Small Bathroom Tile Ideas – 14 ways to tile a bijou bathroom

If you’ve got a small bathroom, you’re certainly not alone, the average UK bathroom is just 4.4m2 in size.  Although most of us would love a spacious bathroom, when it comes to re-tiling, small bathrooms have many benefits. It’s much cheaper to choose tiles for a smaller space and you can be super creative with colours, patterns and clever tile combinations.

What kind of tiles should I choose for a small bathroom?

When choosing tiles for compact bathrooms, there are endless possibilities. You can go large with super-sized tiles or you can opt for any other sized tile, down to miniature mosaics.

Colour-wise, dark tiles will make a small room feel more enclosed, while lighter tiles will help to maximise the feeling of space.  Smaller rooms can carry off bold colour combinations and vibrant prints more easily than larger spaces so you can be extra creative with your tile choices.

Less space to tile means you’ll have more flexibility with your budget so you can opt for high-end stone or porcelain tiles to give your bathroom a luxurious hotel-like look. Alternatively, if you’re just tiling a small area or are on a tight budget, you might get lucky with end-of-line or clearance tiles.

Small Bathroom Tile Ideas

Whether you’ve squeezed a shower room into a cupboard space, converted a loft area or just have a compact bathroom (and that’s most of us) there are so many ways to tile your space.

From bold black to simple brights, luxurious natural stone and eye-catching feature tiles, we’ve put together our pick of the most perfect small bathroom tile designs to inspire you:

Keep it light and airy

Compact bathrooms can really benefit from an abundance of white tiles. Use them on the floors and walls for the brightest look. You don’t have to stick to the same tiles, match quirky hexagonal tiles with sleek marble for a clean, uncluttered look that will help to boost the feeling of space.

White tiles are ideal for a bijou bathroom as they create a feeling of brightness and space. Use Hexagons for a unique finish.

Image credit: @dreamhouse_byme

Recommended Tile: Ava Blanco Plain 

Opt for dramatic dark tiles

Whilst it’s true that dark tiles will make a room feel smaller, it’s all about creating the right look for your bathroom. Dark bathrooms are sophisticated and elegant and they can feel incredibly luxurious.

Pick large format tiles to help increase the feeling of space and combine them with warm wood-effect porcelain tiles to balance the dark tones.

Dark bathrooms are sophisticated and elegant and they can feel incredibly luxurious. If you prefer dark colours to white then large format tiles will help increase the feeling of space.

Image credit: @mona.home.deco

Recommended Tile: Welsh Slate Bangor Black

Combine different tile patterns and styles

One of the best things about tiling a small space is that you can have so much fun with different tile styles, colours and patterns.  Perfect if you’re struggling to choose between tile styles, pick a couple of plain tiles in different sizes and match them with standout patterned tiles for a showstopping effect.

Combinations we love; metro and penny tiles, metro and hexagonal tiles and metro tiles laid in different ways on adjoining walls.

One of the great things about tiling a small space is the enjoyment you can have with different styles, colours and patterns to create your individual space.

Image credit: @prettyprospectcottage

Recommended Tile: Ava Aqua Decor 

Keep it simple with white wall tiles

Sometimes, keeping it simple can work wonders in a small bathroom. White wall tiles are timeless, elegant and a great choice if you’re on a budget.

If you stick to white grout, it’ll create a seamless finish and help you achieve a clean, airy look. The big advantage of white tiles is that they go with all interior styles and, if you like, you can introduce pops of colour through carefully chosen accessories.

White tiles create a fresh, clean and airy bathroom. The big advantage is that they go with all interior styles and you can add a seamless pop of colour as required.

Image credit: @interiors71

Recommended Tile: San Vincenzo White 

Introduce bold colours

If you’re crazy about cobalt or have a passion for pink, a small bathroom is the perfect place to introduce bold colours. Because you don’t spend too much time in the bathroom, you can go for adventurous colours and designs that you might not want to include in a living room or bedroom.

Small bathrooms can pull off deep shades of blue and green, bold black or even red with ease. Combine brilliantly coloured tiles with feature wallpaper or strong paint colours for even more impact.

Deep shades of colour work well in smaller spaces, blues and greens combined with bold paint and wallpaper can work extremely well.

Image credit: @helenas.home.reno

Recommended Tile:Asha Blue

Get the luxe look with marble tiles

Small bathrooms mean less wall space to tile and that can be a great thing if you’ve got your heart set on beautiful real stone tiles.

Durable, beautiful and light reflective, marble is an excellent choice if you want to create a luxurious-looking bathroom.

Remember that you don’t have to fully tile the walls in the whole bathroom, so this can work in your favour when choosing more expensive tiles.

Durable and light reflective marble is a stunning choice if you want to add a touch of elegance in your bathroom.

