Penny Bathroom Tile Ideas –  11 ways to style these small but mighty mosaic tiles

Characteristic and charming, penny tiles have been used to decorate homes since the early 1900s.  Hexagonal or round in shape, these teeny tiles are usually less than an inch in diameter. Penny tiles can be used in any room, but are most often seen in bathrooms and hallways.

Often made from porcelain or glass, penny tiles are fixed to a tough mesh for easy installation. You can easily cut the tiles out from the mesh, making personalisation and pattern-making super simple.

If you’re keen to add these fabulous retro tiles to your bathroom and are looking for some design inspiration, keep reading to find out more.

Image credit: @fooilingkhoo

Penny bathroom tile ideas

If you’re keen to give these fabulous retro tiles a whirl in your bathroom but aren’t sure how to do it, read on to discover our pick of the most beautiful, inventive and stylish penny tile bathroom ideas:

Personalise it

One of the main advantages of penny mosaic tiles is that you can be super creative with them. Penny tiles are affixed to strong mesh sheets for ease of installation and you can easily snip the mosaics off the sheets.  Get creative and design some imaginative word art on your bathroom floor or walls.

Image credit: @beach_life_living

Keep it neutral

If you prefer warmer tones, look for penny tiles in soft natural shades.  You can add a subtle shimmer and sparkle with feature mother-of-pearl tiles or opt for real stone penny tiles to create the most beautiful feature wall in your bathroom.

Image credit: @originalstyleuk

Create a feature floor

You’ll often find black and white hexagonal penny tiles gracing the floors of bathrooms and halls. Black and white are the most classic penny tile colours and a timeless and iconic combination that will look good in every home.

Add Victorian-inspired style with a bold black and white floor edged with a striking border. Keeping the floor in a neutral colour scheme means you can choose whatever colours you like for the rest of the bathroom without worrying about any colour clashes.

Image credit: @woodsintothewoods

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Highlight an area

Penny tiles are extremely versatile. You can use them on floors, on walls, for feature splashbacks or to highlight certain areas like bathroom wall indents.

This is a perfect opportunity to get creative and add a personal touch to your bathroom. You don’t have to stick with plain colours either (as fantastic as the below black wall indent looks) You can pick from a huge range of coloured, iridescent and even multicoloured penny tiles to make a real impact.

Image credit: @tamrablair_interiordesign

Get creative

Mosaic tiles allow you to tap into your creative side more than any other tiles. Mosaic tile sheets are surprisingly quick and easy to fit and you can easily snip out tiles and swap them for other colours to create bespoke patterns and set your bathroom floor apart from the rest. 

Penny tiles are also an excellent choice if you have any curved surfaces to tile as you can create a seamless effect.

Image credit: @theordinaryrenovators

Go the whole hog

If you want a luxurious, streamlined look in your bathroom, consider tiling the walls and floors with matching penny tiles. It’s chic, practical and effortlessly stylish and will be a breeze to clean.

Image credit: @skylarchampiongroup

Add drama

There’s nothing like using dark tiles for adding a sophisticated feel to a bathroom. Although dark tiles can make spaces seem smaller, they also create a dramatic, cosy feel and are perfect for creating a chic, spa-like look. You can vary the look of the tiles by using crisp white grout, opting for a grout that matches the tiles or choosing a contrasting coloured grout.

Image credit: @matelkandesign

Have fun!

Penny tiles are an ideal choice if you want to add a fun and characterful twist to your bathroom.  We’ve mentioned using penny tiles to create word art, patterns and borders, but you can also use them to create bold stripes and stylish upstands.

Image credit: @coastaldecor

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Add a pop of colour

Penny tiles come in so many more colours than blue, black and white. If you’re a fan of pink, use rose-tinted penny tiles to create a feature wall in your bathroom. If you want to add just a hint of colour, you can use penny tiles in small areas, add borders or use coloured tiles to create subtle patterns.

Image credit: @fionawisemaninteriors

Create contrast

Circular penny tiles, also known as penny rounds, have larger areas of grout between them than hexagonal or square tiles. This makes them ideal for use on floors where the grout helps to create a non-slip surface.

You can choose a grout that’s the same colour as the tiles, or you can make a feature of the grout by choosing a contrasting colour. Some excellent combinations include white tiles with black, grey or brightly coloured grout, black tiles with white grout, pink tiles with yellow grout and blue tiles with orange grout.

Image credit: @fooilingkhoo

Add sparkle

There’s something extra special about iridescent glass tiles. They’ll reflect the light and change colour as you move around and they’ll never fail to cheer up a bathroom.

Image credit: @originalstyleuk

Are penny tiles timeless?

Penny tiles were first manufactured around the time of the industrial revolution. This coincided with a heightened awareness of good hygiene, and like other ceramic tiles, miniature mosaics began to make their way into everyday homes.

First produced in white, other colours were soon added and patterned, multicoloured penny-tiled floors became popular.

Although penny tiles fell out of fashion during the second world war, they’ve since resurfaced and become one of the most sought-after and stylish tiles on the market. Penny tiles are a classy and practical addition to modern or period properties and like all true style classics, have a timeless appeal.

With the rise in the popularity of penny tiles came an increase in the variety of materials and colours. As well as trusty porcelain, you can find penny tiles in marble, shell, brushed metal and glass, as well as a range of beautiful colours to suit your style.

Are penny tiles slippery?

Although these shiny, shimmering tiles might look like a slip hazard, they’re one of the best choices for a bathroom floor. Round penny tiles in particular have a lot of grout joints, providing an effective non-slip surface for a shower or wet room floor.

Penny tile tips

• Although penny tiles might look like a nightmare to install, because they come affixed to a mesh, they’re really simple to fit. Take advantage of the mesh if you’re creating patterns, you can easily snip tiles out to try different patterns before you fit them.
• Penny tiles are available in a range of materials from porcelain and natural stone to metal, glass and shell. It’s worth ordering samples or visiting a showroom to have a look at the tiles before making your final decision.
• Due to the large grout area around them, round penny tiles make excellent bathroom flooring.

Atlas Ceramics has an impressive and beautiful range of penny tiles in stock, including glass, metal and porcelain tiles. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.