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2012 Tile Trends: Bathroom
Eclectic tiles will make a splash in bathroom design this year
What will new bathrooms be wearing this year? If they take their cues from major metro design centers and the Coverings tile and stone trade show this spring, we'll be seeing creative new ways to use tile: more graphics, more textures, and colors that range from ultra-bright to dark and dramatic.
Tile is durable and practical, but as these photos show, it's anything but dull. This year, it's also energetic, creative, eclectic and vibrant. Read on for a preview from Coverings, heading to Orlando in April. What will you be looking for in a showroom near you?
Browse bathroom design photos | Find a bath designer
Tile is durable and practical, but as these photos show, it's anything but dull. This year, it's also energetic, creative, eclectic and vibrant. Read on for a preview from Coverings, heading to Orlando in April. What will you be looking for in a showroom near you?
Browse bathroom design photos | Find a bath designer
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Tile goes very graphic this year, as seen here on the wall behind the sink. Yes, it's neutral, but the combination and pattern make it work as an accent wall. This punctuates an otherwise quiet black, grey and white room designed by Tile of Spain.
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Brights will shout out against neutrals this year. Look for vivid greens, oranges and other "happy" colors to accent neutral field tile in bathrooms, as seen here from American tile maker Crossville.
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Mosaics go graphic in 2012, as seen in this tub surround from Tile of Italy. The random pattern has a digital feel to it, perfect for the ever-increasing presence of technology in our daily lives, but its quiet tones provide a soothing element.
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| Look for vibrant tones and subtle patterns in bathrooms this year. This Tile of Italy bath goes over the top in its use of color but selects blues and greens as a calming offset. The patterns you'll see this year are subtle, just there to add interest. |
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Dark and dramatic are hot this year, too, as are mixing formats. Here, you see mosaics and large format together in a Crossville bath. This trend works well for shower floors that need more traction, as well as shower walls for drama.
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| Carrara has always been popular for traditional bathrooms. Look for it this year in contemporary baths, as well. What may surprise you the most is the amazing ability of porcelain tile to stand in for natural stone, as it does in this Tile of Spain master suite. Two major benefits of porcelain include better durability and no need for sealing. |
by AMI Designs
»
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Textured tile will continue to be a hot trend in 2012. Animal prints, geometrics, pebble, linen and wood styles can all lend a stylish touch to your bathroom floor and walls.
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| Metallics will continue to mix into material blends to add interest to bathroom tile design. Look for silver and bronze tones to be especially strong. Linen looks, as shown on the field tile, will also be a continuing trend for 2012. |
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You'd never put real wood in a shower but one of the strongest trends in tile is wood-styled tile. It has a wood-like finish and texture, but it's totally water-safe.
The lace pattern — and other interesting textures — will also be continuing trends for 2012.
The lace pattern — and other interesting textures — will also be continuing trends for 2012.
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Large-format tiles will continue to be a hot trend in 2012. Here, they offset a small-tile accent wall. Often, you'll see just large tile set row after row, vertically or horizontally. The look is clean and contemporary.
More: New Ways to Use Tile in Living Spaces
New Tile Styles for the Kitchen
More: New Ways to Use Tile in Living Spaces
New Tile Styles for the Kitchen
Comments
dancingfish Love that last bathroom.. small and large tile.
16 months ago · Like
Kit Murphy Anything new coming in wall cladding for the bath, specifically the shower?
16 months ago · Like
Sardar Nabeel Wali Very well done! All of them.
16 months ago · Like
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tobeamiss the last bathroom looks so cozy ... I would love taking a shower in there!
16 months ago · Like
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tikkitalk Lovely designs but IMHO trends are best used away from bathrooms and kitchens - unless you want to rip it all apart 10-20 years later for it all looks too... yesteryear. Accessorizing with trends is totally cool but I would not get too crazy with trends on big ticket items that are tricky to change.
16 months ago · Like
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lexin man i love the first bathroom...
16 months ago · Like
Gina Johnson I love all of these. Another really unusual tile that I like is the IVI Tufted Fabric-Look tile from Hastings. It looks soft but since it's porcelain I'm sure it isn't. 
12 months ago · Like
Gina Johnson & i like the tile wall in that third pic. Even more so, i am a huge fan of those shelves on the side of the tub.
12 months ago · Like
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Heidi Tirjan Here is another bathroom I love! 
8 months ago · Like
Heidi Tirjan The tile is Venetian glass in the frame and ceramic in the field. 
8 months ago · Like
astraea In designing a new bathroom, should the entire floor be tiled, including under the vanity & any other cabinetry in the room? Planning ahead, I'd hate that if a piece was replaced in the future, the new piece wouldn't cover the "tile gap", if the entire floor hadn't been tiled! I also keep wondering if there are wall tile height preferences these days, or does it depend more on budget? My master bath has tile all around, right up to the roof line, which looks "cleaner", and I thought that tile to a 30" height might look old fashioned in the main bath.
5 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on Jan. 30, 2012.
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