31 Stunning Shower Tile Ideas to Transform Your Bathroom

Knowing where to start in a bathroom tile makeover can be the hardest part. We’ve rounded up 31 shower tile ideas to transform your space, from simple neutral patterns to bold statement patterns, to help with the ideation phase. 

With endless design possibilities and shower tile options out there, it can be difficult to narrow in on the design that’s right for you and your space. The right ceramic tile can enhance not only the style but also the functionality of your bathroom. Let’s browse these popular shower tile design ideas for 2024 and dive into our favorite shower tile inspiration photos to get you thinking about what would work best in your space. 

Classic Horizontal Straight Stacked Subway Tile

Subway Tile - Bluegrass

Design - Fox Homes & Realty

Photography - Tommy Matthews

Explore Mercury Mosaics sample packs to experience the look, and feel the difference of handmade artisan tiles for your bathroom.

If you’re looking for modern shower tile ideas, you can’t go wrong with a classic subway tile. This tile shape itself is sleek and timeless, but the way you lay the tile can change the mood of the space. Instead of the traditional staggered design, try horizontally stacking them with no offset to create a pattern that's even cleaner and more modern. 

Elegant Chevron Tile Pattern

Medium Diamonds - White

Design - Vitae Interior Design

Photography - Pura Soul Photography

To bring a bit more movement to the shower while maintaining a modern feel, tile designs like chevron are perfect. Their sharp angles and pointed lines add a dynamic experience and heightened elegance to your shower. It can also elongate your shower when laid in vertically as shown in the image.

Floor to Ceiling Tile

Subway Tile - Costa Rica, Denim, Costa Rica, Mint Julep

Design - Fox Interiors

Photography - Alyssa Lee Photography

For a truly elegant and elevated shower experience, consider adding tile to the ceiling in addition to the walls. This option is perfect for creating a continuous and elongated look and feel to the shower space, almost like what you would expect from a fancy spa. It’s a simple yet effective way to add a touch of luxury and uniqueness to your shower while making maintenance a breeze.

Vertical Stacked Subway Tile

Subway Tile - Vermont Pine

Photography and Design - Fox Homes

From floor to ceiling, find inspiration from Mercury Mosaics gallery of handmade tiles to brighten any space.

Another way to elongate your shower space and give the illusion of taller ceilings is to stack subway tiles vertically. This is one of our more simple shower tile patterns, but it has a big impact on the space. With this option, you maintain that modern, clean aesthetic that is core to subway tile, but stack it in a way that brings the focus vertically.

Grout Contrast

Large Diamonds - Satin Black

Photography and Interior Design - Workroom C

Grout color can make a statement shower wall by either contrasting with the tile or blending in to allow the tile to shine. With contrasting grout colors, such as using a dark grout with lighter-colored tiles, you create a bold and eye-catching visual effect. It adds dimension and definition to the shower by framing the tiles and making them pop. 

Monochrome Shower Niche

Large Moroccan Fish Scales - Sea Mist

Shower niches allow you to go bold with a pop of color for contrast or keep it uniform and sleek with the same tile as the rest of the shower. For something more minimalist, keep the tile the same but add monochrome edging. This will add a sophisticated and polished look to a very functional part of your shower.

Sweet Honeycomb Tile

Large Hexagons - Chestnut

Interior Designer - Emily Pueringer

Photography - Rubinksi Works

Honeycomb, or hexagon, tile is best known for its versatility, coming in a variety of sizes and allowing you to truly customize your space by playing with size and color. The most common design using honeycomb tile is a flower or rosette, but the design could be as simple as a dot pattern. This playful yet refined option allows you to get creative with your custom shower tile designs.

Show Stopping Versailles Pattern

Large Craftsman Squares - Satin Black

Construction - Taiga Design Build

Interior Design and photography - Melissa Coleman

The Versailles pattern is a simple but opulent craftsman style choice when looking for tile shower ideas. This tile pattern uses a combination of various tile sizes in both square and rectangular shapes to create a beautiful and intricate mosaic look. For smooth installation, look for this pattern in mesh-mounted squares to take the guesswork out of laying the tile.

Art Deco Medium Fish Scales

Medium Moroccan Fish Scales - Vermont Pine, Bluegrass, Emerald, Lagoon, Sea Mist

Photography and Interior Design - Bari J.

Get to know which design is right for you with the Mercury Mosaics tile guide.

Fish scales are one of a few bathroom shower tile ideas inspired by the Art Deco era. Fish scale tiles bring a vintage yet glamorous feel to shower walls. The unique shape and repeating pattern can mimic the movement and the flow of water, making it very fitting for a bathroom space. 

Timeless Herringbone Pattern

Subway Tile in Herringbone - White

Interior Design - Joinery & Design Co.

