Bathroom Wallpaper Tiles – 10 Easy Ways to Update your Bathroom on a Budget

Bathrooms can often be overlooked when it comes to design and are at risk of becoming white, sterile spaces.

I love to decorate bathrooms, they are a great room to experiment with colour, style, and wallpaper.

10 bathroom wallpaper tile designs for a fresh new look - Pinterest pin

Metro and Subway tiles have become hugely popular in the last decade.

They have evolved from the standard rectangular size in gloss white to all the colours of the rainbow.

However, tiling can come at a cost! Using bathroom wallpaper tiles might be the answer to keeping your bathroom stylish on a budget.

Wallpaper for Bathroom Walls

large floral pink wallpaper and a grey stand alone bath in the bathroom
Baroque Light Floral Wallpaper by Uta Naumann Available at Wallsauce.com

Wallpaper for bathroom walls has always been a contentious idea. With the bathroom being a particularly wet area, do you need waterproof wallpaper for bathroom walls?

As long as you don’t wallpaper directly next to the bath or around the sink, wallpapering a bathroom is a quick and easy way to update the room.

Bathrooms can become steamy and have a lot of humidity but with proper ventilation like windows and a decent extractor fan, there shouldn’t be any problems when it comes to hanging wallpaper in the bathroom.

green water plants with colourful fishes wallpaper and a white large bath tub in the bathroom
Aquarium Lush wallpaper – Graham and Brown

You also need to think about the location when you use wallpaper for bathroom walls.

Try not to wallpaper too close to high-water areas like directly above the bath or around the sink.

You can put a small trim (around 20cm should be enough) around the bath or sink and then wallpaper above the trim.

Is there such a thing as wallpaper tiles?

orange and red art deco diamond pattern wallpaper with light wood vanity unit, white sink and oversized round mirror in the bathroom
This diamond pattern can give you the impression they are tiles. Cameron Art Deco Diamond Pattern Wallpaper – Bobbi Beck

Yes! There are so many wallpaper designs and patterns, you really do have a good choice of tiled patterns for your bathroom.

These can include metro-style patterns, brick-like prints and floral designs.

We used metro tile in a herringbone-style wallpaper in our utility room. I often get messages about how we tiled the utility and a lot of people are surprised when I tell them it’s wallpaper!

herringbone tile wallpaper in the utility room with dark blue units, patterned monochrome tiled flooring, shelves with baskets and a washing machine
Herringbone-style wallpaper in our utility room. Wallpaper from Milton & King
herringbone tiled pattern in wallpaper with shelves and baskets in the utility room
Looks like real tiles! You can do the same in the bathroom

We also used this wallpaper in our old utility room. It provided a bit of texture to the room and looked perfect with the rustic vibe. 

Our old utility room with herringbone style wallpaper, white units, wooden worktops, shelves and baskets
Our old utility room with herringbone-style wallpaper

Read More >>>

How to Plan a Utility Room 

Bathroom wallpaper tiles

Here are 10 of my favourite bathroom wallpaper tiles to transform your bathroom on a budget.

No tiler needed! (although, you will have to wallpaper…)

Metro style tiles

white subway tile wallpaper
Crown Metro Tile White Wallpaper – Dunelm

Like my utility room, metro bathroom wallpaper tiles are a quick and easy way to update your bathroom and give it a modern look.

There are plenty of styles and colours to choose from. Either stick with the classic black and white tiles or add much-needed colour to your bathroom.

blue chevron wallpaper for the bathroom
Tiles & More Chevron Teal Wallpaper by Rasch – Home Flair Decor

The most popular colours for a bathroom are taupe, soft grey, light blue and light green, so try to find metro-style wallpaper in these colours to provide a wonderful contrast to your bathroom suite.

blue chevron wallpaper for the bathroom
Tiles & More Chevron Teal Wallpaper by Rasch – Home Flair Decor

Textured Metro Tiles

Blue and grey textured metro tile wallpaper
Textured Tile Wallpaper – Dunelm

For a little twist on the metro tile, add a little texture.

Textured tiles provide an elegant look in the bathroom and are perfect with art deco mirrors, artwork, panelling and geometric patterns.

Textured bathroom wallpaper tiles can help your wallpaper look like the real thing because of its pearlescent qualities. It gives you the impression of depth, unlike plain white metro wallpaper.

Marble effect metro tile wallpaper

hexagonal marble effect wallpaper with gold trim
Vail Peel & Stick Marble Wallpaper – Fairmont Park

If you like the look of textured wallpaper, why not add some marble-effect wallpaper to your bathroom?

This is perfect if you love the expensive look of marble but do not love the expensive price tag.

grey marble effect metro tile wallpaper with rose gold metallic grout
3D Effect Brick Tile Wallpaper Charcoal Marble Rose Gold Metallic – Amazon

If you want a more contemporary look, go for marble in different colours like grey or pink.

To carry off this look in the bathroom, choose a sink vanity unit in the same colour or use the wallpaper on one wall and paint the rest of the bathroom in a complimentary shade.

Mosaic tile wallpaper

blue mosaic tile wallpaper
Graham & Brown Contour Antibac Spectrum Duck Egg Mosaic Wallpaper

Mosaic tiles are small pieces of ceramics brought together to create a bigger picture.

You can combine different shades and textures to give your bathroom walls a unique look or keep the small pieces of ceramic the same colour to give it a uniform look.

