Choose the Best Shower Tile in 10 Steps PLUS 40 of Our Favorite Design Ideas

Your shower is a canvas where you can express your unique style and create a highly functioning space at the same time. We’ve gathered 10 tips to help you navigate your ceramic shower tile choices, along with 40 beautiful shower tile ideas to spark your imagination.

Whether you’re seeking simplicity or intricate designs, our curated selection of tile showers offers something for every taste. From sleek modern patterns to timeless classics, there’s endless bathroom tile inspiration to explore.

10 Steps for Choosing the Best Ceramic Tile for Your Shower

When deciding on the best shower tiles in your bathroom, keep the following pointers in mind.

1. Safety First

According to a study performed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 234,000 people over the age of 15 suffered injuries in the bathroom that required an emergency room visit. Over 80 percent of these injuries were due to falls.

Ceramic tile provides a large variety of options that have slip resistant features in wet and dry conditions so that you can find the right type of tile for your shower. You may also want to consider using mosaic tile for your shower flooring, as smaller tiles with more grout lines can provide even more traction.

For ultimate shower safety, choose a curbless shower with slip-resistant mosaic tile flooring.

Curbless showers are not only a beautiful shower tile idea, but they allow greater accessibility than traditional shower basins, as there is no step over a threshold. This advantage is especially helpful for those in wheelchairs to maintain safety and independence while bathing. If you require special features in your shower or bath area (such as a grab bar), the strength of installing on a ceramic tile area will give you peace of mind without compromising appearance.

2. Water, Water, Everywhere

Choose ceramic tile, porcelain tile, or quarry tile, which are all part of the ceramic tile family and are ideal for areas exposed to water. This sounds obvious — of course, you want your shower and bathroom to be waterproof. When properly installed using appropriate methods and installation materials, a ceramic tile floor or wall is waterproof, protecting against water that could otherwise ruin your construction underneath. Other building products may claim waterproofness, yet do not have waterproof installation methods, nor are there any mechanisms to achieve a waterproof assembly. This means the finished installation has the potential to leak, trap moisture, and allow residual moisture (hint: splashes) to damage your construction.

3. Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

Bacteria and mold thrive in moisture-rich areas. Ceramic tile is inhospitable to bacteria and options are available with antimicrobial properties that can suppress and even destroy harmful microorganisms, such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Ceramic tile helps create a healthy environment!

A few other health benefits to understand about ceramic tile:

• No allergens: Ceramic tile’s surface won’t absorb any dust mites and discourages the growth of bacteria, fungi, mold, and other irritants.
• No volatile organic compounds: Hazardous gases called VOCs are known to cause nose, eye, and throat irritation; nausea; headaches; and “sick building syndrome.” Ceramic tile contains no VOCs.
• No formaldehyde: Some wood products may contain formaldehyde. Certain levels of formaldehyde can irritate asthma and other respiratory disorders, but ceramic tile does not contain formaldehyde.
• No polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is a resin used in vinyl flooring and is a regular health concern among medical professionals and builders. Ceramic tile is 100 percent PVC-free.
• No plastic: Ceramic tile contains no plastic and has none of the health or environmental concerns associated with plastic.
• Reduced embodied carbon: Compared to other flooring products that need to be replaced more frequently, ceramic tile’s long life means it is both cost-effective and a smart choice for reducing embodied carbon, as well as other negative environmental impacts, such as resource use, and demolition waste.

4. Clean Up Your Act

Ceramic tile makes cleaning easy as it is not easily stained and can be cleaned with as little as some soap and water — no harsh chemicals needed!

When you’re scrambling to get your house clean, your low-maintenance shower will be a source of pride.

Ceramic tile is the natural choice for anyone who wants low-maintenance cleaning.

