Prepare to be floored for these lovely lavatories.
Bathrooms may be some of the smallest rooms in the house but, perhaps because of their size, they offer decorators the chance to take more risks. Nothing is more exciting than opening a bathroom door and discovering a beautiful world of color and pattern or a soothing, serene spa—that may or may not be a departure from the rest of your house’s maximalist or minimalist vibe. What anchors it all, of course, is the bathroom floor, especially when it’s paved in gorgeous tiles. As for how to incorporate them into your space, Artistic Tile president Lauren Cherkas encourages homeowners not to hold back. “Think about how the floors take up much less square footage, compared to the walls, of the space,” she explains. “It’s the perfect opportunity to select what you love.” So don’t be afraid to go bold. If you’re starting out on a renovation and unsure of what to do, we’ve canvassed some of our favorite bathroom floor tile ideas to offer you plenty of inspiration. Happy scrolling! Gray Vinyl Flooring
Whoever said too much of a good thing is bad? A palate-cleansing white ceiling and upper wall afford an all-out blue tile takeover in a California kids bathroom, by ELLE DECOR A-List designer Pamela Shamshiri. The bright azure tiles are from Heath Ceramics.
Take a cue from designer Tracy Hardenburg, whose penchant for bold geometric patterns ever inspires. In this glamorous loo, Hardenburg opted for a graphic, geometric pattern using Liaison Mulholland by ELLE DECOR A-List Titan Kelly Wearstler for Ann Sacks. Sometimes the art of decorating really is that black and white!
When you have a small space, using pattern can make it feel bigger. Here, a geometric blue Popham Design tile runs from floor to ceiling. We’d go so far as to say the final result is a dream come blue.
In this blush-hued powder room, the intricate Italian tile floors were inspired by Phoebe Philo’s stores for Celine. “[The client] pulled a really early reference to it,” says Le Whit’s Liza Curtiss. “Because of the diamond shape, we thought that it created a really fun pattern, and it mimicked Murano glass.”
You can never have too much of a good thing, as designer Victoria Sass of Prospect Refuge Studio proved in this happy Wisconsin lake house. “It’s plaid city in here!” she says of the powder room. Working with a Minneapolis tile company called Clay Squared to Infinity, she created a number of custom glazes and patterns to achieve a perfectly rustic summer camp vibe.
If you can swing it budget-wise, think beyond ceramic tiles for your bathroom. In the spa-like bathroom of her Toronto home, designer Montana Labelle paved the area surrounding her Brutalist-inspired custom vanity in tiles from her own home line.
Penny tiles are having a moment, reappearing in Coldplay guitarist’s Manhattan crash pad and now in this guest bathroom, designed by Tanya Smith-Shiflett of Unique Kitchens & Baths. The quintessential copper penny tile boasts a cream border that creates tasteful definition.
Sometimes, unexpected combinations make for the loveliest outcomes. In this whimsical project, Sydney-based design firm Arent & Pyke chose to match one of the colors in the wallpaper with a graphic patterned tile from Popham Design to give the bathroom extra punch.
Go ahead, get a little zany! Instead of choosing a more minimal flooring option to offset the patterned vanity and walls of their Lake Forest Showhouse bathroom, the Stone Textile Studio team boldly embraced their inner maximalist, creating custom geometric painted floors for an extra dose of dimension that is both off the wall—and on it!
Transform your space into a peaceful retreat that features spa-inspired flooring. For the guest suite bathroom of this California project, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Nicole Hollis kept it quiet by matching the floor tiles to the vein-cut travertine walls. We’re totally blissed out over here!
Maybe you don’t get selected as one of two winners for a stay at the Malibu Barbie house on Airbnb, but you can hone your own Barbie-inspired vibes in your space with a can’t-be-missed electric tile flooring. Here, designer Leah Ring went all in matching the tiled floors of this primary bathroom to the turquoise blue walls and vanity. Nobody’s falling asleep in this party of a bathroom!
Give your color-blocked tile a little pick-me-up, as did California-based designer Linda Hayslett, who paired a patterned black tile with plain to create a more interesting layout. The result is an organic touch that breaks up the otherwise monotonous space.
You can’t go wrong incorporating varying hues of the same color for high contrast that is seamlessly complementary. In her son’s bathroom in her Greek revival house, New Orleans–based ELLE DECOR A-List designer Michelle R. Smith created a contrasting border with custom tiles by Quemere Designs that run from the floor to the ceiling—proof that having the blues isn’t always bad.
A neutral-colored wallpaper might be begging for a brave departure underfoot. Here, designer Regan Baker uses the tried-and-true color scheme in a graphic pattern for the floor of this beautiful powder room. One word: yes.
In design, history repeats itself in the best of ways. In his fairy-tale home in Italy, designer Filippo Chia used 19th-century Riggiole tile for this guest bathroom—proof that ancient Rome has more than one thing to teach us in the 21st century.
Look to your own wardrobe for bathroom flooring inspiration, as did designer Sasha Bikoff for her guest bathroom at her Hamptons home. Here, she used a tile she designed for New Ravenna inspired by bandana motifs. “The bandana is such a classic symbol and has stood the test of time that I felt it needed to be preserved in stone,” she tells ELLE DECOR.
Maybe you’re a pattern-on-pattern devotee who has gone ham on the rest of your house. A bathroom can be an ideal palate cleanser that creates a welcome spa-like effect. Here, designer Caren Rideau used subtle colors for a sophisticated yet minimalist patterned floor.
Contrasting elements make each one sing—something ELLE DECOR A-List Spanish designer Lorenzo Castillo knows all about. In this sumptuous redo of a Paris apartment, he thought beyond ceramic tiles by paving the floor in a light-finished wood hexagon parquet to differentiate the vanity area from the marble-clad water closet and shower beyond. The result is a luxurious primary bathroom that is as glamorous as it is cozy.
A playful pattern, with repetitive abstract motifs, can uplift a dull space and give it personality. Here, Lauren Mahoney of Decoroom used Lascaux Tile’s Palmyra pattern on the floors for a final touch that is both refined and playful and instantly tones up the space.
We’re taking all the notes from this pretty Parisian primary bathroom, by ELLE DECOR A-List designer Jean-Louis Deniot. The custom geometric flooring contains a hint of blue that is echoed across the aqua blue walls.
Parker Bowie Larson is the Style Director for ELLE Decor, covering everything interior design-related ranging from tabletop to furniture to kitchen and bath, and has previously worked for Architectural Digest and Cottage Living.
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