Thinking blue for your bathroom design or renovation? Wise choice! Blue is the colour associated with tranquility, making it perfect for achieving a relaxing bathroom vibe. From fresh and airy light blue to moody and sophisticated dark blue, we’ve gathered all of the best bathrooms using blue tiles. Sorted by tile shape, we hope you find the inspo you’ve been looking for!
Related article: 15 stunning bathrooms that don’t use white tiles
Related article: 14 types of blue kitchen splashback tiles: Add a pop of colour to your kitchen
1. Square tile
From handmade Moroccan Zellige tiles to mid-century modern square tiles, and even smaller square mosaics, this shape is incredibly versatile.
Square tiles have been gaining popularity in recent years and generally look best when used across all 4 walls (and sometimes your floor!). We adore the undulated finish and varying colour tones of handmade square tiles. But completely uniform and matte smaller grid tiles also have a special spot in our hearts!
2. Subway tile
We often hear people say subway tiles are a ‘safe’ or ‘overdone’ tile choice but in our opinion, they’ll remain popular because of their endless versatility and affordability!
Use blue subway tiles on one or all walls of your bathroom, or only tile to a half height to achieve completely different looks. Then there are all the options of how to lay subway tiles — vertical straight stack, horizontal brick bond, offset, herringbone and more!
Add to that all the different types of blue subway tiles available — in flat or organic textured faces, light and dark colours, glazed or matte, extra long or slim shapes, and so on — and you start to realise there’s a huge world of choice in this tile shape alone.
3. Kitkat tile
Kitkat tiles create rhythm through shape and are having a HUGE moment in design! An ideal tile choice for curved bathroom walls and statement feature walls, you can find so many varieties on the market. Available in large (2 rows of tile per sheet) and small sizes (3-4 rows of tiles per sheet), in uniform or vignette colours, sky blue or deep navy, with a plain or speckle finish, in matte or gloss… we could keep going!
Whether you want to create a contemporary bathroom, give a nod to mid-century design, or play to the Japanese aesthetic, this tile suits a range of bathroom design styles.
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4. Large format or slab tile
Once upon a time, 450mm x 900mm tiles were considered big. Now in an era where you can get porcelain slab tiles over 3m long, large format tiles have gotten a new meaning! For people who don’t want any grout in their shower, slab tiles offer the perfect solution.
You don’t have to settle for boring patterns — quite the opposite — porcelain tiles are ultra-realistic, perfectly mimicking onyx and other natural stone.
5. Herringbone mosaic tile
As well as laying subway tiles in a herringbone pattern, you can also find herringbone mosaics. These are smaller in size and pre-glued onto mesh backing sheets around 300mm x 300mm in size. From recycled resin to natural stone (like Blue De Argentino marble) these tiles ooze luxe!
Being a mosaic tile, there are more grout joints. So you may want to avoid using this tile in a shower, or lay it from your shower ledge height up to the ceiling. Alternatively, you could use an epoxy grout in the shower which is virtually stain resistant. Find out more about selecting the right grout here.
6. Patterned tile
Typically 200m x 200mm in size, patterned tiles add a big pop of colour to your space. From geometric to Moroccan-inspired patterns, in muted or vibrant hues, you can achieve a unique bathroom design with these tiles.
Often used as a feature tile on the floor with neutral wall tiles, or on a single wall as a feature tile. Our tip is to choose a porcelain patterned tile rather than cement encaustic tile that’s more difficult to clean and maintain.
7. Rhombus mosaic tile
One mosaic shape we don’t often see is the rhombus or chevron tile. This diamond-like tile also creates pattern through the rhythm of its shape. It can be laid vertically (as shown below) or horizontally, and adds a highly decorative element your bathroom design.
Shop our fave blue tiles
8. Fan or fish scale tile (including elongated shapes)
All of the tiles we’ve featured so far have been angular, but in bathrooms where there are typically a lot of hard lines, it makes sense to soften the space with a curved tile. Traditional fish scale or the newer, more elongated shape (pictured below), are perfect as a focal tile on a feature wall.
Less is often more, especially when using it in a bolder colour. We prefer to pair this tile with a warm and neutral wall tile, rather than stark white. It achieves a softer, more cohesive space.
9. Hexagon tile
Why not create a bathroom design that celebrates the Queen bee you are with a hexagon tile? The honeycomb shape looks great as a feature floor or statement wall (usually behind the vanity).
Available in smaller mosaic sheets or as larger individual tiles, in porcelain or natural stone, with or without a pattern, this is another tile shape that offers a lot of versatility.
10. Pill tile (or traditional penny round)
Finally, one of the newer shapes on the market are pill tiles, also known as Tictax. A play on the traditional penny round tiles, they are elongated and add an instant designer feel to any bathroom.
Available in natural stones (like the stunning soft blue Nestos marble) and porcelain varieties, visit your local tile store to see what options they have available.
We hope this round up of blue bathroom tiles inspires your next project. Have you spied any other fab blue bathrooms that should make this round up? Email us or drop a comment below so we can keep updating it with the best examples.
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