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floor tile patterns

Floor Tile Patterns: Top Design Ideas For a Contemporary Look

After you learn how to tile and start working on tile installation projects yourself, you’ll need to keep up with the latest tiling trends. In this blog we will be discussing the latest floor tile patterns.

If you are in the business of laying tiles, then you’ll want to know what these trends are, so that you can lay floors that will wow your customers. Staying on trend guarantees work that stands out and speaks to impeccable craftsmanship.

But with so many tile trends going on how will you be able to keep up?

With the help of our handy list, of course! In it, we have rounded up the top floor tile patterns that you need to know about, so that you can get great results in all your tile projects. Read on to find out what these are.

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floor tile patterns

TOP FLOOR TILE PATTERNS

1. WOOD LOOKS

wood look floor tile patterns
Articwood Argent Wood Effect Tiles from Tile Mountain

One of the fastest growing trends in floor tile patterns is wood-look tiles. With ever-improving technology, designers are now able to mimic the most popular of hardwood looks on tile floors.

Tile experts are predicting the trend to stick for years to come, making ‘wood’ tiles a long-lasting option in terms of popularity.

This makes sense, considering that hardwood floors have proven to be one of the most popular hard surface flooring globally. At the same time though, hardwood floors come with a few disadvantages, such as the price point, maintenance, and durability.

Now, consumers can get the hardwood floor look, while enjoying the practicality of tile flooring.

2. CONCRETE AND CONCRETE LOOKS

Concrete tiles are another trend in the tile sector. With their industrial look, they can add character and edginess to almost all tiled floors.

Whether this trend will last is uncertain. Although concrete tiles can look amazing, concerns have been raised over their porosity.

A secondary tile trend that may save the day for the concrete aesthetic is concrete look tiles. Similar to the wood and marble effect tiles we have already spoken about, the concrete effect is printed on ceramic and porcelain tiles.

These floor tile patterns are almost indistinguishable from concrete, offering the same look and feel while not having any of the absorbency issues of real concrete.

3. MARBLE LOOKS

marble floor tile patterns
Marmy Grey Polished Marble Effect Tiles from Tile Mountain

When you’ve worked in this industry a while, you would have heard either your colleagues, peers or customers say ‘when has marble ever not been in style?’

True to its reputation as a classic, the ever-popular marble is still an incredibly sought after and modern floor tile pattern.

Previously, a floor laid with all marble tiles was beyond the budget of most people. But with the marble look effect being printed onto porcelain and ceramic tiles, the marble look is now much more accessible. And these prints are only becoming more realistic by the day. This has made the trend grow considerably.

Marble-look tiles are most popular for kitchen and bathroom floors, but don’t be surprised to see them in living rooms and entryways too.

4. STONE LOOKS

Stone look tiles have been a popular flooring choice for many years. This trend is still holding strong with little indication of slowing down.

While being much cheaper than real stone flooring, faux stone tiles look incredibly real.

Thanks to this win-win, stone-look tiles are likely to retain their popularity as floor tile patterns. 

When comparing the price point of natural stone and ceramic or porcelain stone effect tiles it’s easy to see why this particular type of flooring is going to stick around for a while.

minimalist floor tile patterns
Evoque Metal Effect Tiles from RAK Ceramics

5. METALLIC LOOKS

Yes, tiles are going metallic! New tile printing technology has made metallic floor tile patterns possible. This trend is showing up in bathrooms, on accent walls, and just about everywhere.

Although metallic effect tiles may reign for a while, it is unlikely they will become a classic like the natural looks of wood, marble and stone. But, keep an eye on the market. Floor tile patterns come and go quickly, and they’re often recycled again and again. What’s popular now will be popular once again, given time.

6. MUTED AND INTRICATE FLOOR TILE PATTERNS

Minimalism has been a major trend for a while now, but counteracting this is the trend of muted but intricate patterns.

While looking like a funky throwback to the ’60s, these tile styles also largely have a muted and soft tone.

If done right, this tile floor pattern idea can look very appealing. However, we’ll have to wait and see if this continues to be a trend in the far future

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7. GEOMETRIC SHAPES

Geometric shapes are appearing in modern tile design in a big way. Triangles, hexagons, rectangles, etc are making a bold statement. Although this theme is by nature busy, if done right, geometric shapes in floor tile patterns can look amazing.

However, lack of décor versatility could limit this trend to a shorter time frame than that of more neutral tile designs.

geometric floor tile patterns
Coleur Multicoloured Matt Wood Effect Tiles from Tile Mountain

8. HERRINGBONE AND CHEVRON FLOOR TILE PATTERNS

Herringbone and chevron shapes in tile design are another sweeping trend. Often executed in muted colour palettes, these patterned tile flooring looks can be unique and tasteful at the same time.

