French Style Bathroom Tile Ideas – 11 Ideas for a Belle Salle de Bains

If there’s one thing the French can’t be beaten on, it’s their flawless interior design style. From the intricate detailing of the Renaissance period and the groundbreaking Art Deco movement to the light, bright modern style, French design has influenced interior designers all over the world.

French interior style embodies space, light, clean lines and timeless, simple details. It seamlessly blends traditional and more modern designs, creating a chic and beautiful aesthetic.

If you want to give your bathroom an elegant Parisien-style makeover, keep reading to find out which tiles will help you get the look.

The French are renowned for their exceptional taste when it comes to interior design, having influenced designers all around the world. Classic and chic, you are sure to exude grace when choosing a French bathroom style.

Image credit: @sebastiengrislain

Recommended Tile: Cambridge 

What kind of tiles should I choose for a French-style bathroom?

If you’re keen to give your bathroom an elegant, French-style makeover you’ll be able to choose from a range of stylish tiles. We suggest:

• Natural Stone tiles – Marble is one of the most chic and versatile natural stones and it’s perfect for getting the luxury, hotel-like look in your bathroom.
• Porcelain tiles – From glossy Art Deco style tiles to realistic stone effects, porcelain is one of the most durable and practical choices for a bathroom.
• Vintage patterned tiles – Get a traditional look with vintage prints and hand-painted tile designs.
• Wood-effect porcelain tiles – Add warmth to a bathroom with wood-effect, textured porcelain tiles. Impressive printing techniques make wood-look tiles almost indistinguishable from real wood.
• Mosaic tiles – Add a luxurious or quirky look to your bathroom with miniature mosaics. Penny tiles are a great choice for a French-style bathroom.

When it comes to choosing the colour of your tiles, neutrals like soft beige, cream, white and grey are elegant choices. You can also opt for more traditional colours like blue and terracotta or channel a bolder, Art Deco style, opting for more dramatic, darker tones.

French-style bathroom tile ideas

From decadent Art Deco and romantic Parisian to hotel chic and more traditional styles, keep scrolling to discover our pick of the best French-style bathrooms:

Traditional style tiles

Be inspired by the bathrooms in Airelles Chateau de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle.  The stunning rooms and suites have been restored to reflect the building’s original 18th Century style.

Traditional octagon and dot tiles are a timeless classic and the perfect choice for creating a luxurious bathroom. Opt for tiles in real stone, or a stone-effect look and vary the textures of the octagon and the dot tiles for the ultimate finish.

If you want to create a feeling of opulence, Octagon and dot tiles are the perfect choice.

Image credit: @_the_lions_mane

Recommended Tile: Nottingham 

Chic modern tiles

French style doesn’t have to be traditional, you can achieve an elegant, modern Parisien-inspired bathroom by choosing standout tiles with bold patterns.

Finish the look with feature sanitaryware and well-chosen accessories that complement the tiles.

There are countless bold tile patterns to chose from which will gracefully create a current and up to date Parisien-inspired bathroom.

Image credit: @dykeanddean

Recommended Tile: Diagonal Sage

Classic stone tiles

Create an elegant Renaissance-inspired bathroom with classic stone tiles.  Renaissance-style interiors often featured natural stone and perfectly symmetrical designs with intricately carved details.

You can create beautiful, symmetrical designs with tiles and add an ornate border for a stylish take on a revolutionary design style.

For your Renaissance-inspired bathroom chose stunning stone tiles.  Renaissance-style interiors often featured natural stone.

Image credit: @dreamfrenchproperties

Country-style bathroom tiles

Add charm to a French-style bathroom with a classic chequerboard tiled floor.  This floor pattern is often associated with Victorian designs but has been around since ancient Roman and Egyptian times, with the familiar checked pattern appearing on early pottery.

The chequerboard pattern is a style classic which suits all sized rooms. When the tiles are laid diagonally, it makes the room appear wider, larger tiles will also help a small room to feel more spacious.

Bold floor tiles look best with plain walls, keep the rest of the room light and airy for an authentic French-looking space.

Recommended Tile: Lincoln 

Wood effect tiles

Perfect for use in wet rooms, wood-effect porcelain tiles are an excellent choice for a French-style bathroom. Wood-effect tiles are extremely versatile and you can use them to create traditional rustic, modern or classic-looking bathrooms.

Choose small planks to create a throwback 16th-century French parquet floor or choose longer lengths to create a simpler design.  You can use wood-effect tiles on walls too.

Wood-effect porcelain tiles are fabulous for a French-style bathroom. Highly adaptable, they can be combined with numerous options to create everything from traditional to contemporary style bathrooms.