The herringbone pattern is a simple and timeless tile option for any space. When it comes to tile shower designs, herringbone gives you movement and symmetry with classic elegance. You can keep it simple with the same color or opt for tiles with slight color variation to add more depth.

Contrast Shower Niche

Large Moroccan Fish Scales - Dandelion

Interior Design - Down 2 Earth Interior Design

Photography - Rebecca McAlpin

When planning for your shower niche, you can go one of two ways: bold or uniform. To go the bold route, choose a contrasting tile color or even an entirely different pattern. This draws attention towards the niche and breaks up the uniformity of the surrounding tiles.

Midnight Sky Subway Tile With A Twist

Rise - Midnight Sky

Interior Design - Construction2Style

Photography - Chelsie Lopez Production

For a twist on one of the more classic shower tile ideas, check out the rise tile. This diagonally cut subway tile creates the illusion of vertical, 90-degree triangles, adding some visual interest and movement to your shower. The midnight blend plays with light and shadow to give a dark and moody aesthetic. 

Classic Running Bond or Offset Tile Pattern

Subway Tile - Blue Opal

Interior Design - Emily Pueringer

Picking out the perfect grout color for your tile project is key to ensuring your design stays sharp for years to come.

For tiled shower ideas that are structured and timeless, stagger your tiles like traditional brickwork. You may also hear this referred to as the running bond pattern or offset pattern. No matter the size of your subway tile, this pattern option provides a charming and clean look. You can even play around with the percent offset, although most stick with the standard 50 percent.

Retro Checkerboard

Checkerboard - Hazelnut and Marshmallow

Checkerboard tile patterns, like many other retro hallmarks, are making a big comeback in the design world. Checkerboard tile designs for showers add vintage charm and playful energy with their often bold contrasts in color. Although we’re partial to the 2"x2" checkerboard pattern, you can go with something in a larger format and you can even customize it with your favorite colors.

Blooming Floral Hexagon

Hexagon Flower Pattern - White, My Blue Heaven, Sapphire Blue

Interior Design - Pencil Shavings

When honeycomb tiles are arranged in a floral pattern, it creates a whimsical and playful charm to the space. If you have more than one shower wall, a blooming floral pattern may overwhelm the space, so try it as the floor tile pattern with a complementary solid color tile for the walls as shown. 

Wood Effect Tile

By selecting certain shades of tile, you can mimic the appearance and warmth of natural wood while offering the durability and water-resistant nature of tile. Choose handcrafted tile for the natural imperfections and slight color variations in a nice rich brown color like Amber or Burnt Sugar to get the desired wood effect. 

Custom Victorian Charm

Victorian Pattern - Deco White, Grey, Patina

Interior Design - Patticake Wagner

For truly one-of-a-kind shower tile designs, look no further than a custom Victorian-inspired tile pattern like the one shown above. This ornate option works best when paired with a more neutral and simple backdrop, adding a touch of old-world charm and an unexpected design element to your bathroom space.

Neutral Rolling Ombre

Geo-Hex Pattern - Silver Lining, Grey, White, Deco White, Marshmallow

Interior Designer & Photography - Shed Tiny House

One of our favorite ideas for tiling shower walls (and kitchen backsplashes) is a rolling ombre in a neutral color palette. This sweeping effect creates a subtle gradient that adds depth, a sense of movement, and some welcomed tranquility to the shower space. Although it requires custom work, you can achieve some showstopping looks with an ombre tile pattern.

Dramatic Black Tile

Large Craftsman Squares - Satin Black

Construction - Taiga Design Build

Interior Design and photography - Melissa Coleman

There’s a reason charcoal grays and blacks are emerging everywhere, from home exteriors to kitchen cabinetry to bathroom tile. While it may seem daunting at first to go with a bold black, this contemporary option provides a moody serene vibe to bathrooms and showers. You can play it up or down with your choice of grout color and edging pieces.

Maximalist Triangle Tile

Large Triangles - Emerald

For a bold and artistic feel to your bathroom or shower, try triangular tiles in either a color blend or solid color. You can decide how maximalist you want to go with color choice alone. The color blend option works especially well for accent pieces like a shower niche where you want to add just a pop of boldness.

Scandinavian Neutrals

Subway Tile in Herringbone - Grey, White, Deco White

Photography - joineryanddesignco

Learn how artisan-crafted, handmade tiles like the ones from Mercury Mosaics can outshine and outlast machine alternatives.

Neutral doesn’t have to be synonymous with simple, boring design. Scandinavian-inspired neutral tile can blend many of the options we’ve already discussed. Try an ombre herringbone pattern like the one pictured above, or maybe a vertically stacked subway tile or retro checkerboard in a less contrasting color. Light colors and a clean design promote relaxation and calm in your bathroom.

