Tiles for bathroom vanities

When you’re designing your bathroom, vanity units can often be used as a focal point and are a great way to add stylish storage space to your interior. Whether they’re combined with inset or countertop basins, or you opt for a separate sink area and use the vanity as dedicated shelf space, tiling around it can create an attractive feature area in your bathroom. You can therefore experiment and opt for bolder tiles or a style you wouldn’t normally go for, if you’re tiling a smaller space.

We’ve shared some ideas below of tiles which we think work well around vanity units and which will add character and style to your interior.

Modern metro tile style

Subway or metro tiles continue to be a popular choice for bathrooms, thanks to their aesthetically pleasing style. With smooth straight lines and a modern gloss look, their rectified edges mean they can be placed closer together, minimizing grouting and contributing to that linear look. They’re also extremely versatile in that you can lay them both horizontally or vertically, or in a chevron-style pattern, if you’d like to create a different style.

With gloss and matt designs available – along with various colour choices – there are lots of ways to make this type of tile work for your space.

Create a calming vanity area with the Pool Green Brick-effect Wall Tile.

With a beautiful sea-green glossy tone, the Pool Green Brick-effect Wall Tile recreates the calming colours of nature and has a soothing effect. A great choice for vanity areas, the smooth gloss finish gives it a modern look while the green is in keeping with the ongoing trend for this colour. It’s also light enough that it will work well alongside a range of other colours, so you can pair it with natural wood-effect bathroom-ware or similar nature-inspired tones. There is also a texture and depth to these tiles, as the main green tone is shot through with mild grainy detailing which gives it added visual interest.

Introduce some colour to your interior with the Palm Striped Hexagon Décor Pink Porcelain Tile.

Go bold with colour

If you don’t usually choose bright or bold colours and always play it safe with neutrals, then using coloured and/or patterned tiles around a vanity unit is a great way to experiment with something different in a smaller area. By tiling a smaller space you can subsequently create an eye-catching feature area without having to worry about it being too overpowering.

The Palm Striped Hexagon Decor Pink Porcelain Tile will add subtle colour to your bathroom as the shade of pink veers away from the brighter end of the colour palette and is instead, more muted. It’s therefore a great choice if you want to try some colour but aren’t quite ready to go too bold and bright. This tile also features a white striped design, which adds dimension and character, while the hexagonal shape again creates a point of visual interest and will draw the eye.

If you do decide to go bolder, however, then the Atlantida Blue Polished Rectified Tile combines both colour and pattern to create a stunning backdrop for any vanity area. This larger size porcelain tile has a gloss finish and a luxury look, with a marble-effect design which mixes deep blue with swirls of gold and white. The result is a tile that demands attention for all the right reasons and which will elevate your bathroom, creating a feature wall with depth, texture and elegance.

Add some stunning colour to your vanity area with the opulence of the Atlantida Blue Polished Rectified Tile.

Natural aesthetic

Nature-inspired bathroom décor continues to be a popular trend this year and within this, you can get creative with everything from marble and stone or wood-effect tiles to earthy tones and calming, neutral colour palettes.

If you like the natural look, then consider the Adaggio Calcatta Gold Bevel Metro Tile White Ceramic, a marble-effect tile with bevelled edges that will create a calming area around your vanity unit. With a white background and gold marble design running across the body of the tiles, along with a sleek gloss finish, this gives them an elegant, polished look that will add a touch of opulence to your vanity area. They can also be laid either vertically or horizontally, so you can play around with how you style them.

Go for a more neutral look for your vanity area with the Adaggio Calcatta Gold Bevel Metro Tile in White Ceramic.

Mosaic masterpieces

Mosaic tiling is another inspired choice for vanity areas, as these create instant visual appeal with their smaller sized tiles and are often in different shapes, such as circular or hexagonal. You can further mix it up with gloss or matt finishes, along with colours and patterns, depending on how adventurous you want to be.

The Penny Natureglass Turquoise Matte Non-slip Mosaic Sheet in Blue Glass will add a pop of colour as well as visual interest to your vanity area. Made from robust blue glass, this hardy little tile is hexagonal in shape, which instantly draws the eye, with a modern matt finish. Perfect if you want to create a focal point in your bathroom, this tile will complement a range of décor and looks great paired with white bathroom-ware and alongside brass or honey tones.

Add a pop of colour with the Penny Natureglass Turquoise Matt Non-slip Mosaic Sheet.

Large format splashbacks

Another idea for tiling around vanity units is to use large format tiles, as these help to create the illusion of more space and you also won’t need to buy as many tiles to cover the wall.

With a contemporary design and natural stone-effect look, the Orsay Pearl Matt Décor Rectified White Body Tile in Grey Ceramic has a textured appearance, with a raised pattern running across the tiles. With a modern matt finish, the overall stone-effect look gives a natural appearance, while the larger tile size gives the illusion of more space. The textured pattern further provides depth, adding character and visual interest to what could otherwise be a plainer tile. Ideal if you’re looking for something more neutral around your vanity unit but with that stylish edge, this is a great choice for a contemporary bathroom.

The Orsay Pearl Matt Décor Rectified White Body Tile in Grey Ceramic has a textured pattern.

Whether you’re interested in colorful tiles, patterned, large format or mosaic, we have a great range available at Tileshack, with something to suit all tastes. From creating a stunning feature area around your vanity unit to tiling the full bathroom, we can help you choose what works best for our interior.

If you’d like some help in choosing tiles for your vanity area, why not visit your local Bathshack showroom and have a chat with one of our team? Alternatively, email us at info@bathshack.com or call (028) 9077 0188.