Mosaic Tile Designs for Kitchens & Bathrooms
Mosaic tiles are a great way to make a bold statement throughout your home. Each mosaic tile installation is unique, creating a one-of-a-kind accent in your home that nobody else can buy.
Mosaic tile is commonly a smaller-scale tile—5/8” x 5/8” up to 3” x 3”—available in a combination of tile sizes, shapes, and materials. Mosaic tiles are often mounted on a mesh sheet in a pattern or a random set for easy installation. These tiles are available in various materials, including ceramic, porcelain, glass, natural stone, metal, and even mirror finish.
Why is mosaic tile so popular?
Mosaic tile is the ultimate home accent chameleon—it offers a multitude of application options that align with virtually any home decor style, from bohemian to farmhouse to Mid-Century modern. Because there are so many mosaic tile product options and design applications to choose from, it’s an excellent product option for expressing your creativity: Use mosaic tile to create a focal point in a room, to add texture and dimension to your space, to form a border, or accentuate a feature.
Where are the best places to install mosaic tiles? Mosaic tiles work great in a kitchen backsplash above a sink or range, an entryway, on shower floors and walls, or anywhere you have a large empty surface.
Image Source: Emser Impact glazed porcelain mosaic tile. Color: Gray
Use mosaic tile to personalize your home
Mosaics provide an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind design element in your home. At the Dover Floor& Tile Center, we see more homeowners today looking for unique product selections to make their homes more personal. After spending years at home during the pandemic, people are focused on improving their spaces and making them uniquely their own. Mosaic tile allows you to add that desirable, signature design flair to your home. The diversity in mosaic tile products and the flexibility to install them based on your exact vision make it easy for you to put your unique design stamp on your home.
Mosaic tile adds a luxe, custom feels to your home. Use it to elevate a builder-grade kitchen or bathroom, completely refresh a tired or outdated space, or create a commanding entryway with on-trend appeal. Whether your design style is bold or understated, mosaic tile can help make an impact. Plus, tile is an upgrade that adds value to your home, giving you a wise return on your investment.
See how we used a mosaic tile border in this kitchen renovation to create beautiful depth and contrast.
Where to use mosaic tile
While mosaic tile offers a variety of installation options, the most popular home applications for mosaics are bathroom or shower floors and kitchen backsplashes. Here’s where mosaic tiles are best used:
- Kitchen backsplashes (and over sinks and ranges). On-trend in 2022 is glass and metal mosaic tile in kitchen backsplashes. Homeowners are leaning into color in their kitchen designs, choosing a color palette for their space, and repeating the hues using tile, paint, and appliances.Glass and porcelain mosaic tiles are ideal for use in the kitchen because they are non-porous and resistant to staining, bacteria, mildew, and mold. These durable mosaic tile products are also effortless to clean, so there’s no need to worry about the inevitable splatters and spills in the kitchen.
Image Source: Emser. L’Amour recycled glass mosaic tile. Color: White Leaf
- Shower floors. Mosaic tile is a favorite for use on shower floors because the abundance of grout lines makes it is slip-resistant. So, it is an excellent choice for wet environments such as shower and bathroom floors. In addition, mosaic sheet-mounted tiles are flexible enough to allow installers to achieve the right pitch for a clean slope towards the drain. Trending right now in shower floors are natural stone mosaic tiles, like pebbles, as well as hexagon and classic penny tile.PRO TIP: A shower tile installation is only as good as the materials you use. Be sure to choose a high-quality grout that’s resistant to moisture to ensure a long-lasting, high-performance tile finish in your shower.
- Shower walls. In 2022, mosaic tile is a popular design trend for shower walls. Mosaics are typically used to add texture or decorative elements such as borders, on feature walls, and in recessed niches to add dimension and style. Glass and porcelain tile are the leading product choices for shower installations because they are water-resistant. Plus, selecting a tile with a smooth surface makes the surface easy to clean.
- Entryways + flooring. Mosaic tile—in natural stone, porcelain, and ceramic—can give you the show-stopping effect you’re looking for in a foyer, hallways, and other spaces in your home where you want to create added dimension. Choose from mosaics available as repeating or random patterns and in many decorative designs.
Image Source: Emser Gleam metal over ceramic mosaic tile
- Accent walls. Full-wall mosaic tile installations make any room a compelling and attractive design feature. And they’re practical, too, making them an excellent choice for laundry rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. Mosaic tiles are pretty to look at and they are easier to clean and maintain than painted surfaces.
Image Source: Hamilton Parker. Island Stone, Spindrift Marble glass mosaic tile
Types of mosaic patterns
Mosaic tile is one of the hottest home design elements right now. So, it’s no surprise that the options for fabulous new mosaic products continue to grow.
- Repeating patterns—think matchstick, linear tiles in varying sizes and widths, herringbone, pebbles, or stones in different sizes, and more.
- Abstract—contemporary installations that double as art installations in the home.—contemporary installations that double as art installations in the home.
- Imagery or scenery—most often used in commercial applications; can be purchased as a pattern or installed freehand.
- Color scheme—using the same color but in a mosaic tile pattern that uses a repeated shape or various sizes to break up the pattern and give it more visual interest.
Mosaic tile shapes
Mosaic tile is having a moment. And so, we see it all right now—elongated hexes and diamonds, circular and hourglass shapes, and floral designs. Here is a sampling of the trending shapes and patterns in mosaic tile:
- Square + Rectangle. These primary-shaped mosaic tiles are used in various applications, from shower floors and walls to kitchen and laundry room backsplashes.
Image Source: Bliss Element Glass. Anatolia Tile Debut Contrast Blend Random Mosaic
- Hexagon. There’s lots of options for this classic-shaped mosaic tile: Full runs in one seamless hue or multi-color. Or take the hexagon-shaped mosaic tile and then play with scale and finish—that’s a twist we see used to add an unexpected design element to tile applications.
Image Source: Emser Confetti II glazed porcelain and recycled glass mosaic tile
- Mix + match. Because most mosaic tile is laid out on a pre-formed mesh sheet, it takes the guesswork out of creating your pattern by melding multiple shapes and sizes into one seamless design.
Image Source: Emser Diva glazed ceramic mosaic tile. Color: Athena
2022 Mosaic Trends
- Natural stone. While natural stone, such as marble, requires special care and maintenance, it does offer a clean, fresh aesthetic that’s on-trend in 2022.
Image Source: Emser Bizou marble, grout-less mosaic tile
- Glass. Glass mosaic tile is reviewed for easy maintenance and clean, glossy finish for wow applications ranging from bathrooms to kitchens and everywhere in between.
Image Source: Bliss Element Glass. Anatolia Tile Debut Cliff Penny Round Mosaic
- Subtle patterns. Understated but stylish, mosaic tile patterns are often used on walls and backsplashes and as accents inside niches in showers.
Image Source: Bliss Element Glass. Anatolia Tile Debut Waterfall Petal Mosaic.
- Material mix + match. This year, a stunning blend of marble, ceramic, and/or glass mosaic tile is on-trend for bathrooms and kitchens.
- Metal. Leaning towards a sleek, contemporary look, metal tiles are popular for use in kitchen backsplashes—whether framing a wet bar or behind a range.
Image Source: Emser Link grout-less stone mosaic with metal accents
Thinking about a tile installation in your home? Get a free custom mosaic design consultation from Dover.
Work with the talented designers at the Dover Floor & Tile Center on the west side of Cleveland to design and install your one-of-a-kind mosaic tile pattern.
The best is yet to come,
James Giar