Decorative Bullnose Tile Trim

Stacked Squares - Emerald

Bullnose Trim - Emerald

Photography - Sage E Imagery

Styling - Creekwood Hill

Although bullnose tile trim serves a key functional purpose, it also provides an opportunity to get creative with your tile trim. In addition to protecting the tile edges from damage, bullnose tile trim can bring a polished, sophisticated look to your shower space when chosen in a contrasting color from the rest of the tile. 

Rise and Shine Vertical Subway Tile

Rise Vertical Subway Tile - Fiesta

A twist on the classic subway tile, Rise Tiles are cut diagonally to create the illusion of vertical, 90-degree triangles. The bright pops of color in the Fiesta blend will create a fresh and uplifting atmosphere in the shower, making the space feel open and airy, while the Midnight Blend creates a unique play on shadow and light, resulting in a deep, moody vibe.

Custom Triangular Geometric Mosaic

Custom London Pattern - Satin Black, Bluegrass, Rainforest, Everglades, Evening Shadow

Photography - Emily John Photography

With geometric tile, the artistic possibilities are endless when you opt for a custom mosaic for your bathroom or shower. Intricate shapes, patterns, and color combinations can combine to turn your shower into a visually captivating focal point to match your home’s unique style, like this plaid-inspired shower floor.

Lux Black and White Ombre

Large Moroccan Fish Scales - Deco White, White, Grey, Silver Lining,  Light Grey, Satin Black, Black

Photography - Sage E Imagery

Styling - Creekwoodhill

Building & Remodeling - Black Dog Homes

Not sure which design is right for you? Take our personal style quiz.

To turn up the luxury in your shower space, look at an ombre design with highly contrasting colors, like black and white. The example pictured above features our Moroccan Fish Scale tiles for an added sense of movement This bold gradient look adds elegance to your shower, creating a statement piece and a high-end feel. 

Stone Effect Tile

For more organic bathroom and shower tile ideas, look to nature and choose tiles in organic tones like Star Dust and Hazelnut to bring the natural beauty of stone into your space. No matter the shape of the tile, these organic tones will provide a rustic and earthy atmosphere.

Mid-Century Modern Squares

Mid Mod Squares - South Beach Blend

Another retro favorite, mid-century-inspired tiles like our Mid Mod Squares offer a clean and classic mid-century look with a pop of color. This simple, geometric design incorporates a variety of shapes in classic mid-century colors and is sure to give you a minimalist yet stylish shower space.

Large Ceramic Tiles

Large Hexagons - Vermont Pine

Photography - Sage E Imagery

Styling - Creekwood Hill

Building & Remodeling - Black Dog Homes

Because large format tiles require somewhat less maintenance and offer easier installation, bathroom shower tile designs that incorporate larger ceramic tiles are preferred. The limited grout lines provide a smoother, more modern look and make cleaning much easier. Large ceramic tiles are also great for smaller spaces like bathrooms as they can make them appear larger.

Statement Stripe Accent

Subway Tile - Navy

Use the Mercury Mosaics tile calculator to make sure you have enough tile for your project before getting your hands dirty.

For shower wall tile ideas, a bold stripe of contrasting tile can create a striking focal point and add to the overall design of the space. It’s a simple yet effective way to add personality and visual interest to your design and can be done with a variety of tile shapes.

Dramatic Shower Niche

Small Hexagons - Costa Rica, Bluegrass, Sea Mist, Blue Bell, Old Copper, Coastal Breeze, Silver Lining, White

In addition to contrasting and monochrome shower niches, you can incorporate many of the tile designs we’ve covered to make a statement. The example shown uses a hexagon tile in an ombre green color palette and transforms the shower space. Triangle tiles in color blend, mid mod square tiles, or dramatic black tiles are all great options for adding some drama to your shower niche.

Bold Contrast Tile Shower

Large Hexagons - Vermont Pine

Interior Design - Emily Wang

Photography - Cleary O'Farrell

The last of our shower and floor tile ideas is to create moments of bold contrast like this example using bold green and blue hexagons against vertically stacked white subway tile. The sharp contrast in not only color but also shape makes the space more visually engaging. It’s also a good reminder that bathroom spaces can incorporate tile in unexpected places and have a really powerful impact on the room. 

Find the Perfect Shower and Bathroom Tiles From Mercury Mosaics

The perfect shower and bathroom tile is one that not only matches the needs of the space but also your personal style and design preferences.

At Mercury Mosaics, we believe tile is a way to showcase your style and enhance the feeling of a space. It’s why we don’t compromise on process, making all of our tiles by hand by artisans right here in the US. We bring you a wide selection of high-quality tiles steeped in charming variations in color and size to bring your dream shower to life.

Shop our full collection of handcrafted tiles or reach out today for a design consultation on your next custom project!