Wet Room Bathroom Tile Design Ideas

Featured Image: Taj Mahal Quartzite Wainscot Wall Installation & Ankara Filled & Honed 18 x 18 Floor Tile

Wet rooms are a great addition to any bathroom, but an even better option when there are mobility concerns or special accommodation is needed. A wet room offers an all-enclosed area with a larger shower space and more room to maneuver between the tub and shower. If your focus is on a commercial space, there are guidelines that need to be met so our peers with disabilities have the access they need. At Arizona Tile, we are able to provide products to assist in making sure that safety, accessibility, and quality meet everyone’s standards and expectations.

While the above factors are important, you may simply like the look and function of a wet room, or maybe you’re not sure what one really is. We’re here to fill in the blanks so you can make an educated decision and create your dream setting. Consider a surface for your design like the one pictured above that radiates in Taj Mahal—a stunning, natural quartzite, and Ankara—an amazing sedimentary stone known as travertine.

What is a Wet Room?

Knowing what a wet room is will be paramount to the products and features that will be highlighted here. If you have kids, you may feel like your bathroom is always a “wet room,” but deliberately creating one will save on a wet mess. They’re also a convenient way of creating an easy-to-enter shower space, especially if mobility accommodations need to be met.

Image: Shibusa Bianco 24 x 48 Large Format Shower Wall Tile, Shibusa Bianco Basketweave 2 x 2 Mesh Floor Tile, & Oxide Quartz Bench from Arizona Tile

Think of an open-concept home where your kitchen, dining area, and living room are a shared or semi-shared space. It’s easy to flow from room to room without passing through doorways and down halls. A wet room is the same idea: it’s an open-concept bathroom that incorporates most features within the same area.

Look above; this space is large and designed well with Shibusa, a porcelain tile that exudes durability and aesthetically pleasing attributes. Sometimes showers, especially small ones, can make you feel very confined, but not in a wet room. It’s a wide-open space so you have ample room to move about. Plus, having one level of flooring throughout will make the environment much safer for those with mobility issues and/or who use a wheelchair. And that kid who splashes about in the tub… well that water will all meet a central drain that the floor is slightly graded toward.

Below you’ll see stunning Sky Blue Honed marble tile that sets this wet room apart. While this particular wet room has a curb at the entry, thus making mobility concerns a challenge for some, you may want to opt for a “zero-entry” design with no elevated curb allowing freer access. Regardless of which you choose, it’s one fantastic space for a splashing toddler or some peaceful adult time to enjoy the surrounding marble after said little one is asleep.

Featured Image: Sky Blue Honed 12 x 24 Marble Wet Room Wall Tile & Flash White 3 x 12 Ceramic Wet Room Shower Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

Wet Room Flooring

Given a wet room will have a wet floor beyond the bounds of a basic shower stall, using tile with safety in mind will help spare slips and falls. Our R11 Anti-Slip Finish is available in select tiles and is a unique finish that creates a gripping on the tile surface, without altering its appearance, helping reduce the slickness in wet environments. Though this Anti-Slip Finish is only available on certain tile products, there are plenty of color and design options to appeal to many preferences. While such an addition is profound for anyone, if mobility is a concern, this option becomes pivotal to you and your loved one’s safety. Super durable in function, tile selections with this option can be used inside, outside, in residential settings, or even in commercial settings. Side note: if you’re designing for a commercial setting, be sure to adhere to ADA guidelines. This brings us to discuss the ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act.

Image: Pietra Italia White 24 x 48 Large Format Floor, Wall, and Bench Tile, Chevron Silver Mesh Accent Wall Tile, & Pietra Italia White 24 x 48 Custom Cut Floor Tile with R11 Anti-Slip Finish from Arizona Tile

ADA Compliant Tile Design

The Americans with Disabilities Act was ratified in 1990 to dissolve struggles for those limited by disability. The ADA protects disabled individuals from discrimination, just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. In many public settings, it is essential to follow the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which dictates necessary guidelines ensuring equal access to establishments. This need for accessibility is especially important in public bathrooms and shower rooms. Ample space to maneuver, handrails, lower hand-drying stations, and slip-resistant floors are part of the adherence to ADA regulations.

In the picture below, you will see stunning designs and colors in natural quartzite and marble, as well as several features that make this setup great for someone aging in place or with general mobility limitations. From the handrail to the accessible shower head, and the bench, the function of this shower room design certainly meets practicality. This custom wet room displays Blue Tahoe quartzite on the walls and CS-Deep Blue Honed rhomboid mesh marble on the floor. Though this marble flooring does not feature an anti-slip finish, using small tile on a shower floor is wise because it includes more grout joints, and the more grout there is, the less slippery the foundation becomes.

Image: Blue Tahoe Polished Quartzite Shower Wall & CS-Deep Blue Honed Rhomboid Mesh Marble Shower Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Aside from the shower space, the sink and vanity are other bathroom elements that should be easily accessible. If designed to ADA standards, there will be precise dimensions in every element across the bathroom. If you’re looking for a more open concept within your own home, Calacatta Umber marble adds elegance and beauty to create a practical space. As a stand-out vanity that’s open throughout the base, the below design gives way to accessibility. By opening up this space, a wheelchair or walker could maneuver more freely without bumping into cabinets and such. In this design, you’ll also see Tivoli large format bathroom tile on the walls. The beige color offers a softness, and the large tile creates an expansiveness.

Image: Calacatta Umber Marble Bathroom Countertop & Tivoli Beige 18 x 36 Large Format Porcelain Bathroom Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

In With the New

To learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act, visit ada.gov.

Wet rooms are definitely trending, so jump out of the “standard” and into the new age of showers! To help design your ideal wet room space, try our Just Imagine – Tile and Slab Visualizer . Also, visit an Arizona Tile store or slab yard to see your favorites in person. If you have any product questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our helpful and knowledgeable staff.