Create A Warm Home Aesthetic With These Timeless Bathroom Tile Ideas


‘Aquatio’ porcelain stoneware tile collection by Casalgrande Padana.

Sponsored Content: This post has kindly been sponsored by Casalgrande Padana. Casalgrande Padana. All words, thoughts and opinions are by Melanie Lissack.

Creating a warm and inviting atmosphere at home shouldn’t be limited to just the living spaces or the bedrooms. Within modern and contemporary interior design, we’ve moved past the stage of plain and sterile bathroom spaces that preside function over aesthetics. Timeless and stylish bathroom spaces are now visually appealing and captivating, as well as being practical, low-maintenance and durable thanks to advancements in the latest wall and floor tile technology. 

If you are planning a bathroom remodel or a bathroom renovation project, or, if you simply want to switch up the tiles in your existing bathroom to make it more classic and alluring, here are five timeless bathroom tile ideas to create a warm and inviting bathroom scheme. 

‘Casalgrande Padana’s ‘English Wood: Epping’, combined with the sedimentary rock effect of ‘Supreme: Sand’

Include natural-look materials, such as wood-effect tiles

Natural wood has a depth and a warmth that brings so much to an interior scheme. The etched grain and knots found in wood contain charm and add character, while the soft tones are calming and captivating. 

However, natural wood is a material that has previously rarely appeared within modern bathroom design. The reason for this being that the composition of natural wood is not suited to wet, hot and humid environments. Wood, when constantly and consistently exposed to these elements will rot, warp and discolour. Natural wood cannot also take harsh cleaning chemicals and requires a high level of maintenance to keep it looking its best. 

contemporary bathroom scheme

Pietra Tiburtina tiles by Casalgrande Padana on the walls and floor.

Due to advancements within tile technology, superior tile manufacturers Casalgrande Padana have developed wall and floor tiles made from porcelain stoneware that exactly replicate the look and feel of real wood. Hardwearing without limitation, these wood-effect tiles are not susceptible to damage or decay and are available as a non-slip option. They are incredibly easy to clean as they are water-repellant and non-porous and can take the application of abrasive cleaning agents. 

Use Casalgrande Padana’s Project Wood , Country Wood or English Wood tiles on the floor to warm up a bathroom. If you prefer your bathrooms to be painted white for a bright, fresh and clean look, combining white walls with wood-effect floor tiles will instantly soften the space and will stop it from feeling too harsh or sanitary. 

Warm up your bathroom and create a continuous flow with your flooring via ‘Project Wood’ wood-effect tiles from Casalgrande Padana.

You could also create a continuous flow throughout your home by extending the wood-look flooring from your hallway or living spaces into your bathroom, creating a cohesive transition between areas and not sectioning off the bathroom as a separate space. Casalgrande Padana offers a wide range of wood effect tile sizes which allow for a multitude of traditional wood flooring laying patterns, including straight plank lines, chevron, herringbone and diagonal, amongst others.

Use sandstone tiles for a contemporary yet inviting bathroom space

Sandstone and travertine are currently two of the most popular natural stone finishes within modern interior design. Pinterest is awash with interior schemes containing travertine furniture and rooms featuring sandstone effects and colourways. 

The soft beige and taupe tones of natural sandstone have a rustic, continental appeal that is synonymous with warmer climes and therefore evokes a cosy aesthetic, creating a space upon which you would want to spend time in. 

‘Adria Smart’ from the ‘Marmosmart’ collection of porcelain stoneware by Casalgrande Padana.

The trouble with natural sandstone and travertine materials is that they stain, scratch and discolour, which is not a winning combination for a hard-working space like a bathroom. This is why luxury tile manufacturers Casalgrande Padana have developed wall and floor tiles featuring all the rich tones and textures of natural sandstone, but constructed from high-quality porcelain stoneware. Strong, water-repelling and fire and stain-resistant, Casalgrande Padana’s Chalon , Nature , Petra Oro and Kerblock Beige tile collections embrace the warm, sandy surface of natural sandstone. Use these tiles on the walls and the floor to create an inviting and earthy scheme with a warm, glowing hue.

Use honey-toned marble effects for a rich, dramatic bathroom scheme that doesn’t dominate 

Heavily-veined, rich marble bathrooms are often associated with impeccable style and the utmost luxury; bathrooms draped in natural marble are ageless, but those plentiful black or grey lines can feel quite overpowering in a residential bathroom being used every day.

If you love the look but want to create something that doesn’t feel so heavy, look to warmer honey-toned marble effects, such as Onice Arancio porcelain stoneware tiles by Casalgrande Padana. This tile design replicates marble’s classic features, while the polished finish enhances the surface’s shine and elegance. The pale golden colour variation that weaves around the tiles' surface is visually enticing, but at the same time feels lighter, yet just as elegant as black-veined marble. The honey tones are seductive yet time-honoured and would work particularly well alongside bathroom fittings with an aged brass finish.

Large format wall tiles: Onice Arancio. Floor tiles: Highland English Wood. Both Casalgrande Padana.

Choose large format honey-toned marble-effect tiles to obtain an uninterrupted pattern in your bathroom with minimal grout lines. Casalgrande Padana offers format sizes of ‘Onice Arancio’ in 120 x 278 cm, 60 x 120 cm and 120 x 120 cm, all with a 6.0 mm thickness. 

Colour block your bathroom in inviting blue and green tones

Colour Blocking - the process of adding bright blocks of colour within an interior scheme - works well in bathrooms as it offers a surprising and pleasant jolt of colour, avoiding the predictability of what we tend to expect within bathroom design.

The key to getting colour blocking right within a bathroom is not to stray over to overly vivid shades. Select colours found in the natural world, such as greens and blues. These colours are calming, revitalising and reassuring, connecting us to the tranquillity of the ocean or the joyful nature of a clear blue sky.

‘Atelier Indaco’ in multiple format sizes.

For the best bathroom colour blocking result, stick to just one or two colours and create dynamic visual interest by using different tile sizes, tile patterns and shower tile combinations. For example, you could use a large format blue tile on the bathroom wall but feature the same colour in a smaller, metro tile format in the shower.

‘Nuances Cameo Lux’ is arranged in a herringbone pattern behind the sink. The floor tiles are ‘Cementina Multicolor Grigia’, also by Casalgrande Padana.

Mix materials to avoid trends

Marble, jet-black finishes and polished brass are all bathroom trends that have been really popular in the past few years. In order to create a timeless, elegant bathroom that is warm and inviting, it’s a good idea to mix a multitude of materials, so that one particular finish does not command the design of the space and look dated once it falls out of favour. 

Don’t be afraid to mix wood effects with natural stone-effect tiles. You can also mix lighter and darker tiles together and pair black fixtures alongside gold or chrome. Differing colours and variations can create a more dynamic, layered look in a bathroom, adding dimension and interest. 

Casalgrande Padana’s ‘Supreme: Dark’ porcelain stoneware tiles are used on the floor of this mixed material bathroom.

Casalgrande Padana offers a wide range of tile patterns and tones for a bespoke bathroom design and makes the mixing of materials an easy task. Use darker colourways on the floor to create a base for the scheme, before lifting the look with a lighter option on the walls.