Image credit: @furnishedbyanna

Recommended Tile: Elgin Gloss White Marble 

Choose vibrant patterns

There’s a whole lot of love for terrazzo tiles right now. Made from porcelain, the multicoloured chips run right through the tiles so you can get away without using tile edging strips if you prefer.  The size of the chips in the tiles can vary greatly, but these busy-looking tiles are perfect for livening up smaller spaces.

These beautiful busy-looking Terrazzo tiles are perfect for livening up smaller spaces, offering a range of colours to suit all tastes and requirements.

Image credit: @palmersoftrentbridge

Recommended Tile: Monarch Terrazzo 

Add contrast with dark walls and bright tiles

Make the most of a small bathroom by turning it into a cosy sanctuary. Dark-coloured walls will help the room feel snug, and you can add contrast with wall tiles in a rich contrasting colour. We love the combination of navy blue walls and pink tiles, but you can play around with many different and equally striking colour duos.

Design a cosy oasis in a smaller bathroom space, the combination of navy blue and pink creates a striking result in a bijou bathroom.

Image credit: @thehousewiththepinkbed

Recommended Tile: Brick Pink 

Use the same tiles for the floors and walls

Using the same tiles on the walls and floor creates a cohesive look that will help even the smallest of bathrooms to feel more spacious.  Keeping the same tiles throughout the room is one of the best ways to create a hotel-style bathroom and, if you choose real stone or stone-effect porcelain tiles, it’s one of the most timeless options too.

Small bathrooms mean less wall space to tile and that can be a great thing if you’ve got your heart set on beautiful real stone tiles, like this magnificent marble

Image credit: @our_little_doer_upper

Recommended Tile: Viano White Polished Marble 

Put your creative stamp on it

We love the bright colours of the tiles in this simple loft bathroom and they’re especially effective against the white in the rest of the room.

To create a similar look in your bathroom you can purchase Victorian-style tiles, these are one of the best options for creating patterns, or you can carefully cut ceramic tiles to size.

Vivid colours are another stunning option against a white backdrop, creating intrigue and interest in a smaller bathroom.

Image credit: @woodrowvizor_architects

Enhance a small space with clever tile layouts

How you lay your tiles can make a huge difference to the overall appearance of a small bathroom. Opt for patterns that will visually alter the size of the room, for example, herringbone patterns can help to widen narrow spaces.

Big tiles will also help spaces to look bigger than they really are and you can effectively use large tiles on walls and floors, even in the smallest of bathrooms.

Large tiles are very on trend and assist with making spaces look more substantial than they really are. You can effectively use large tiles on walls and floors, even in the smallest of bathrooms.

Image credit: @little.coastal.cottage

Recommended Tile: Wildwood

Add height with vertically stacked tiles

In much the same way that a herringbone floor pattern helps to widen small spaces, vertically stacked tiles can help to make a room feel taller and this can be an effective trick in a small or unconventional bathroom space.

A useful trick to make a smaller bathroom space feel taller, use vertically stacked tiles, it works wonders.

Image credit: @kerslandwiththejoneses

Recommended Tile: Rio Blanco

Use unusual feature tiles

Small spaces can often carry off intricate details better than large ones, so make the most of having a miniature bathroom and clad it in the most gorgeous tiles you can find.

Fish scale or scallop tiles are perfectly suited to bathrooms. You can buy them in a range of colours and materials, from ocean-inspired glazed porcelain tiles to iridescent glass tiles. Use unusual tiles to line a shower enclosure, highlight a splashback or pick out a feature wall.

Smaller areas can often carry off intricate details better than large ones. Scallop tiles can be used to clad the smallest of bathrooms and make it the most gorgeous room in the house.

Image credit: @ola_kosciow

Recommended Tile: Mermaid Olive

Create a design feature

There are so many ways to tile a small bathroom, you can keep it simple, get clever with tile layout to create the illusion of space, or just go for it and create the boldest, most eye-catching patterns you can think of.

These gorgeous chequerboard wall tiles are a standout feature of this bathroom; quirky, timeless and full of character, they’re a perfect way to add interest to a small space.

There are a great many ways to tile a small bathroom to your advantage and create the illusion of space, keep it simple, experiment with different tile layouts or really make it stand out with the most striking and enchanting patterns you can find.

Image credit: @pernille_lind_studio_

Recommended Tile: Damask black and white

Top tips for choosing tiles for a small bathroom

• Small bathrooms are easy to choose tiles for so settle on the style you want to achieve before you start shopping for tiles to help narrow down your selection.
• Use tile size and layout to your advantage. Large tiles will help small bathrooms to look bigger and clever tile layouts can make a huge difference to the appearance of a room. Vertically stacked tiles will increase the illusion of height, whereas horizontal and herringbone layouts tiles will help to visually widen a room.
• Small bathrooms may lack size, but they’ll happily carry off almost any tile design or colour that you throw at them. Grab some samples and see how they look in situ before settling on the final tiles.

Atlas Ceramics has a huge range of bathroom and cloakroom tiles to help get you started. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.