5. All the Feels

Ceramic tile comes in a large variety of colors, shapes, and patterns to create the perfect ambiance for your shower. Create a personal spot of luxury, a comfortable guest retreat, or an invigorating, efficient space. The combination of tiles you choose helps build the perfect setting. For your shower floor, you may also what to consider the texture beneath your feet. Ceramic tile offers a wide variety of finishes that are rougher or smoother than others. Keep your tactile preferences in mind when choosing tile for your shower flooring or bench.

Any texture is possible with ceramic tile, including that of natural materials such as river rocks.

Tiles that are smaller in shape and have more grout areas provide a different texture than larger tiles. You may even choose a river rock tile that has a massage effect on your soul (soles).

6. We Are Family

Ceramic tile families include coordinating shapes, sizes, finishes, and textures of tile so that you can customize your shower to harmonize with the rest of your bathroom for a cohesive and intentional look.

The fact that you can use ceramic tile for your bathroom’s backsplash, walls, floor, and ceiling, in addition to your shower, makes coordinating simple. Choose a consistent color and pattern for the whole space, or a contrasting design for your shower that will make it the bathroom’s main attraction. Ceramic tile’s versatility gives you many beautiful options.

7. It’s All About You

Your shower serves a purpose, and that purpose is specific to you and your family. However large or small your shower, your ceramic tile installer can create both a unique layout for your tile and also any desired niches, benches, or additional accents. So, if your teenagers need a double niche for hair products and you would like a candle ledge away from water spray, it can all be yours! Consider if you need a curbless shower or perhaps a doorless shower, a shower that is more private, or a shower with an open feel. Ceramic tile can meet all of your needs.

Incorporate tile benches, shelves, or niches into your shower to meet your every need.

8. Coordinated choices

Including too many different types of tile in your shower will give it an overwhelming look. As a rule of thumb, you can consider three different styles (we know it’s hard to choose). For example, choose a mosaic tile size for the shower floor, a larger tile for the walls, and a coordinating texture or design for your shower niche. Coordinate the rest of your bathroom’s ceramic tile within the family of one of your choices. For example, your bathroom floor can be the same as your shower walls and maybe your backsplash picks up the niche tile. Choosing your must-have-dream-tile first will help your other choices fall into place. We’ve seen a niche choice set the tone of an entire bathroom.

9. Think Long-Term Value

Ceramic tile has one of the longest lifespans and lowest life cycle costs of any flooring option, and its durable, hard surface won’t easily scuff, tear, dent, or puncture. Your tile choice will withstand daily use and look great for years to come. But don’t take our word for it — just check out the many centuries-old tile installations that are still intact today. 

10. Have Fun!

Choosing shower tile is fun! Explore your style options and get creative. The safety, functionality, and beauty of ceramic tile ensures you will make a smart choice and gives you the freedom to focus on creating a space your family will love! We’re sure you’ll get a lot of inspiration of this guide on shower tile ideas.

Download our free Tile Buying Guide companion guide to help you with each step of your tile shopping.

40 of Our Favorite Shower Tile Ideas

With our tile tips in tow, you can start exploring the many shower tile ideas and design options. These ideas should inspire you!

1. Marble-Look Walls and Mosaic Flooring

Marble-look shower wall tile with octagon and dot shower flooring tile

Marble-look ceramic tile walls with a large horizontal running bond pattern and coordinating mosaic grid flooring give this bathroom an elegant look. Using the same flooring throughout the entire bathroom visually amplifies the space.

2. Make Mine a Combo

Patterned tub surround wall tile

When you have a tub and shower combination, you may have the opportunity to create a feature wall with decorative tile. We love the color consistency of this decor, especially with the unique tile flooring pattern! For tubs that are not freestanding, consider a tub surround with your ceramic tile choice. An amazing bathroom shower wall tile ideas to keep in mind!

3. Rustic Rectangles & Shower Tile Elegance

Curbless shower with rustic, weathered-looking tile panels

This unadorned, urban vibe is accentuated by large rectangular panels and a curbless shower.

