Which Tile to Choose for a Small Bathroom: 5 Relevant Tips

1. Choose Medium-Size Tiles

Large tiles in a small room look disproportionate and bulky, and they also require more careful wall leveling, which takes up space. On the other hand, tiles of too small a format can visually shrink the room, especially if contrast grout is used for the joints. Mosaic tiles look great in a small bathroom if they are very small and not overly contrasting: they create a general background and have almost no effect on the geometry of the space. What trendy style to focus on: tile shape. Since tiles that are too large or too small do not suit us, make an accent not on the tile size but on its shape. This season is particularly trendy: polyhedrons—tiles in the form of five- or six-sided polygons that look very fresh.

2. Light Tones of Tiles – Advantage, But Not the Only Option

It's no secret that light neutral color palettes help visually expand the space. If you're a classicist, choose beige, milky, or bluish tiles. However, if you want something more interesting, it's not necessary to decorate the bathroom in a tired beige tone. Especially in a room without windows, the effect of light tones is not very noticeable. You can vary the tiles with patterns or choose darker or more vivid shades. What trendy style to focus on:

imitation of non-ceramic materials. The main trend of the current season is tiles with textures of metal, wood, stone—even paper. Most trendy options are made in natural, organic tones, giving a small bathroom charm of natural textures.

3. Go for Gloss

Smooth, shiny, mirror-like tiles make the space in a small bathroom feel more airy thanks to reflections. In a small bathroom, it's better to make a strip of mirror tiles on one or two walls rather than all around. However, glossy tiles require careful maintenance as fingerprints and water stains are clearly visible on them. What trendy style to focus on: 3D effect. This year, the trend of volumetric, raised tiles is particularly popular. Due to their three-dimensional structure, glossy tiles add extra visual volume to small spaces.

4. Patterns and Ornaments in One Tile Look Better

You can arrange several patterned tiles in a random order. A mosaic made from multiple tiles draws too much attention, concentrating the space into one point, which is disadvantageous in a tiny bathroom. This technique can only be used in narrow and elongated bathrooms to correct the spatial geometry. A tile with a not overly contrasting vertical stripe works well. What trendy style to focus on: retro patterns. This year, many manufacturers have released collections of tiles with ornaments reminiscent of the first half of the last century. Mostly, these are stylish geometric tiles in the 40s–50s style and charming traditional patterns from Morocco, Italy, and Spain.

5. Adjust the Room Shape Using Tile Laying Techniques

In small bathrooms, the most common tile laying method is straight laying without offset. This layout works for any space but from a design perspective it can be a bit dull. By laying tiles diagonally or in a staggered pattern (offsetting the next row by half), you can make a bathroom look more visually spacious, but this applies to floor tiles. If you use rectangular tiles, lay them vertically: although the horizontal variant might slightly “spread” the walls of the bathroom, it will look disproportionate. What trendy style to focus on: localization. I already mentioned tile panels, but this trend is developing further. For example, if you like polyhedral tiles, you can lay them locally on one wall only. Try not to create a strong contrast between the color tones of tiles: it’s more pleasant and interesting to see tiles laid in different ways but with similar hues.