The Beautiful Tile Trend That Everyone Will Be Using In Their Bathroom In 2026

The new year is approaching fast. Soon the holidays will be behind us and everyone will be looking for a refresh in both their daily lives and home design. The upcoming turn of the year means experts are starting to lock in on what trends they've been seeing rise and fall and what we can expect to be a hot ticket for 2026. Some bathroom design trends are on their way out (like saturated color blocking and tile with bold grout) while others are steadily gaining popularity. Lately, interior designers have been seeing an uptick in designs that are all about character, warmth, and texture. These core features seem to be at the heart of this new bathroom tile trend, too. Gone are the days of stark white, nondimensional tiles. Now something more nuanced is taking center stage in the tile world – hand-painted tiles.

Tile has always been a very important part of your bathroom design. Things like thin linear-stacked mosaics, large faux marble, and small, busy mosaic tiles have been popular more recently, but 2026 is doing away with these choices. Now, as craftsman style touches are taking over home design, the bathroom tile trends are leaning towards the much more expressive and unique hand-painted style. Experts like Houston-based designer Sherrell Neal has seen this style being requested more and more often. When speaking to Good Housekeeping, she pointed specifically to the Delft-style tiles as an example, with its hand-painted cobalt blue accents. Neal stated, "It feels storied, artistic, and far more expressive than traditional glazed, solid-colored tiles."

It's not just interior designers who are loving hand-painted tiles. Designers and artists on social media like @christinaandkylie are gearing up for this new trend too. As you'll see evidenced online, there are a ton of different hand-painted styles like Delft, Moroccan, and more. You can use unique geometrical designs to add texture and warmth to a modern bathroom or whimsical images for a truly distinctive and personalized space. We've even come across some gorgeous, understated pink tiles like this Riad Tile hand-painted artisan ceramic tile, which would work in that pink bathroom theme you should seriously consider.

There are plenty of cool ways to use textured tile and capitalize on this upcoming bathroom trend. Start by choosing a design that will be cohesive with your color scheme but still add a pop of interest. You can go all out by using your hand-painted tiles for large areas like the bathroom floor or shower walls but do keep in mind the cost. By nature, these tiles take more time and expertise to make, meaning that they come at a higher price tag. If your budget feels a bit restrictive you can use hand-painted tiles in a more limited capacity. Consider adding a few strategically placed tiles along borders or along the shower wall rather than covering an entire large area with them. From different styles to different applications, hand-painted tiles will make your bathroom stand out in 2026.