4. Sleek Subway Tile

White subway tile shower/bath

White subway tile provides a classic feature backdrop that contrasts well with the slate gray flooring (notice that the grout in the tile picks up the color of the floor tile).

5. Diamond Rug Accent

Dark stone-look shower tiles with a beige stone-look tile diamond rug accent

This lighter diamond rug accent pattern of tile on the shower wall pops against the darker natural stone-effect tile. The lighter grout accentuates the tile on the floors and walls and compliments the feature area.

6. Modern Octagon and Dot

Octagon and dot ceramic tile shower wall

The varying yellow tones of these octagon and dot shower walls make for a bold contrast with the black grid flooring, creating a striking look and a unique design for this shower tile ideas guide.

7. Subtle Accents

Beige stone-look shower tiles with subtle patterned tiles sprinkled in

Subtle floral patterns accent the earth tones of this shower for a clean, comforting environment. While the shower walls feature a rectangular grid, the flooring uses a mosaic for added slip resistance.

8. Not Your Average Black and White

Brick-look shower tiles wall with wood-look tile shower flooring

This modern farmhouse bathroom is a mastery of complements and contrasts: rustic white brick walls against charcoal mosaic shower floor tiles surrounded by a feature floor of unique patterns that bring together all the color elements in this bathroom.

9. Better Where It’s Wetter

Brick-look tile wall with a blue mosaic ceramic tile window border

The blues, yellows, and greens in this mosaic window border add an under-the-sea sensation to this shower’s earthy, variegated subway tile walls and iridescent navy tiled ceiling.

10. Aqua Agua Shower Tiles: Vertical Harmony

Vertical aqua subway tile provides an invigorating pop against the white on white subway and the stone-look mosaic tiles completing this look. A curbless shower allows the flooring to flow in and out of the shower (but the water stays IN)! If you’re aiming for a modern and stylish bathroom, consider incorporating trendy shower tiles like subway tile shower designs into your space for a contemporary aesthetic.

Vertical aqua subway tile wall with stone-look mosaic tile flooring

11. Family Bath: Unified Tile & Shower

Stone-look ceramic tile shower

This bathroom uses different sizes and shapes of natural stone-look tile but keeps it in the same tile family of coordinating options.

12. Functional Grid

White ceramic tiles with a gray tile stripe

This dark gray mosaic accent stripe and three-dimensional white wall tile forms a simple grid design that’s fun and functional. Note: The shower floor reuses the same mosaic but with a matte finish and dark grout.

13. Unique Shower Tile Idea

Marble-look ceramic tile wall in an uncommon tile shape

14. What’s Old Is New Again

Octagon and dot ceramic bath tile

Using a marble-look for this elongated octagon and dot pattern adds a modern twist to a style made popular in the Victorian era.

15. Stone Grids

Oversized stone-look subway tile shower

The different sizes and shapes of these stone-look tiles build a clean, consistent look both inside and outside of the shower.

16. Warm Wood-Look Tile

Wood-look ceramic shower tiles

You might not think to put wood on your shower walls, but this bathroom pulls it off effortlessly without worrying about water-damaged wood because it’s actually wood-look ceramic tile.

17. Size and Color Contrast

Green mosaic tile wall with beige stone-look tile flooring

This is a lovely example of juxtaposing colorful mosaic tile as a feature wall and backsplash with large, natural stone-look tile panels. Combining color, texture, and size contribute to the dramatic focus of the feature areas.  

18. Gray Harmony: Shower Tile Designs

Gray stone-look tile wall with hexagon tile flooring

Shades of gray marble-look ceramic tile in rectangles and hexagons define vertical and horizontal surfaces to create a serene and clean master bath getaway.

19. Move Over, Subway Tile

Stone-look tile with a subway tile horizontal accent stripe

This shower’s dramatic stone effect uses a horizontal accent stripe of pearled tile paired with large rectangular grid walls and mosaic flooring.

