New Trends of Bathroom Tiles

Bathroom tile patterns can be hard, especially when you’re trying to stay away from the typical 4”x4” tile wainscot that comes with every home on the market.  Here are some tips on how to choose tile, decide where to put it, and how to place it in a pattern.

1.  Attention to detail is a must.  Make sure that whomever is laying your tile, be it yourself or a contractor –  has quality craftsmanship when it comes to the tilework.  It makes all the difference when there’s no large grout joints and odd spaces between each tile.  Tile should be laid underneath the toilet, not around it and should be centered within the largest portion of your bathroom.
2. If you don’t have an obvious stop and start point for the tile, continue it up  the wall or into the cove.  An example of a place to stop and start would be your tub surround.  If you don’t have a bullnose to finish the tile edge, continue it into the tub area.  This looks much more pulled together than framing the opening with bullnose tiles and is much easier to keep clean.
3. Don’t be afraid to go beyond white.

This bathroom is so classy, with the clawfoot tub, black toilet seat and gold fixtures.  This designer went with white walls to keep within the style she was targeting, but brought the gold in through the irradescent tiles on the floor.  The texture is perfect for the space, and it almost gives an ‘old’ look to it, giving it character and substance.

1.  Keep the floors and walls the same tile in small bathrooms.  Nothing breaks up a space more than changing the tile at the walls.  For small spaces, keep everything nice and uniform, including inside the tub and shower surrounds.
2. Look at the cutsheet for your tile collection.  Most tile collections have more than one shape and style.  Let your creativity roam with different listello pieces, bases and trim, like this classic bathroom.

1.  Choose a tile finish other than glossy.  Tiles come in semi gloss, glossy, and matte.  Play with the finishes to create a unique look like this cool clay tile bathroom.  The matte tiles bring out the tile’s texture and color as well as adding an unexpected modern touch to the whole space.  It also keeps your bathroom looking calm and warm, as opposed to the hard cold feeling that gloss may introduce.  The calm matte works well with the homeowner’s beautiful wood vanity.  Had they chosen gloss tile, the two materials would have been completely unrelated to each other, possibly causing one finish or the other to look out of place.

Jacque Link is the featured writer for the websites UniqueVanities.com and UniqueMirrorsOnline.com, where you can find the best double sink bathroom vanities for 2013 and incredible wall mirrors for this year.