7 Current Bathroom Tile Trends You'll Soon See Everywhere

As we near the end of the year, it calls for peering into the crystal ball to see what we can expect for the upcoming year ahead. And one aspect of home renovations we are really kaypoh about? Bathroom tiles. With so many options out there, selecting the right tiles for your bathroom cannot be easy. Besides practical considerations, you also want to consider the visual appeal of the tiles. With this trend report, we are hoping it will help narrow things down for you. A chic, on-trend bathroom may not be so elusive after all.

1. Perfectly Imperfect

One of the biggest bathroom tile trends we have noticed in recent months is people jumping on the bandwagon for tiles that look somewhat handcrafted and unpolished. It adds a quaint, cottage charm, with their odd nooks and crannies and random flecks and streaks. No bathroom will look the same, which is what makes them so appealing.

Zellige style tiles like these perfectly embody the imperfect look.

Design: Ark-hitecture

Select tiles with high shade and vein variation for a less uniform appearance.

Design: Fifth Avenue Interior

2. Go Halfsies

We aren’t talking about using different tiles to the zone where the vanity area is versus where the shower is. This halfsies trend’s more of an aesthetic move—mixing and matching different tiles to lend contrast and visual interest. It’s a great way to add a bit of colour without overwhelming a small bathroom as well.

The terracotta shade tiles could come off too strong if used alone here, which is why the sand-hued tiles offer a nice balance. The slimmer tiles at the bottom also create another contrast to the wider tiles at the top.

Design: Key Concept

Striped tiles at the top draw visual height to the space, while neutral tiles at the bottom blend in with the vanity area create a clutter-free look.

Design: House of Chais

3. Ice-Cream Tiles

Call them ice-cream or popsicle, these tiles are fun, youthful and perfect for injecting a bit of personality. Somewhat similar to the mermaid/fish scale tiles we’ve seen a couple of years back, ice-cream tiles are also really in line with the curve trend we have been seeing exploding in all our interior design feeds. Most are placed with the rounded edge up, but they work just as beautifully if laid out in the opposite direction.

A half-tiled wall here allows the curved ends of the ice-cream tiles to be a lot more pronounced.

Design: ChengYi Interior Design

Different shades of mint offer the perfect backdrop for this dark navy vanity cabinet.

Design: Of the Box

4. Reds and Oranges

We are also seeing a lot of reds and oranges for bathroom tiles, which we are really excited about. Anything that is moving away from blah neutrals gets a thumbs up from us! The reds and oranges used aren’t of really bright, jarring tones though. The hues are mostly muted, with vintage, mid-century vibes such as brick and burnt sienna.

The vanity zone gets a splash of red feature in this bathroom.

Design: Monocot

Salmon shade tiles were used to cover the top half of the vanity area and the shower zone.

Design: Blend by imC

5. Half-tiled Walls

This trend is commonplace in Europe and the US, where they enjoy large bathrooms and are able to keep some parts of it completely dry. Not so for Singapore, since most of us struggle with small bathrooms, although we are seeing more of this half-tiled wall look here. Half-tiled walls are best suited for powder rooms, dry bathroom areas or guest bathrooms, where there will be less of an issue with wall splashes. Not only do they save construction time and cost, the half-tiled look also offers up a more lifestyle ambience to the bathroom since the non-tiled surfaces can be decked out with artwork or swathed over with wallpaper.

Half of the wall was painted a pale blush, creating a chic contrast with the black accents in the space.

Design: Of the Box

Tiles were raised only to cover the splash zone in this dry bathroom. The rest of the walls were painted in a gorgeous sea-green shade.

Design: Ascend Designs

6. Squat Verticals

Positioning subway tiles vertically has been popular since 2019, but this year (and likely next), we are seeing a new type of vertical tiles, which we have deemed 'squat verticals'. Like their predecessor, these tiles are laid vertically, but instead of employing the classic subway tiles for this effect, shorter tiles are being used. The resulting look is less visually lengthening, but definitely refreshing. It also gives off a timeless, old-world vibe, which we are definitely on board with.

Paired alongside retro glass blocks, this bathroom’s squat verticals complete the old-school charm of this space.

Design: INTR Studio

This tile trend works exceptionally well if you are after a mid-century modern vibe.

Design: Lemonfridge Studio

7. Going Dark with Marble

Using marble tiles in the bathroom lends a classic look that we have all grown to love. But this style often employs tiles of a light background with darker grains. In the year ahead, we believe tiles with darker backgrounds and light marble grains will be the one to look out for. It feels just as expensive and stylish and is equally timeless, with the added bonus of hiding dirt and scruff marks!

It’s spa day, every day in this bathroom.

Design: The Makers Design Studio

Up the luxury factor with a tub!

Design: VOILÀ