20. Ultra Modern Walk-In Shower: Geometric Tile Showcase

Modern geometric tile in herringbone and grid patterns

Stone-look square tile flooring supports the ultra modern geometric design of these herringbone-striped walls. The lines of dark grout in the white rectangular floating accent wall bridge the bathing areas and become a focal point of the room.

21. Greige Is the New …  

Wood-look tile shower wall with white mosaic tile shower flooring

“Greige” is the new beige and the new grey — the new neutral everyone is clamoring for! The movement of grain in the floor and shower walls are anchored by perpendicular white mosaic tile in this shower floor for a look of modern rustic charm, as well as cleanliness and an air of efficiency.

22. Unleashed Luxury: Sleek Shower Wall Tiles

Glossy black mosaic tile shower walls with wood-look flooring

Another shower tile idea that exudes a luxurious vibe is incorporating glossy black mosaic tile walls and long planks of dark wood-look tile flooring. It algo gives this shower a spa feel that could easily be implemented in a smaller space (sans the sunken tub). Note the subtly textured floor tile that has the look of linen.

23. Natural Colors and Natural Light

Mosaic ceramic tile shower wall with a window

A doorless shower deserves a window to the world! The artfully laid mosaics of this space combine natural colors and reflect the natural light for a space with a fresh and energizing aura.

24. Elongating and Luxurious Accents

Running bond mosaic ceramic tile accents in a shower

As they are both vertically placed, the large rectangular grid tile walls and running bond mosaic accents visually elongate this shower. The pattern created by the different colors in the mosaic adds a unique touch that picks up the curved bench and floor mosaics. Remember that tile can be installed on your ceiling (as shown here) to provide another decor element.

25. Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Marble-look ceramic shower tiles

The marble-look squares laid in a diamond grid lead you to the shower laid in large-format tile panels for an elegant and open feel in a relatively small space.

26. Play With Your Grout!

White ceramic tile in a herringbone pattern with black grout | Image via Flickr

This shower’s dark grout and white subway tile in a herringbone pattern make for a unique design using an economical tile choice. Smaller tiles add additional traction to the flooring and a coordinating accent to the niche. If you’re unsure about shower tile ideas with different grout colors, explore more niche ideas and ideas for colored grout!

27. You Won’t Be Blue

Blue subway tile shower with accents | Image via andrechinn on Flickr | Attribution (CC BY 2.0)

Shades of blue won’t make you blue with this cheerful combination of subway tile with an accent horizontal stripe and pencil trim detail. Psst, we think blue tile might be the next big trend!

28. Accents That Pop

Pixelated mosaic shower tile walls | Image via Flickr

The wide white grout surrounding these square accents stands out against the pixelated design of the mosaic tile shower walls.

29. Modern Mexican Shower Tile

Modern Mexican ceramic tile shower floor with marble-look hexagon tile shower walls | Image via Flickr

The designs on this shower’s grid flooring add a twist to traditional Mexican tile by using more subdued colors. Hexagon mosaic walls with charcoal grout complete the fun look.

30. Textured Accent Wall

Textured ceramic tile shower wall | Photo via Pixabay

This curbless shower pulls off a minimalist pattern and color scheme by including a highly textured accent wall.

31. Stone Age

Stone-look ceramic shower tile with mosaic accents | Photo via Pixabay

This shower’s patterns are anything but stuck in the stone age. Contemporary stone-look square tile is laid in an off-center grid accented by a diamond banner with running bond mosaic borders. Learn more about grid patterns by downloading this free tile layout pattern template.

32. Marble Chevron Mosaic

Marble-look chevron mosaic ceramic tile shower wall

The soft color changes in this shower’s marble chevron mosaic wall add a softening touch to the rest of the shower’s clean-cut lines (and we love the black pencil trim on the niche). For those interested in bold and contemporary designs, incorporating black tile shower ideas can enhance the contrast and make a striking statement in your bathroom space.

