Okay, This Unexpected Tile Color Combination Is in All My Favorite Bathroom Projects Right Now
Eye-catching yet understated, this is the color combination splashed all over the coolest bathrooms right now
Every once in a while, I come across a new color combination that takes over my life. Suddenly, everywhere I look, I find a new opportunity to include it. Every morning, as I pick out my outfit for the day, I'm internally plotting how to center it around my current favorite pairing. Every corner of my home becomes a blank canvas, just waiting for the combo du jour to bring it to life. And I think I've just found the best possible application for the latest color combination that's captured my heart: tiles.
It's pretty much an undisputed fact that brown and blue are the color palette of the season. From catwalks to stylish hotels, this calming duo is everywhere. What you might not have known, however, is just how well this combination works for your bathroom tiles. Striped or checkered, shiny or matte, no matter how you use the pairing, the result seems to be consistently chic, and I can't get enough of it.
Taking cues from nature, it should come as no surprise that the calming brightness of sky blue and the rich warmth of earthy brown work well together. And in the bathroom, where the goal is to reconnect and rejuvenate, these colors couldn't be better placed.
The shiny zellige tiles provide a beautiful contrast to the mottled, matte plaster finish.
It's not just me who's obsessed with this color combination; designers seem to be equally enamoured with it. It's rich and earthy, yet bright and uplifting, coming together to make a beautifully balanced pair that's just perfect for a modern bathroom.
It's not too serious, either, says Nicky Muudie from Violet & George. "We wanted something playful," says the designer, who recently used this combination in the cozy ensuite of a rural, wellness-inspired cottage. Opting for a spin on the striped tile trend, Nicky chose to intersperse rows of brown tiles within a base of soft sky blue squares, bringing a cool, geometric quality to the walk-in shower.
When the design world is so saturated in earthy color palettes, this combination feels slightly unexpected, while still staying true to the desire for nature-inspired homes. As Nicky explains, "Blue and brown are such a natural pairing, essentially earth and sky." Which is exactly why they work so beautifully together.
Although borrowing directly from nature, there's something striking about the combination that brings a bathroom to life. "We love the contrast of blue and brown and blue and oxblood," adds Nicky.
Sitting at the slightly warmer end of the spectrum, a deep burgundy red tile can make a beautiful alternative for brown, too. For artist and content creator Laura Prietto (@laura_prietto_ on Instagram), it was this richer, warmer tone that stood out.
In her own bathroom, she opted for sky-blue tiles alongside a deep red bordeaux. "What inspired the decision was a picture I saw on Pinterest," she explains. "I had saved a couple of different colors and ideas, but this one really spoke to me. My husband liked it too. I went to the tile store and was laying out options, and a designer from the store was really drawn to this option as well."
How To Get The Look
In this double shower room, the brown tile details add some depth to the design.
The beautiful thing about this trend is just how many ways you can bring it to life, with different types of bathroom tiles and layouts to explore. You could opt for large-format tiles for a more seamless, spa bathroom effect, or stick with smaller tiles for a more on-trend finish.
While there are many gorgeous ways to interpret it, there's something especially beautiful about the effect of brown and blue zellige tiles against one another; the shiny finish amplifying the contrast between the two colors.
For Nicky, it wasn't just the color that the high-shine finish amplified. "We went for zellige as it works perfectly with the texture of polished plaster," she adds. Sitting directly alongside the mottled plaster walls, the zellige tiles become even more prominent as a feature.
You don't have to feel bound to one particular design style, either. "Depending on how you pair it, this could work in either a more contemporary scheme, such as this, or a more traditional one," says Nicky. "It’s really about how you use it." It would look as beautiful paired with traditional bathroom features as it would within a sleek, modern home.
For designer Brandon Schubert, this color combination presented the opportunity to explore a slightly more industrial, modernist style. "I was looking for a tile that felt tactile and soft but also highly utilitarian," he explains. "I settled on these unglazed tiles from Winckelmans in France. They're the kind of thing you might see in a public swimming pool or bus station." But they look way better. (See below.)
How To Style Blue and Brown Tiles
"The dark wood tones of the teak panelling are enhanced by the strong colour contrast of the tiled shower. Because the shower has a ceiling light above it, I knew I could go quite dark with the colour palette without making the room feel gloomy," says Brandon.
With such a striking, high-contrast design, it's best to keep the rest of your design relatively neutral, allowing the tiles to take center stage.
Although the combination takes its cues from nature, in the context of your bathroom, the colors can look surprisingly bold, so other competing features can quickly make your bathroom feel cluttered, detracting from the calming atmosphere you're attempting to create.
Instead, seek out warm, natural materials, with Nicky listing "timber, aged brass, stone, and linen" as particularly good options. The natural warmth and textured finishes work beautifully alongside this color combination, rooting it in nature and highlighting the earthiness of the brown and the calming effect of the blue tones.
In terms of bathroom hardware, Laura encourages polished nickel, which further adds to this laid-back, lived-in warmth. Similarly, Nicky suggests using "Warm whites rather than brilliant white, which can feel a bit harsh next to these colors."
Colors in general are best kept to a minimum here. "Let the blue and brown do the work and use texture and natural materials to layer around them," says Nicky.
If you do want to expand the color palette, though, other nature-inspired shades work best. In Brandon's bathroom (shown above), he paired the brown and blue tiles with rich, green granite. "The green granite of the door lining is an important transition," he explains. "And the dark reddish-brown of the vanity is a perfect third color to add into the mix."
Shop The Look
Hand-made in Morocco, these gorgeous Zellige tiles bring a lovely sheen to your bathroom walls, and this pale blue shade acts as the perfect base.
You can still hop on to the trend with this lovely H&M bath mat. If you want to take it to the next level, why not buy the matching bath towels, too?
Rich, warm, and earthy, this red-toned brown shade brings such a beautiful depth to your bathroom, and would look gorgeous as a trim detail, or covering your bathroom floor.
Add a pop of sky blue to your bathroom with this cool candle holder.
A splash of yellow brings even more brightness to our favorite color combination in this cool tray.
Cozy and chic, this TEKLA robe is not a want, it's a need.
If the idea of committing to a hyper 'on-trend' color combination fills you with fear, worry not. As much as I believe this gorgeous pairing will look just as chic in years to come, if you don't want to take the risk, these tried-and-true anti-trend color combinations will be just what you're looking for.
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