The decoration of the bathroom should be practical, universal and meet the characteristics of the room. Light tiles are a win-win classic that will fit into any style and make the room spacious and airy. In this article we tell you how to choose white tiles for the bathroom, what to combine with them, and what ideas to adopt from design projects.
Features of white tile finishing
There are a number of nuances:
- This finish gives the room more light.
- White tiles are especially appropriate in small bathrooms in Khrushchev, as they visually change the dimensions of the space, making it more spacious.
- This design is aesthetically attractive and has a fresh and stylish look.
- The finishing material is white, the main advantages are that it has no design restrictions, due to which it fits perfectly with any style decisions.
Common types of tiles
Currently, the most popular types include several tile options.
- Volumetric - a tile that has a convex surface on which shadows fall interestingly. However, there is a nuance. Correct alignment of directional lighting will allow you to achieve a complex architectural solution.
- Square - decorating bathrooms in the style of Soviet apartments is again relevant. But it is important to take into account that the matte version will match the style.
- “Boar” is an interior classic that involves laying tiles to the middle of the wall.
- Mosaic or small cell variants are deservedly considered luxury options. This cladding looks dignified and expensive.
- The edged version, which is also called rectified, is a tile with smooth edges and no rounded chamfer of the glaze flow. With minimal seams it looks very impressive.
Location of tiles in the bathroom
Several accommodation options.
On the walls
Thanks to the huge variety of shapes and designs, regular or seamless ceramic cladding is the best decorative element for decorating walls and creating a unique interior.
The photo shows the interior of a modern bathroom with white tiles on the walls.
On the floor
White porcelain stoneware floor tiles are more durable, quite easy to clean, have a very attractive appearance and a refreshing color, giving the atmosphere expressiveness, sophistication and style. The only drawback is increased soiling and impracticality.
In a niche
A recess decorated with white tiles fits especially harmoniously into the overall styling of the room, adding personality to it. Such niches can be located near the door, above the bathtub, toilet, near the shower or washbasin.
The photo shows a bathroom and a narrow niche with lighting, decorated with white mosaic tiles.
In the shower
For walls and floors in the shower, clinker tile cladding is the most popular and practical solution that is not susceptible to fungus and bacteria.
We have made a detailed article about tiling a shower stall.
White tile color combinations
In order to slightly dilute the snow-white design, harmonious shade combinations are used.
White and brown
They are an excellent complement to each other and represent a win-win design option that favorably emphasizes the bathroom interior.
Black and white
A contrasting duo of white top and dark bottom, or vice versa, divided by a border in the middle, is considered classic. A snow-white finish, complemented by dark accents in a checkerboard pattern or in any other arrangement, takes on a more interesting and impressive look.
Be sure to check out our selection of black and white bathrooms.
The photo shows a contrasting combination of white and black tiles in the interior of a bathroom combined with a toilet.
Gray-white
Graphite, lead, steel, anthracite or wet asphalt shade, in combination with white, look truly stylish. With the help of this perfectly balanced tandem, rooms in the style of minimalism or hi-tech are especially often decorated.
Check out the bathroom interior with gray tiles.
White and blue
To create a stylish design, use a combination with blue, light blue, azure or turquoise tile cladding. These two shades allow you to create a light and slightly cool atmosphere, and when decorating surfaces with pebbles, shells, starfish or themed patterns, you can create a truly marine interior.
With beige
Such a calm combination, due to its neutrality, will visually enlarge and expand the space.
The photo shows a bathroom interior with a combination of white and beige tiles.
White-pink
Gives the atmosphere a particularly gentle, elegant, attractive and at the same time noble appearance.
With silver
It will be the final, slightly glamorous touch and a wonderful accent in any bathroom.
With gold
It has an unusually solemn and sophisticated appearance, imbuing the design with aristocratic nobility and high cost.
Mother of pearl
Due to its spectacular glow, golden, greenish tints and blue and gray highlights, mother-of-pearl looks especially amazing and magnificent.
White bathroom interior - interesting accessories
Without a doubt, one of the most important additions to a white bathroom is the selection of colors. Rich green pairs perfectly with slightly cool white, adding a touch of elegance and sophisticated style to the room. Which flowers to choose for the bathroom: artificial or bright?
A lot really depends on the size of the room, access to natural light, and individual preferences. Artificial plants for the bathroom have the advantage that they do not need to be watered and always look very good. In turn, fresh flowers not only perform a decorative function, but also help purify the air.
Should I give up plants if I don't have access to a bathroom window? Not necessarily, here's why:
- Plants that love shade, that is, wonderful flowers for a bathroom without a window, tolerate moisture well, which is lacking in this room. These are monstera, bamboo, fern or ivy, which are great for walls and even create a natural barrier that divides space.
It is worth remembering that the choice of suitable flower pots or wicker baskets in which flowers will be stored is an important decorative element of the room.
What to do if the interior design is “boring”? Another bathroom layout is very simple: all you have to do is change the accessories in the form of towels, rugs, laundry basket or wall shelves and hangers in a new color to refresh the look of a classic bathroom. The easiest way is to replace artificial flowers with bright live plants or vice versa - this is probably the simplest and most effective metamorphosis.
