shower heads and built in seating”

becoming rather desirable.

Adding a stone tile floor to this “spa/ hotel” aesthetic will give your bathroom the ultimate luxury finish.

The good news is that if you yearn to recreate these super luxe bathroom floor ideas, but can’t quite afford the price tag to match, then modern technology comes to your rescue again, this time in the form of luxury vinyl tiles (or LVT) which can create the look and feel of real stone for a fraction of the price!

The vast variety of stone-effects that are available is quite astonishing, and top brands such as Amtico (pictured above), Armstrong and Karndean have ranges that are nearly as good as the real thing, but with all the easy maintenance and installation advantages of vinyl!

Related Reading: Best LVT Brands | How to Mop LVP Flooring

4. MATTE TILES IN GRAY TONES

Despite trends moving towards a less austere, more luxurious aesthetic, if you’re still a big fan of the all-white, sleek, unfussy, uncluttered look then there’s still room for incorporating these bathroom tile flooring ideas and staying current.

Updating your minimalist bathroom with matte floor tiles in neutral gray shades will give it a bit more depth and interest, as noted by the team at Style At Home,

“the all-white bathroom is a timeless, classic look, but for those interested in a bathroom style with a bit more character… [introduce] neutral matte tiles into your design.“

In the design world, gray is THE big news as far as neutral palette ideas are concerned, and tile manufacturers must be in seventh heaven as concrete toned tiles that previously might have been deemed as dull, are now enjoying the recognition they always deserved!

But in all seriousness, matte gray bathroom floor tiles need to be considered carefully in your design scheme to avoid your bathroom looking drab and uninspiring.

The picture above is a perfect example of how to get the look right: matching a slightly textured linear patterned mid gray rectangular tiles with the warming honey toned vanity unit, complementary pale gray walls and beautifully sleek and chic bathroom and lighting fittings.

Incorporating curves via the bowl sinks, the faucets, the unit handles and contemporary free-standing bathtub keeps the design from being too rigid and boxy; the design flows seamlessly though the room by using the same tiles for the floor and shower, and the frame-less glass shower screens; and the famous Eames Eiffel chair tucked into the corner of the room lends design kudos to this stylish bathroom.

5. COASTAL INSPIRED PEBBLE MOSAIC TILES

If you’re looking for popular floor tile ideas for the bathroom that won’t go out of fashion, the coastal/Mediterranean inspired bathroom remains as popular as ever.

The coastal look keys into the current trend for more natural, more comfortable surroundings, and is an obvious choice for the watery world of the bathroom.

Using the coast for inspiration in the bathroom (or even throughout the home) will give you a light and airy, refreshing feel that will help you unwind – so essential in our busy lives. Luciane from the Home Bunch interior design blog agrees:

“What’s more relaxing than coastal interiors? Coastal homes always feel welcoming and happy to me. The decor is usually casual and inviting, all you want to do is to open the door and let the ocean breeze in.”

Paring the coastal look with pebble mosaic floor tiles in a bathroom is a no-brainer really!

The natural neutral tones of the pebbles go perfectly with the whites, creams, blues and greens that are also usually associated with the coastal look.

Keep your coastal look on the contemporary edge by avoiding twee, in your face sea-theme overload: do not stuff the bathroom with shells, driftwood, anchors and sea life decals!

The wet room shown above elegantly demonstrates the modern coastal aesthetic by keeping things simple, cleverly using pebbles and stone tiles in similar tones, along with blue glass wall tiles to create a look that is both coastal but also very chic.

Have you got any cool bathroom floor tile ideas that you’d like to share with us? Please let us know in the comment section below or contact us direct by email.

About the Author:

Greca Fotopoulos

Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”