5 Tile Trends that are everywhere in 2022

Just like anything else, the world of DIY tiling is all about the latest trends. As a hardware store, we definitely notice this in the types of projects our customers will tell us about. At any given time, there are always a few things that everyone is suddenly keen to try.

Between the projects we hear about from customers, the things we read in industry magazines, and the endless DIY hive-mind that is Pinterest and Instagram, we like to think we’ve got our ear to the ground when it comes to current tile trends.

If you’re looking for a little design inspo, here are our 5 tiling trends for 2022:

1. Earthy, natural colours and textures are having a moment.

Open up any tiling or interior design magazine in 2022, and you’re going to hear about earthy tones.  These are everywhere at the moment, and it’s not hard to imagine why. After a couple of years spent largely inside, it’s no surprise that people are seeking some soothing natural tones in their life.

There are a few ways that this trend is playing out. A big one is timber-look tiles, which add a natural look without the high-maintenance of real timber. Terrazzo tiles have also ridden this wave and made a huge comeback in popularity. 

Another natural material that’s everywhere right now is Limestone and Travertine. These stones have an antique look because the Romans used them for their baths, and they can conjure up a relaxing, earthy tone in your bathroom. If you can’t afford these stones, or you can’t be bothered looking after them, try affordable limestone-look porcelain tiles instead. 

Even brightly coloured tiles can’t escape this natural-leaning trend – blue and green tiles are surging out ahead of other warmer colours when it comes to popularity. The vibe we’re getting is that people just really want to feel like they’re outside, even when they’re inside!

2. A trend that’s not going away: Large stone or stone-look tiles in grey & matte tones.

This is something we’re seeing more and more of these days, and we think it looks great. Large tiles in darker, matte colours look classy and add an extra feeling of space to a larger room. In particular, this trend tends to lean towards greyer stones like slate, granite, and marble.

While this look is all about darker neutral tones, the shiny specks of granite or the swirls of marble can add a great subtle touch as well. If all this sounds a bit daunting when it comes to your budget or DIY skill level, then consider getting a stone look in a different format.

There are plenty of good-quality stone-look tiles available in porcelain – like these beautiful large-format tiles from Verona Porcelain. Stone-look porcelain options are much more affordable and have the benefit  easier to install yourself.

The two key places we’re seeing this trend occur are dark floors in open-plan rooms (which look spacious and hide dirt well) and feature walls in bathrooms. This ties into another trend that’s absolutely everywhere at the moment – matching these two spaces together.

3. Large-format tiles that wrap from feature wall to floor

This is another trend that’s becoming pretty common, and we like that it’s a bit cheeky. It flies in the face of conventional tiling wisdom, but you have to admit that it looks great doing it. We’re talking about using the same style of tiles for your feature wall and your floor.

The strongest example of this, in our opinion, is when it’s combined with the previous trend of large format grey or matte-coloured tiles. We’ve been seeing more and more bathrooms that have one dark grey feature wall that matches the large floor tiles, with contrasting white tiles on the other walls for effect. 

This packs an extra punch when it’s combined with a frameless walk-in shower against the feature wall. Take a scroll through Pinterest – or any recently built apartment listing – and you’ll likely see what we mean. Given how effectively it gives your bathroom those luxury hotel vibes, it’s no surprise that it’s cropping up everywhere 

The other place we’re seeing corner-wrapped tiles look great is on kitchen splashbacks and benches, particularly with geometric pattern tiles and subway tiles. Wrap-around tiles in these spaces can give your kitchen the feel of a trendy New York diner. 

4. Hexagons and other geometric shapes are still popular.

Speaking of small geometric shapes, this is another tiling trend that’s been going strong over the last couple of years – particularly with hexagon tiles. This trend certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down throughout 2022.

Hexagons and geometric tiles do a good job of striking the balance between a clean modern look and vintage mosaic vibes. In particular, these tiles look great as kitchen splashbacks Trust me, those repeating patterns are supremely satisfying to look at while you’re preparing your food. Check out these gorgeous marble-style hexagons from Fossola, for example.

The other place we’re seeing these tiles consistently look awesome is the floor tiling in small bathrooms. White hexagonal or geometric tiles will do an excellent job of making a smaller bathroom look bigger, brighter, and more visually exciting. 

One small tip we’d offer to anyone considering hexagon tiles is that it takes a bit of lateral thinking to DIY these. There are more sides to consider than a square tile, so give yourself a little bit of extra time to get it done right. 

We definitely recommend giving these a shot though – check out some of the geometric or hexagon tiles available in the Multifors Store for some inspiration

5. Contrasting Grout, particularly in Subway Tiles and Mosaics 

As epoxy grout technology gets better and better, grout is enjoying more time in the spotlight when it comes to tiling and interior design.

The wealth of colours and finishes now available means that there are lots of visually striking ways to incorporate grout into your design. Contrasting grouts (i.e. a dark grout against a white tile, or vice versa) are all the rage right now. 

This looks particularly striking when used to create subway tiles, a style of small rectangular tiles that stands out with contrasted grouting, reminiscent of 20th-century subway stations. These are getting a lot of attention right now, especially as kitchen splashbacks

Contrasting grout can also be incorporated into a mosaic feature for a bit of extra punch.  You can even try using a contrasting grout with the geometric tiles or hexagonal tiles we talked about above! It really does add ‘oomph’ to any repeating pattern.

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These are our picks for the 5 biggest tiling trends of 2022. As you can tell, there’s a fair bit of overlap going on between these trends, which just goes to show just how much these 5 different ideas are driving what’s happening in interior design right now. 

Hopefully, these trends have given you a little bit of inspiration for your next DIY project. At Multifors, we try to always stock the latest trends to make it easy to get started. Check out our huge range of large-format stone-look porcelain tiles, ceramic subway tiles and more.