Porcelain Bathroom Tiles Designs & Ideas

There are many options for bathroom tile walls and floors. One option growing in popularity is porcelain tiles. 

Porcelain tiles are an excellent choice for bathrooms due to their durability, resistance to discoloration, and variety of design options. Porcelain tiles come in a wide range of colors, textures, and patterns, making it highly likely that you can find the perfect tile for your bathroom. 

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and the owner of a Manhattan-based architecture and design firm, Fontan Architecture. At our office, we work on various types of projects, including residential renovations and new home designs. While designing people’s homes, we always consider a variety of materials for the bathroom, including porcelain and many others. Below are a few bathrooms we have designed using porcelain tiles.   

 

Marble Look Porcelain Tile 

Marble-look porcelain tile is a more affordable alternative to marble that is more resistant to discoloring. Natural stone can stain over time, but porcelain has a glazed surface that retains its color and is non-porous.

When it comes to selecting a marble-look porcelain, I have found that some options look better than others. Usually, the matte marble patterned porcelain doesn’t look very good. The glossy ones tend to be more realistic and vibrant. We thoroughly review samples when designing bathrooms to ensure we achieve the desired look.

Below is a black and white bathroom we designed, featuring porcelain for both the walls and the floor. This bathroom has black and white marble-look porcelain tiles.

 

Wood Look Porcelain Tile

Wood is not the best material to use in wet areas, but you may want a warmer spa-like feel. There are many porcelain tiles designed to resemble wood. These tiles will perform better than wood in locations such as showers, where wood can deteriorate over time.

In the photo below, you can see a wood-look porcelain tile shower we designed. This particular tile features a wood slat pattern, which lends it a bit of depth and a natural feel.

 

Matte Tiles

Sometimes, simple is best. There is a vast variety in porcelain tile, but using a solid color, matte look, or any more straightforward style can make a bathroom look great.

This bathroom features a simple grey porcelain tile with a slight variation in its surface. A simple dark grey tile like this can look very sophisticated and classy. Keeping it simple can work very well.

 

Large Format Porcelain Tiles

Depending on the tile, porcelain is available in a wide range of sizes. For a seamless, high-end look, I recommend large-format tiles. Using large-format tiles makes the space look more luxurious and reduces the grout lines and joints. It’s quite special to have a bathroom with minimal grout lines.

In this bathroom, you can see how the large-format porcelain tile extends from floor to ceiling as a single, seamless piece. Large format tiles are a very cool design feature that I love to use. Nothing can elevate a bathroom as quickly as reducing the grout lines.

 

Concrete Look Tile

One thing I have noticed about porcelain tile is that greys and concrete looks have been very popular. Design choice is a personal taste issue, but if you want a simple grey bathroom and think it’s too basic, you can opt for a concrete-look porcelain to add a little character to the overall bathroom design.

We used a concrete look porcelain tile in this bathroom to achieve a slightly industrial look.

 

3D Bathroom Tile

Porcelain tiles can also have textures and 3D effects. If you plan to use a 3D tile, I suggest using it sparingly, for example, as an accent. It is possible to overdo this one. Additionally, not all tiles are easy to line up and match around the corners, so we are always cautious about these details.

We used a 3D textured tile across one wall in this bathroom to add an accent. This detail became a lovely feature wall, adding a little depth to an otherwise flat tile.

 

Rectangular Tiles

So far, the bathrooms we have shown have all had large-format tiles or at least medium to large-sized tiles. You can also use a smaller tile to make a nice-looking bathroom. When purchasing rectangular tiles, we consider the patterns and how to install them to complement the design effectively.

Here you can see a long, thin porcelain tile we used with a stack bond pattern in this bathroom. It looks pretty nice and straightforward, which is the effect our client was going for.

 

Creating Bathroom Tile Patterns

There are many options for creating patterns. Luckily, porcelain comes in a great variety, so you have plenty of options to play with.

In the bathroom below, we used a textured tile and a flat tile, but in the same color. We alternated the tiles to create a striped effect on the wall, adding an excellent level of detail to this bathroom design.

 

Add Warmth by Offsetting the Cold Tile

One issue you may encounter is that you find your porcelain tiles to be cold and uninviting. You can incorporate other materials to add warmth to the bathroom design.

Here we have a bathroom featuring white marble-look porcelain tiles, complemented by a wood accent that adds warmth and detail.

 

Porcelain Bathroom Tile Design Ideas

There are many options for designing a bathroom with porcelain tiles. The most important thing is that the entire bathroom design functions as a cohesive unit. There are many options to consider when selecting your tile, but don’t get overwhelmed by all the choices. It’s your home, and it should bring you happiness.

Bathroom design should be cohesive and thought out. We do not simply throw materials together. We always work out bathroom design as a whole, ensuring that the choices complement each other.

 

Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on Bathroom Niche Designs.

I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly. 

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