Tile Trends in Contemporary Bathrooms

There have been many recent articles about innovations in residential bathroom design in 2012. There are so many ideas, that we thought we’d highlight some of them here. Porcelain tile and glass tile are clear frontrunners for new and remodeled residential bathrooms.

Tile in Totality

Bathroom Wall with Skylights Lunar Mélange

The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s 2012 NKBA Design Competition revealed some interesting and inspiring trends in kitchen and bathroom design. Of the top 10 trends that NKBA highlighted in their press release, we were specifically fond of what they called “Tile in Totality.”

According to the competition results, tile is taking up more space on bathroom floors and walls than ever before. The wide selection of glass tile is a contributing factor along with the exciting choices in colored porcelain tile.  Where traditionally, tile may have been installed half-way up the sides of a wall with a listelle border and a painted wall above, designers are now choosing to tile the entire wall from floor to ceiling. They are also tiling up to and surrounding built in bathtubs and shower enclosures.

Glass in the Bathroom

Glass shower enclosures are gaining in popularity since they create the feel of more open space and make a smaller bathroom feel bigger. Because the floor to ceiling area of the shower is exposed, the choice of tile is more important than ever. According to HGTV.com, “contemporary baths use stone or an artful combination of stone and tile, especially mosaic tiles.” Glass tile is still fashionable, carrying the glass motif throughout the entire bathroom.

Natural Materials in the Bathroom

Shower Surround with Ciottoli Pebble

According to Style at Home Magazine, there’s a trend toward natural materials including wood-grain ceramic tile, porcelain tile and even pebble mosaics. There’s a recent trend toward more wood in bathroom design – wood floors, wood benches and even wood countertops. “Glass tile is also still in fashion, but recycled glass tile is even hotter.”

Mini Mosaic Tiles

Bathroom Wall with Reflections Ocean

Stanton Homes reports that mini mosaic tiles are now frequently installed in countertops, tub surrounds, and shower walls – as accents or used to complete an entire bath. Again, glass mini mosaic tiles are a very popular choice with designers.

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We’ll keep our eye out for more residential bathroom design ideas and share them with you throughout the year. Meanwhile, feel free to call or visit one of our showrooms for more bathroom tile ideas. And we encourage you to comment with your own design inspirations!