Image credit: @gaelle_homedeco

Recommended Tile: Naturae Wood Effect Willow

Art Deco style

The flamboyant and distinctive Art Deco style originated in Paris in the 1910s before sashaying its way into The United States and the rest of Europe in the 1920s.

One of the most influential design movements, the Deco style is typically symmetrical and streamlined, featuring rich, bold colours.

Tiles are one of the best ways to recreate the Art Deco look in a bathroom. Opt for glossy ceramic wall tiles in decadent shades and pair them with decorative borders and patterned floors.

To create your Parisian Art Deco style bathroom use rich bold colours and symmetrical patterns. Get the look with glossy ceramic wall tiles, decorative borders and patterned floors.

Image credit: @rainbowhomemonthly

Recommended Tile: Emilia Avocado

Black and white tiles

One of the most stylish colour combinations, black and white is always in style. It’s ideal if you want to create a timeless-looking bathroom and it’s a colour combination that’ll transcend passing trends.

You can use black and white tiles in many ways. Go for a classic chequerboard or octagon and dot floor, choose sleek metro tiles, opt for black and white patterned tiles or get creative with penny mosaic tiles, using them for the floors and walls in a nod to the French Art Deco style.

Black and white is very French Art Deco and the tile and style options are endless. Use size, patterns and shapes to create your ow unique space.

Image credit: @baptistebohu

Recommended Tile: Waxman Hexagon Nature Black

Metro tiles

The ever-versatile metro tile is one of THE most classic tile choices and it’s perfect in a French-style bathroom design.  From the walls of the Metro to the hallways, kitchens and bathrooms of French homes, these tiles are ideal if you want to create a high-end look that won’t date.

Metro tiles are hugely popular, mainly due to the amount of colours and styles available, but also the range of layouts you can create. Go for the classic brickbond layout or add elegance with a more elaborate herringbone pattern.

Metro tiles are ideal in a French-style bathroom since they are classic and chic. French homes use metro tiles in abundance since they offer a timeless high-end look and can be displayed in numerous layouts.

Image credit: @njrealtorsue

Recommended Tile: Dorset Bevelled Blanco

Vintage-style tiles

Add elegance to your French-style bathroom with delicately patterned wall tiles.  Choose traditional toile de jouy-inspired prints, handpainted art nouveau-style designs or bolder, more geometric patterns.

Blue and white tiles are a classic colour choice for a French-style bathroom. If a whole wall of patterned tiles seems too much, you can dot more detailed tiles amongst plain designs, create a border or stick to a small area like a splashback.

French style bathrooms are often created using delicate graceful patterned wall tiles, particularly in blue and white.

Image credit: @aimee.roser

Recommended Tile: Grande Matt

Patterned floor tiles

Add interest to a neutrally decorated bathroom by fitting an eye-catching patterned tile floor. Perfect for adding a vintage look to your bathroom, patterns are ideal for lifting a room and, if you only make one change to your bathroom, adding a patterned tile floor will make a big impact.

French style patterned floors are exquisite and complement neutral bathrooms beautifully. For a striking effect, combine pattern and colour on your floor to enhance your bathroom.

Image credit: @ohmyfrenchvintage

Recommended Tile: Waxman Grace Blue 

Elegant marble tiles

Marble is one of the most beautiful and versatile natural stones and if you want to create a classic-looking French-style bathroom, it’s one of the best materials to choose.

Marble has been used for centuries and, apart from its impressive aesthetics, part of its beauty lies in its unrivalled versatility. Whether you want to create a traditional-looking bathroom or a contemporary hotel-style sanctuary, marble will slide effortlessly into any design scheme.

You can opt for ultra-luxurious floor-to-ceiling marble for the ultimate high-end bathroom look or keep it more traditional with a half wall of marble, edged with decorative border tiles.

Magnificent Marble is simply splendid when laid floor-to-ceiling or a feature wall is highly effective in a French style bathroom.

Image credit: @interior_attitude

Recommended Tile: Elgin Matt White Marble 

Top tips for a French-style tiled bathroom

• French style can be quirky and traditional or sleek and modern, you can also combine the two to great effect. Natural stone (or stone-effect porcelain) tiles are a perfect choice for modern and traditional bathrooms as they’re so timeless.
• For a chic Parisian-style bathroom, choose tiles in white, cream, beige and earthy colours. You can add interest with patterned tiles and wood-look porcelain tiles.
• Add retro glamour with a tiled parquet floor. Wood-effect tiles are an excellent option for bathrooms and wet rooms.

Atlas Ceramics has a wide range of natural stone, terracotta, porcelain and patterned tiles to help you get the French look in your kitchen. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.