Shapes like herringbone, chevron, and geometrics can be superb to use if you want to do something a little different with your floor tile pattern.

9. MIXED WIDTHS

Mixed widths have been making an appearance on the tile floor scene and don’t show signs of going away.

The mix of dimensions can make these tiles hard to lay, but their unusual aesthetic effect can make them worth the effort.

10. LARGE FORMAT TILES

large format floor tile patterns
Panda Marble Effect Large Format Tiles from RAK Ceramics

You will have to be living under a rock if you don’t know that large format tiles are very big in the market right now.

30×30 tiles are still a popular choice, but 60×60 is becoming increasingly popular, even 120×120. This is due to the developments in manufacturing technology, and here at RUBI we have also developed new manual tile cutters to keep up with these increasing sizes.

Our popular TZ range of cutters now reaches up to 180cm in length, making it even easier to cut these large format tiles by yourself and manually.

You can often see this trend executed in kitchen or bathroom tiling, where the floor and wall tiles seamlessly join by using large format tiles from the floor to the ceiling.

11. SUBWAY TILES

Did you know that subway tiles have been going strong for more than 100 years? That is some major trend endurance!

What’s more, they are still right on trend today. Subway tiles are often incorporated into kitchen tile ideas and make for great classic-meets-trendy backsplashes.

12. TILE PLANKS

Hot on the heels of wood look tile are tile planks. These tile shapes compliment the faux hardwood look in a great way. The trend is towards extra large ‘planks’.

However, this tile shape is not limited to wood look tiles. The unusual shape can be used in any style of tile and can work well to open up spaces and create visual stimulus to carry you from one room to another.

terrazzo floor tile patterns
Atro™ White Terrazzo Tile from Topps Tiles

Thanks to these capabilities, it is likely that tile planks will remain a popular modern floor tile pattern.

13. TERRAZZO FLOOR TILE PATTERNS

Yet another modern take on an old-time trend is terrazzo. Terrazzo gained popularity in the ’70s, however, it has been around since Roman times and also experienced some popularity in the 1920s in America.

The modern version of terrazzo is bright and fun, with colourful elements. The light-hearted and artistic retro trend is making a strong contrast with the muted and minimal décor fashion that is so prevalent nowadays.

14. FLORAL TILES

Another trend we are seeing is the growing popularity of floral tiles. These types of tiles can be restrictive to work with thanks to their busy patterns, but if laid tastefully, the attractive floral artwork can create a breath-taking floor tile pattern.

15. BRIGHT, LIGHT, AND DARK COLOURS

When it comes to colours, there are a number of trends going on floor tile patterns. It really just depends on your preferences or those of your clients. These can include:

  • White
  • Other light or muted colours
  • Black
  • Bright, rich colours
  • Pastel colours

With all of these options in modern tile colours, you can choose from a variety of palettes and still be on trend.

If you are going for a timeless look that won’t date, then white or other light, muted colours are the best bet.

16. MOSAIC TILE PATTERNS

Mosaic tile patterns bring an artistic touch to contemporary flooring, combining small, individually cut tiles in various colours, textures, and materials to create eye-catching designs. Typically made from ceramic, glass, or stone, mosaic tiles offer many possibilities for customisation. While traditionally used in bathrooms and kitchens, mosaics are now increasingly popular for creating focal points in modern living rooms, hallways, and entryways.

One of the main appeals of mosaic tile patterns is their versatility. For a contemporary look, opt for minimalist or monochromatic colour schemes, or use metallic and glass mosaics for a sleek, reflective finish. Alternatively, adding pops of colour with glass mosaics or combining different textures within the same pattern can bring a playful, artistic element to the space.

17. GROUTS

Using grouts to create a unique look is another interesting way to transform your floor tile patterns. Tiling grout has generally been something to be hidden, and grouting tiles is usually just a job to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

But these days, innovative artisans have gotten creative with grouting, making it the star of the show in some unusual designs.

The techniques include staining grouts strategically to make a pattern and creating spaces of grout art as focal points.

NOW YOU KNOW THE MOST POPULAR FLOOR TILE PATTERNS

Keeping up with ever-evolving trends can be overwhelming. Before you know it, what used to be the ‘it’ thing in tile design could be out of style and dated.

Fortunately, you don’t have to stress over what tile floor patterns to use because you are now armed with this master list of tile trends, which means you can get on with your job of laying tiles like a pro.

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