13 Black And White Tile Design Ideas That Look Stunning In The Bathroom

Black and white tiles are a timeless classic combination that can be endlessly adaptable to a variety of design styles. This is particularly true in a bathroom or powder room, where you will find tiles in these colors used in a large variety of aesthetics. It's a neutral look that allows a lot of flexibility in bringing in other patterns and colors, giving you a much more adaptable space that can change and evolve over time. Whether it's vintage checkerboard tile, sleek black or white subway tiles, or modern statement marble, using a black and white tile color scheme will work beautifully in your bathroom. Furthermore, there are tons of different ways to incorporate these tile colors into your space, whether they're on the wall as a backsplash, running up your shower walls, or on the floor.

Black and white also offers a lot of flexibility in terms of materials: consider matte stone versus glossy ceramics and small penny tiles versus large blocks. Because they will all be just black and white, different types of tiles can even look especially stunning when paired with each other, such as vintage hexagonal penny tiles on the floor and classic white subway tiles on the shower or backsplash. Another idea is to pair a vintage-inspired diamond or checkerboard floor with iridescent black zellige tiles in the shower. The possibilities are truly endless. Discover some black and white tile ideas you could incorporate into your own bathroom.

Black and white checkerboard has been popular for centuries as a beautiful flooring option, especially in bathrooms. It's a clean canvas that can match any number of designs from more modern sleek interiors to glam and retro styles. It can be found in a variety of scales, including smaller 3 to 4 inch diamond-shaped tiles and larger oversized types that make you feel like you're walking across a human-sized chess board. Combine it with other black and white elements to make it skew modern, or introduce lots of wood and other earthy colors to give it a vintage feel.

Black and white patchwork tiles allow you to get creative in laying out various patterns for a maximalist look that can be stunning in a shower, on a backsplash, or on the floor. This works especially beautifully with florals, like these Scandinavian style tiles. Patchwork tiles are best suited for vintage-style rooms and more traditional bathroom spaces since they evoke the look of a beautiful old quilt. While this one is quite busy and has a lot going on visually, you can simplify it by using only two or three pattern variations or by increasing the scale of the design to offer more white space.

Black or white tiles with a high gloss can look especially stunning when paired with wood, be it on doors, vanities, or other elements of the room. Here, a large format black reflective floor pairs with simple white textured tile walls with long horizontal lines. The wooden door in a neutral blonde shade offers a contrast and warms up the room, keeping the space and its clean geometric lines from seeming too sterile. This color blocking technique, with white on the walls and black on the floors, makes everything feel sleek and modern, while the wood adds more interest.

Matte tiles can be a great way to add a textural element to your bathroom space. These black tiles have the look and texture of stone. When combined with textured gray tiles on the ground, the effect is both moody and chic. White textured tiles could also provide a similar look but would give the space a more open and airy feel. You could also mix black and white textured tiles for an interesting contrast. Matte tiles, while not as easy to wipe down as glossy ones, show less water spots and soap residue and therefore require fewer cleanings.

Classic white subway tiles are perfect for any room of the house and are one of those tiles that can equally skew both contemporary and vintage-inspired depending on the finish, the contrast of the grout, and how you configure your subway tile pattern. However, all-white subway tiles can be a bit boring. To add more interest, consider also adding black subway tiles to the space. You could place the two different colors on opposite walls or use the black tiles to create lines or patterns.

Floral tiles can be beautiful in black and white and give you a great way to add interest to a floor or wall even if the rest of the room is quite minimal. Here, a floral tile backsplash blends black, white, and gray in a clover-like pattern that repeats across the wall, augmented by a brushed copper faucet and iron towel rack that make the space feel both vintage and modern at the same time. Use a repeating floral pattern or install a beautiful black and white floral mural in tile to add some nature-inspired motifs to your space that still appear chic.

Like its close sibling checkerboard tile, diamond black and white tiles have been around for centuries and can fit a huge variety of aesthetics, including more vintage-inspired ones. They come in a variety of scales, including those square tiles with diamond inlaid accent tiles between them, or larger tiles featuring multiple diamonds. In the above bathroom, they are paired stylishly with hexagonal white ties with dark grout in the shower enclosure and a simple square tile going up the wall. The mixture of black and white tiles in various patterns and shapes provides a retro look in this space.

Large oversized tiles can be a fun way to add interest to your wall and cover huge spaces on a budget. These large rectangular black tiles give way to white marble tiles on the floor, which offers lots of contrast to define the two surfaces of the bathroom. Fewer grout lines help keep the all-tiled space from seeming too busy in the small bathroom. While the effect can be quite dark if you go with all-black tiles on the walls, ample natural light and white elements can brighten the space. White grout and a reflective sheen will also help keep things light. 

Geometric tiles can be a statement. Like many other black and white tile options, they are very flexible and can read vintage or modern, bold or subdued. Here a sleek and modern tub with a brushed brass faucet sits atop a fun variation on hexagonal tiles that features both an inner and outer border. This draws attention to the pattern and makes the space feel like a luxurious hotel bathroom when combined with a more subdued light grey marble subway tile on the wall. Hexagonal tiles could also be used in other patterns or solid black and white.

All over black marble with white veining, like these statement marble tiles, is sure to look moody and dramatic. But this stunning black bathroom, with its bright white fixtures and large window, feels both cozy and expansive at the same time. The tiles have just enough white in them to show off variation and texture. The effect is very modern and sleek and adds visual interest to the space. If this option is too dark for you but you still want the drama, consider white marble tiles with thick black veining.

Herringbone tiles in any shade of black or white are a beautiful way to add interest and texture to your floor. Here, beautiful black high-gloss rectangular tiles placed in a herringbone formation provide a beautiful base for a sleek and modern bathroom decked out in white furnishings and white-gray marble. Herringbone patterns can also, by virtue of the arrow-like movement of the pattern, make a small room feel larger on the floor or, when used on the walls, make a low-ceilinged space look taller.

Penny tiles, which are usually about an inch across, are another vintage classic tile option. You will often find them in abundance in older homes and apartments. White and black appear frequently in vintage spaces, sometimes alternating in an orderly pattern. Other times they are laid in dainty floral patterns or geometric layouts. Since they have many grout lines due to their small size, they are great for adding texture to the floor of even the most minimalistic bathroom. However, something you should know before installing penny tile in your home is that it can be hard to clean.

If you want your bathroom to feel airy and bright but still want to incorporate black into the design, consider only using black tiles in a small portion of the space. As pictured, you could use primarily white subway tiles for your walls and shower but add black penny tiles with white grout into a shower alcove. This will add interest to the space without making it feel overwhelming or too dark.