These bathroom wallpaper tiles look best when offset with natural elements like wood, stone or concrete.

grey square stone tile wallpaper
MURIVA Bluff Square Tile Pattern Stone Brick Grey Vinyl Wallpaper – iwantwallpaper.co.uk

Mosaic bathroom wallpaper tiles will provide a classic look for your bathroom and are ideally used as a feature wall.

Using it on all walls in the bathroom can feel quite overwhelming! Use it as a sink backsplash (above a small trim to avoid water splashes) or behind the toilet.

Vintage tile wallpaper

monochrome vintage style tile wallpaper in the bathroom with vintage sink and art deco mirror
Beautiful vintage-inspired bathroom. Image: Rain and Pine
bathroom wallpaper tiles - black and white floral style tile pattern in wallpaper
Black and white vintage tiles – Faro 4 Mediterranean Tile Wallpaper in Black / White – Home Flair Decor

If you love all things vintage, how about installing some vintage-style tiled wallpaper in your bathroom?

These can either be monochrome or with faded colour to look like they have always been there.

blue and white vintage style tiles wallpaper
Heritage Tiles Wallpaper – Milton & King

Vintage bathroom wallpaper tiles can be quite unassuming, so use them all over your bathroom for a timeless look.

Monochrome works best if you are going to use it on all 4 walls, but if you want to add a bit of vintage colour, use the wallpaper as a feature wall or backsplash.

Victorian-inspired tile wallpaper

victorian style tiles in black white and blue in the bathroom
Tile effect wallpaper – tenstickers.co.uk

Used mainly on the floors of bathrooms, hallways and utility rooms, the Victorians used this style of tiles to wow their guests when they came to visit.

They make a real impact in any room, so why not use this patterned wallpaper for bathroom walls?

grey and white victorian style pattern in the kitchen with grey kitchen cabinets and white quartz worktop
Cathryn Damask Wallpaper – Wayfair

Again, go for a monochrome pattern and pair it with a contrasting vanity unit or painted bathtub, or go for a blue, green or grey pattern to make the wallpaper the main event.  

Arabesque wallpaper

light blue and grey mosiac tile wallpaper
Natural Faux Arabesque Tile Light Blue Wallpaper – Home Flair Decor

Arabesque means an ornamental design consisting of flowing lines all interconnected.

This design is extremely popular as a backsplash and fireplace tile but is also commonly found in the shower.

white and grey arabesque shape tile in the bathroom
Arabesque Carrara White Bath Wall and Floor Mosaic Tile – e-mosaictile.com

Wallpaper tiles for a bathroom can help create a theme and influence the rest of the room. With arabesque-style wallpaper, keep the rest of the decor simple with industrial elements and plenty of plants, wood and baskets. 

Mediterranean Inspired Tiles

Mediterranean tiles bring instant character and colour into your home.

The beauty of having Mediterranean tiles is that you can pick several different colours from the pattern and use them elsewhere in the room.

It helps pull a whole room’s colour scheme together so is the perfect wallpaper for bathroom walls. 

tile textured self adhesive wallpaper in a colourful pattern design with green vanity unit and sink and metro tiles
Tile Texture Self-Adhesive Wallpaper – Amazon
patterened colourful tile design self adhesive wallpaper
Tile Texture Self-Adhesive Wallpaper – Amazon

Mediterranean bathroom wallpaper tiles can either make a room feel warm or cool depending on what colour you go for.

This bathroom wallpaper tiles pattern mixes several different designs together making your wall highly decorative and works as both a backsplash or a whole feature wall.

multi coloured patterned tiles in wallpaper
Lisboa Multi-Coloured Portuguese Tile Effect Wallpaper Mural – Hovia

Slate tiles

slate stone 3D effect tile wallpaper for the bathroom
Slate Stone Brick Effect Wallpaper – ManoMano

Slate tiles give your bathroom a spa-like ambience and can add texture and elegance to any room.

There is some very realistic wallpaper for bathroom walls out there mimicking slate and stone.

The 3D effect will fool anyone into thinking it is real and will make your bathroom look luxurious at a fraction of the cost.

grey/brown slate pattern in wallpaper
Ceramic tile grey wallpaper – World of Wallpaper

Ideal in modern bathrooms with white suites, keep the decor understated and let the subtle tones and texture of the slate do all the talking.

Add lots of natural elements like wooden shelving and plants and keep all your toiletries and towels neatly on display to create that real spa experience. 

artificial living wall
Alpine Garden Green Wall Foliage – Evergreen Direct

Maybe even sneak in a plant wall to rival the best spa hotels!

Concrete tiled wallpaper

textured concrete effect wallpaper with black matt sink and vanity unit in the bathroom
Architectural Concrete wallpaper in grey & silver – I Love Wallpaper

Inspired by architectural concrete, concrete wallpapers are perfect if you like the industrial look.

They come in many different styles, patterns and shades and are the ideal backdrop to black matt sinks, vanity units, black crittall-inspired shower frames and black accessories.

concrete inspired wallpaper with floral designs within
Meraki Concrete Wallpaper – Woodchip & Magnolia

To make the concrete look even more contemporary and to fit it into a biophilic theme, how about adding the Meraki concrete wallpaper from Woodchip and Magnolia.

Featuring giant foraged thistles and pussy willow silhouettes, they help add depth to the wallpaper and give it a feminine touch.

So, no need to rip out your bathroom and get a tiler in. Just use some carefully placed wallpaper in your bathroom to give it a fresh and contemporary new look.

Read More >>>

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Bathroom Wallpaper Tiles - 10 Easy Ways to Update your Bathroom Pinterest pin

 

 

 

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