Dreamy luxuriousness is the perfect way to describe onyx tiles for a bathroom. This tile trend is one that is whipping up into a frenzy, backed by Houzz’s latest trend report, searches for “onyx tile” are up a jaw-dropping 1,069%, and it’s easy to see why.
With soft, sultry veining, a juxtaposition of colours that engage you at every angle, they’re elegant, luxurious and so easy to drench in a bathroom. Onyx is in and it’s just got easier to add the luxe factor to your own bathroom.
Why Onyx?
Soft, romantic, translucent and a huge range of colour ways, onyx is offering our bathrooms something a little bit different. Gone are the days of opaque, block colour tiles. Bathrooms (and our eyes) are demanding something that engages us visually no matter where we look, and Onyx is the perfect way to truly captivate.
Grazzie Wilson, Head of Creative at Ca’ Pietra, says: “There’s something about onyx tiles that just hits differently. They’re calming but confident, like a really good playlist or the perfect bath temperature”.
“We’ve been championing this look for years now, long before the trend charts caught on, as its always offered layered depth, that sense of slow luxury you only get from natural stone. Replicated on porcelain, it is a tile that knows how to mimic it beautifully”.
“We’ve always had a soft spot for romantic, chalky colours – the blushes, the aquas, the barely-there blues – because they don’t just look good, they make you feel something. It’s not just about style, it’s about atmosphere. Onyx tiles change the mood of a room entirely. You walk in and your shoulders drop. That’s the kind of design that lasts.”
Onyx Tile Ideas For The Bathroom
The fun thing about onyx is that it’s available in such a wide choice of colours, each owning their own unique juxtaposition of veining and colour.
Onyx is slightly spendier than traditional ceramic tiles, but there are onyx-effect tiles that can a perfectly bridge style whilst keeping your budget in check.
The Illusion Onyx-effect tiles shown below are from Ca Pietra’s Portare Collection, delivering that same luminous luxury at a slightly gentler price point.
This cream, white and grey concoction of colour will lift and lighten any bathroom, if you like the style of grey veining in marble, this is a fab alternative. Tile drench the ceilings and the floor for a fully encompassing, romantic feel.
Or why not lean into something like the below for a soft green glow and romantic undertone. Green sits in the middle of the colour spectrum so it’s virtually one of the easiest colours on the eye. This makes it perfect for creating a serene, luxurious bathroom space.
Green works beautifully with natural elements in a bathroom, such as a wooden vanity for your sink to sit on top of. It makes an earthy styled bathroom that little bit easier to achieve when using green as your main colour in the space.
Onyx or onyx effect tiles can be a much cheaper alternative to classic marble, so if you love the style of marble, but not the price point, this could be the perfect choice.
With grey and white veining, it’s a beautiful juxtaposition which keeps a bathroom feeling light and bright. Plus, in a bathroom it pairs well with virtually any colour.
It doesn’t get more romantic than pink. These beautiful soft tones are translucent, dreamy and completely transform how this bathroom feels.
Tile drenching with them for a waterfall effect from the walls to the floor creates this all encompassing, intimate feel in the space. The same tile has been drenched onto the vanity unit which creates this wonderfully serene space with a touch of femininity.
Tile drenching can feel like a daunting approach, but showcasing onyx on one accent wall like in a shower enclosure creates a juxtaposition with the rest of the room for an enchanting, luxurious feel. If price is a key deciding factor, choosing to just tile one wall with onyx is another way to keep costs down without scrimping on design.
Those aqua tones with grey are a match made in heaven with brass hardware which helps to warm up the cooler tones of the onyx.
The bathroom below is another example of using one accent wall to showcase beautiful onyx. It lends itself to a vanity wall, creating a focal feature without overpowering the bathroom with one design.
Classic grey and white onyx is a truly timeless tile choice. Leaning into trends with tiles can be risky as tiles are an investment, but choosing a classic colour combination is always something that’s worth investing in.
There’s something about onyx which just breaths luxuriousness and shouts, ‘I’m expensive!’!
Tile drenching perfectly encapsulates this, it creates a beautiful flow in a bathroom which is neat and clean. Choosing an accent colour on furniture or on woodwork will help to keep things interesting and avoid the tiles feeling monotonous.
Whilst onyx can be captivating in a tile drenched approach, I personally always prefer to use either 2-3 tile choices in a bathroom for added visual interest, and style.
The shower enclosure below combines both onyx on the walls for an elevated feel and a much smaller scale of tile for the flooring which creates this stunning juxtaposition which you just don’t get with a tile drenched effect.
Like green, blue is a timeless and serene choice for a bathroom. Max out those coastal vibes with a blue and gold vein onyx design, it brings grandeur into the space and would pair well with either black, or brass hardware for added warmth.
If you pick onyx with cool tones, I always prefer to lean into an opposing warm material on hardware. It adds natural warmth and creates a beautiful balance between the two tones.
There are so many different ways you can incorporate onyx into your final bathroom design, and take inspiration from the below where it is using it as an accent wall 2/3 of the way up the wall, positioned behind the tub.
This is a fun approach if you have a separate bath to a shower, creating a focal feature that demands attention. Those green, grey and gold tones are absolutely stunning on this onyx tile that they’ve used.
Picking a similar onyx colouring to the tiles below is something that can work with Japandi, boho and contemporary designs. An enduringly timeless design that will still feel trendy in a few years time.
Onyx is up and coming and a tile choice we’re going to see a lot more of in the coming years. Which of these styles is your favourite?
