Moroccan-style Bathroom Tile Ideas – 11 ways to make a statement with bold tiles
Situated near the top of Africa and flanked by the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea, the Arab Kingdom of Morocco is a beautiful, mountainous country and a popular tourist destination.
Home of the Berbers since the second millennium BC, Morocco hosts many elaborate mosques, palaces and forts, as well as the famous ‘red city’ of Marrakesh. It’s a country rich in culture and history and its characteristic earthy and opulent style has had a huge influence on interior trends.
What defines Moroccan style?
Moroccan style ranges from rustic and earthy to bold and ornate. Influenced by African, European and Persian cultures, it’s an eclectic, exotic mix that will add a touch of luxury when introduced to your home.
Typical Moorish design features include intricate wooden carvings, mosaic-encrusted walls and bathtubs and bold colours. Colour is especially important in Moroccan design with landscape-inspired reds, blues, golds and greens featuring particularly heavily.
You’ll often find the characteristic ogee shape in architecture, homes and tiles. The relaxed, boho-chic Moroccan style has been made even more popular with the recent Moroccan tile trend. Featuring bold, often brightly coloured, hand-drawn designs, these trendy tiles are seen everywhere from hallways to kitchens and, of course, bathrooms.
Moroccan style is a timeless one that can easily be incorporated into your home, you don’t need to go full-on Moroccan, just introducing a few inspired elements can be enough to completely transform your bathroom.
How can I get the Moroccan look in my bathroom?
When it comes to bringing Moroccan style into a bathroom there are several options. You can opt for ornate mosaic panels, wall-to-wall mosaics and brightly coloured tiles or keep it simpler with a white and blue or white and green theme.
You can also keep the bathroom more natural with stone or earth-coloured tiles and introduce borders, patterned floors, mosaic panels and small areas of brightly coloured feature tiles like a shower enclosure.
What kind of tiles should I choose for a Moroccan-style bathroom?
When choosing tiles for a Moroccan-inspired bathroom you can consider:
- Mosaic tiles; plain, metallic or both
- Patterned Morrocan-style tiles
- Zellige tiles
- Blue, green, gold, red and yellow glazed tiles
- Authentic, handmade terracotta tiles
- Wood effect tiles
- Stone effect and marble tiles
Moroccan bathroom tile ideas
Keep reading to discover 11 beautifully different Moroccan-influenced bathrooms.
Serene green
Green is a particularly important colour in the Muslim world. Said to be the favourite colour of Mohammed, green is a symbol of prosperity and is often associated with paradise.
If you’re looking for a calming colour for your bathroom, green is a great option, easy on the eye and super-stylish, it’s a perfect choice if you’re keen to embrace the Moroccan theme.
Pick out feature areas with bold patterned tiles and keep the rest of the bathroom plain to draw attention to them.
Image credit: @rockettstgeorge
Patterned Moroccan tiles
Bold patterns and rich colours are right at the heart of Moroccan decorative style. You can completely transform the look and feel of a bathroom by cladding the floor and/or walls in Moroccan-inspired ceramic tiles.
Old Moroccan tile design is heavily influenced by Islam. Prevented by Muslim law from painting people or animals, artists took to designing bold, geometric patterns. If you visit Morocco, you’ll find these brightly decorated tiles adorning streets and fountains as well as homes.
These wonderfully patterned tiles look fantastic paired with wood, stone-effect or plain coloured tiles.
Image credit: @mai_saad_designs
Recommended tile: Provenza Deco
Rustic Moroccan washroom
This gorgeous bathroom incorporates a few completely different, patterned tile styles and they work perfectly together. Installing borders allows you to be more creative with tile designs and it’s also a great way to bring the Moroccan vibe into your home.
Bordering a patterned floor with plain tiles creates a more formal look, choose wood-effect or plain dark tiles for the best contrast. Keep painted walls white and roughly render them for an authentic look. Plenty of wooden accessories will help you to achieve the Moroccan effect.