What grout color is best for white?
White tiles with black grout or with gray grout are definitely a very practical solution, since dark seams will not lose their attractiveness over time and do not require regular cleaning, which makes caring for the tiled surface much easier.
The photo shows a bathroom and white square tiles with black grout joints.
Also, grout joints can be plain or have a contrasting design. For example, red, orange, pink, yellow, blue or any other colored grout will emphasize the geometry and highlight the white tile installation.
Shapes and sizes of bathroom tiles
White ceramic tiles can be square, rectangular, or have more complex shapes, such as a hexagonal shape that looks like a honeycomb, oval, round, or in the form of a diamond and small mosaic elements. Due to unusual shapes, it is possible to create a more complex play of light and achieve various visual effects.
The photo shows the interior of a bathroom with white hexagon-shaped tiles on the walls.
Mixing shades in a white room
Your snow-white room will become elegant and rich thanks to lamps and faucets covered in gold. Glass shelves with golden details are also perfect.
Of course, designs always vary due to light. Therefore, for greater comfort, it is better to choose yellowish light, and for snow-whiteness, bluish light is suitable.
White color helps to visually enlarge the space. The tile does not have to be completely smooth; different types can be used.
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Layout options for the bathroom
A fairly current and classic option is staggered or diagonal placement, which helps to hide and play up some surface irregularities. Also, the plane can be decorated with white tiles in a staggered pattern, due to the offset reminiscent of brickwork. A very original look is the herringbone layout, which involves joining the tiles at an angle of 90 degrees or a linear version with intermittent, parallel, broken or chaotic stripes.
The photo shows white rectangular tiles with a herringbone layout in a bathroom interior.
Bathroom Tile Design Ideas
Popular design ideas.
Bricks
A product made to look like brick or white tile hog, which is also called metro, can have a completely different design, be matte, glossy, aged or sprayed. This cladding option always looks very interesting and modern.
Marbled
Noble aristocratic white tiles with fancy brown, gray, pink or bluish veins add sophistication and visual high value to the bathroom environment.
Under the tree
This imitation very accurately conveys the texture and has a rather natural appearance that can be distinguished from the original only by touch.
We advise you to look at interesting wood-look tile ideas.
Mosaic
It has special edges that beautifully refract and reflect light; it can have a traditional look or be decorated with fragments of stones, glass or fancy and intricate patterns.
Glossy
Such a surface, thanks to its reflective effect, creates interesting illusions in space, adding elegance, freshness and even a certain coldness to it.
Matte
To achieve the opposite, warmer and more cozy design, white matte, slightly rough tiles are suitable.
The photo shows a bathroom with a shower lined with white matte hexagonal tiles.
With drawings, patterns and ornaments
A variety of detailed designs, patterns or patterns, such as meander, arabesque or patchwork, add spice and intrigue to the setting. Tiles with flowers can become a truly powerful accent piece that looks bright and expressive and gives the bathroom an exotic touch.
Embossed
It has a voluminous convex texture, often used to highlight certain areas in a room and achieve a high decorative effect. Wave wall tiles look very unusual and, thanks to their streamlined wave-like shape, smooth out the interior space.
Tips and ideas
Those who want to make a lot of light can decorate the interior with many mirrors, lighting and glass.
Many people perceive a white bathroom as an operating room, but you can turn it into a room for SPA treatments. To do this, bring live plants into the bathroom.
Bottom line
The bathroom is an important part of a person’s life, so it should be as comfortable and cozy as possible so that you can get a dose of relaxation here in the evening. The most important thing is to choose the right color.
If you haven’t found the one for yourself, take the white one, it’s impeccable, and besides, it’s been at the peak of popularity for a long time.
How does it look with other materials?
White tiles can also be perfectly combined with other different finishes, for example, it could be just painting, wallpaper or plastic panels. For those who prefer natural and environmentally friendly materials in their design and a more stylish and presentable interior, a combination of tiles with wood or plaster is especially suitable.
The photo shows white marble-imitation tiles combined with wood trim in the interior of a modern bathroom.
What styles are white tiles suitable for?
White cladding is the most popular for decorating Scandinavian interiors, minimalist or high-tech design. Also, this finish is no less relevant for classic, loft, Provence, shabby chic or other retro styles. This design and color scheme easily changes, complements and transforms the bathroom in any stylistic direction.
The photo shows a small Scandinavian-style bathroom with walls decorated with white hog tiles.
Competent finishing and design
To prevent the design from being dull, focus on brightness by using different elements.
It is better to decorate the walls with white glossy tiles or wood panels. Thanks to this, the room will become cozy and comfortable. The combination of different sized tiles looks stylish.
It is worth placing white furniture in a white interior. The room will be impressive. And if you want to do something unique, then install plumbing fixtures in a dark color scheme.
Light lovers will appreciate the huge number of lights, various glass and mirrors that give a feeling of lightness. For those who want to stand out as unusual, the use of colored light is suitable.