33. Crosshatch Wood-Look Shower Tile

Crosshatch wood-look ceramic shower tile

Surprise! Wood-look tile in the shower! The crosshatch mosaic wall design creates a unique twist by making the walls the feature tile instead of the shower floor.

34. Row After Row

Mosaic ceramic tile accent rows on a stone-look tile shower wall | Photo via Pixabay

Bold rows of mosaic rectangles in the stone-effect tile pick up the dark cabinet tones, as well as the darker wood-look ceramic tile flooring.

35. Mixing It Up, Naturally

Gray stone-look tile shower and bath

Natural stone-effect tile in your shower and bath area is already a modern trend, but this beautiful bathroom takes it one step further by using various sizes of rectangles in an off-center pattern. Mosaic tile in the shower flooring and shelf area accents this clean design and the running bond grid flooring pattern directs your eye toward this unique combination.

36. Zero to Sixty

Chrome-effect mosaic ceramic tile bathroom walls

This high-glam chrome-effect wall mosaic tile that extends from the vanity to the shower is definitely an escape from the rat race.

37. Go Big or Go Home

Marble-look gauged porcelain tile shower walls with wood-look flooring

These large gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs create a dominant elegance. Add wood-effect tile planks and custom printed wall ceramic tile panels and you have a look that rivals your majestic view. For those seeking modern shower tiling solutions and unique bathroom tile wall ideas, these combinations offer both sophistication and functionality, elevating your space to new heights of style and luxury.

38. True Blue

Blue mosaic ceramic tile shower walls

Surround yourself with shades of blue mosaic ceramic tile for a truly refreshing shower experience.

39. Artistry and Craftsmanship

Ceramic tile feature wall in a shower

Ceramic tile’s versatility helps you reflect your personal design style. The craftsmanship of ceramic tile on this feature wall creates a focal point of beauty — a work of art in your shower!

40. Nothing to Hide

Three-dimensional pearly tile shower wall

Shower doors are another decor element to consider — doorless, frameless, and how about this unique partially frosted option! What a beautiful way to add privacy and still display the gorgeous dimensional shower wall tile. (Don’t overlook the mirrored niche!)

Installing Your Shower Tile

Now that we’ve explored some of the best shower tile ideas and shower tile inspo, it’s time to emphasize that all of the above tile benefits and designs only pay off if your tile is properly installed.

Some homeowners may think installing the tiles is a DIY project, especially if they have previously tiled a project . As well, tile installers who may do quality work on less complex projects, such as a backsplash, may not be skilled in shower installations. Tiling a waterproof system (such as a shower) has specific standards and methods and if not followed, may create a poor installation or what is referred to as a “leaky shower.”

The #1 inquiry received by the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) is regarding a leaky shower.

Download this NTCA tip sheet on leaky showers.

While specific causes for a leaky shower may have to do with the tile installation, shower liner installation, and/or how the shower door was installed, a leaky shower can result in:

• Damage to your walls, subflooring, and rooms beneath the shower 
• Offensive odor
• The growth of mold
• Cracked, discolored, and/or loose tile and grout
• A growing water bill

Properly installed ceramic tile is part of a waterproof installation system that is time-tested as a trusted material for high moisture areas, such as showers The key to ceramic tile’s waterproof installation system is that it’s properly installed using appropriate methods and installation materials.

This is where the extreme importance of hiring qualified labor comes in. A qualified tile installer has the education, experience, and skills to ensure that your tile installation:

• Looks as it should (no botched designs)
• Is part of a waterproof installation system, preventing damage to your construction (and hefty repair costs)
• Will last as long as your house itself does

To learn more and ensure your new shower installation is reliable, consult our guide on what to know before hiring anyone to install new tile.

Get Started

That was fun! Do any of these shower tile ideas suit your needs?

If you don’t want to stoup look here for more shower tile ideas, niche, and bathroom tile examples and visit our design gallery for inspiration on all your tile projects throughout your home.

BONUS: Free tile layout pattern template for choosing the perfect shower tiles grid pattern.