Everything You Need To Know About Shower Tiling Right Now

What's the easiest way to add personality without overwhelming the space?

The answer, according to every expert, is restraint. "If the tile has a strong colour, keep the laying pattern simple," advises Grazzie. "If the tile is quieter, that's where stripes, checkerboards or vertical stacking can earn their keep."Rob agrees that texture and layout often have more impact than introducing additional colours. Even an all-white shower can feel layered when different tile sizes or zellige-style finishes catch the light.

Fired Earth's Carly Allison also recommends treating the shower as its own design zone. Rather than matching every finish exactly, she suggests echoing colours elsewhere in the room through paint, tiles and fittings to create a layered scheme that still feels cohesive.

Are people becoming more adventurous?

Absolutely – but perhaps not in the way you'd expect. "Timeless should never be confused with pale, plain and terrified of personality," says Grazzie. Instead of covering every wall in pattern, homeowners are making one confident design decision – whether that's an oxblood shower enclosure, a tiled ceiling or a striped installation – while keeping the rest of the room relatively restrained. Rob has noticed the same confidence emerging in Claybrook's showrooms. Even customers looking for classic bathrooms are increasingly willing to introduce one playful detail, whether that's a diagonal tile layout, earthy 1970s-inspired colours or a stronger connection between the bathroom and the rest of the home.

What design tricks instantly make a shower feel bigger and more luxurious?

Rather than defaulting to pale colours, designers say the key is committing fully to whichever scheme you choose. Grazzie recommends taking tiles all the way to the ceiling, continuing them beyond the shower screen where possible and even tiling the ceiling itself for a cocooning effect. Large-format porcelain helps reduce grout lines in smaller bathrooms, while vertically stacked tiles naturally draw the eye upwards.

Rob also champions full-height tiling, alongside clever uses of stripes to visually widen or heighten a space. Meanwhile, Bert & May's Lee Thornley suggests replacing full-height walls with half-height tiled partitions and glass screens to let more natural light flow through the room, making even compact showers feel more open. For those wanting instant luxury, both Carly and Rob point to marble and marble-effect porcelain, whose veining adds depth, movement and timeless elegance.

What are the biggest mistakes people make?

Surprisingly, it's rarely the tile itself. Grazzie says the biggest error is treating every surface as an individual decision rather than considering the room as a whole. "You end up with several perfectly nice tiles that have absolutely nothing to say to one another.” Rob's biggest piece of advice is equally practical: always order samples first. The appearance of a tile can change dramatically depending on natural light, grout colour and layout, so seeing it in situ before committing is essential.

Both experts also stress the importance of investing in installation. Beautiful grout lines, accurate cuts and thoughtful planning will always elevate a modest tile, while poor workmanship can undermine even the most expensive marble.

What shower tile trends should we expect to see next?

Over the coming year, bathrooms will become warmer, bolder and more layered. Grazzie predicts that tobacco, oxblood, mineral green, and butter yellow will continue to gain momentum, alongside the return of decorative borders, stripes, and checkerboards used in a more considered way.

Rob expects earthy terracotta-look porcelains, realistic stone finishes and warmer brassware – particularly matt gold – to define bathroom schemes, while colour pairings such as sky blue with chocolate brown and sage green with apricot will become increasingly popular.

Lee believes homeowners will continue to treat tiles as decorative features rather than purely practical surfaces, with handmade finishes, zellige textures and artisanal details bringing warmth and character to bathrooms that feel far more like beautifully decorated living spaces than traditional washrooms.