Image credit: @diala.hamed
Hammam-inspired mosaic bath
Traditional Moroccan zellige tiles are amongst the most prized tiles in the world. Dating back to the 10th century, these small tiles are shaped, dried, glazed and cut by hand, giving each tile a uniquely imperfect finish. Original zellige tiles were limited to the colour of the clay, but reds, greens and blues appeared from the 14th century. Similar to Victorian mosaics, you can create unlimited patterns with these tiles.
Although mosaic tiles are mostly machine-made now, you can re-create a similar look with a smoother tiles. Combine bold mosaic tiles with plain walls and understated floors for the best effect, then lie back and soak all your worries away.
Jewel bright bathroom
Bright colours and intricate patterns often feature in Moroccan designs. Create your own designs with colourful mosaic tiles and be as bold as you dare.
If this look is a little too much, you can just tile a shower enclosure, splashback, single wall or floor in beautiful brights.
Moorish mosaic details
Another effective way to use mosaics is to create panels of colour. Choose bright metallics or bold colours for maximum impact. Add intricate wooden frames for an original Moroccan effect and if you really want the colours to pop, keep the rest of the walls white.
This is an unusual tile design that can be applied to small areas of painted wall as opposed to tiling an entire wall.
Brilliant blue and white borders
When it comes to Moroccan styling, intricate, complicated tile designs are a key feature. Combine different tile patterns and break them up with bold border tiles. Picking just two colours will create a more sophisticated look. Finish off with wooden accessories and whitewashed walls.
Moroccan tile washstand
If you want to introduce a touch of Moroccan style but don’t want to retile the whole bathroom, tiling a washstand or splashback is a clever way to achieve the look for less.
These bold tiles create a real focal point and the beauty of multicoloured Moroccan tiles is that you can match them with a huge choice of colours.
Image credit: @beautyfullbathrooms
Recommended Tile: Waxman Rustic Heritage Taco Mix
Feature shower wall
There’s no doubt about it, patterned tiles are a fantastic way to make a style statement and bring a wealth of character to your home. They can also be a little on the pricey side so if your budget doesn’t stretch to a whole bathroom, or if you just prefer a more subtle approach, tiling one wall in a bold pattern or colour is a savvy way to decorate a room.
These beautiful azure and white tiles are reminiscent of brilliant blue seas and are a great way to bring a touch of Moroccan Mediterranean into your home.
Image credit: @noblancofficial
Patterned Moroccan tile floor
Moroccan tiles don’t have to be bright and bold, many designs feature natural, earthy shades of terracotta, brown, ochre and white.
If you prefer a more neutral decor, adding these tiles to your bathroom floor is a wonderful way to bring character to the room without overpowering it. Mix patterned Moroccan tiles with natural stone or stone-effect tiles and wooden accessories to create a stunningly chic washroom.
Image credit: @villa.elfen
Perfectly imperfect zellige tiles
One of the best ways to create an authentic Moroccan-style bathroom is by using handcrafted tiles with an irregular finish. Keep grout lines as small as possible when using these tiles to emphasise the irregularities between the tiles.
Image credit: @dehasseinteriordesign
Top tips for achieving the Moroccan look with tiles
If you’ve opted for a Moroccan-style tiled bathroom, we’ve put together some tips for creating an authentic look:
- Introduce natural elements with stone wall and floor tiles, natural terracotta tiles and wood-effect floor tiles.
- Choose a Moroccan-style colour palette of red, blue, green, ochre and gold.
- Pick handcrafted, irregular zellige-style tiles for an authentic look.
- Use border tiles in a contrasting pattern for added interest.
- Highlight feature areas with small mosaic tiles.
Atlas Ceramics has a wide range of natural stone, terracotta, porcelain, handcrafted and patterned tiles to help you achieve a Moroccan look in your bathroom. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.