Ever stepped into a shower so small that getting your hair wet feels like a logistical nightmare? Yeah, me too. Turns out when you’re designing a shower that’s closer to two feet wide than three, every little decision matters.
A shower should make you feel refreshed, not panicked. My saga with tiny showers began with rental flat #1. The bathroom was disproportionately tiny, but the shower was what really did me in.
The previous tenant had decided to line the walls with 12” marble-look porcelain tiles. In tiny mosaic cubes.
And that’s where the problems began… Tip #1: Shower tiles aren’t always tiny cubes My hatred for shower cleaning knew no bounds after moving into this flat.
Turns out those little mosaic tiles that everyone swears by for small spaces are actually a developer’s dream – near-impossible to get clean! With smaller tiles, you have more grout lines to scrub soap scum off of. Not only that, but getting down on your hands and knees to scrub dozens of tiny tiles when you can barely turn around in the shower isn’t fun by anyone’s standards.
I opted for 4×12” subway tiles instead, hung vertically. The vertical lines force your eyes upward, making the ceiling feel higher. Vertical tiles are also easier to clean because they have fewer grout lines than horizontal tiles.
Tip #2: Stay away from bright white tiles in small spaces One of the rookie mistakes I made was using bright white tiles. They do make the space feel more open and larger than it is, but they also highlight every water spot, patch of soap scum…and other things you may discover in the shower. My shower looked gross all the time, even if I spent ages cleaning it.
My tip? Go one shade off-white, or try light grey. Both are light enough to make your space feel larger and bright, but won’t show every marking and stain.
I’ve tiled three bathrooms using porcelain tiles in a soft dove grey, and every client comments on how “clean” their shower looks. Tip #3: You have to trust me on this one – the TILE HAS TO BE SLIP RESISTANT. Ok, I know.
But seriously. In a small shower you don’t have *as much* room to break your autumn if you slip. I learned that firsthand one morning when I slipped while reaching for shampoo.
Tile yourself. Most people think they need small, textured tiles to keep themselves from slipping. Don’t make this mistake.
Textured tiles suck. Tiny nubs everywhere collect dirt like your shower’s carpet. Stick to matte finish tiles instead of glossy.
Matte finishes aren’t as slippery without creating extra work for yourself. Tip #4: Shower drainage is everything when you have a small shower. I didn’t realise how much of a difference shower drainage makes until I moved into my current flat.
My contractor let me talk him into installing a linear drain on one wall of the shower instead of a standard centre drain. All this meant was that the shower sloped towards one side, rather than pouring towards the centre. This one tiny change meant I gained almost a foot of extra shower space (you don’t have to work around the drain!) and water doesn’t pool in the corners.
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Tip #5: Resist the urge to go TOO busy with your tile pattern. Bold is good. Too bold can be stressful when you’re brushing your teeth in the morning.
Learn from my mistakes and stay away from tons of crazy geometrics on tiny surfaces. Take honeycomb showers, for example. They look AMAZING in the showroom, but have you ever BEEN inside a honeycomb shower?
Hexagon tile after hexagon tile drilling into your soul like a clingy friend? Yeah. Me neither.
Subtle patterns are better than no pattern at all for small showers. Running bond (aka brick pattern) is classic and still gives your shower some interest. Or keep it super simple and install your tiles in a straight stack pattern.
I used 6×24” tiles on the walls of my guest bathroom shower and it feels almost spa-like. Tip #6: Cool-toned tiles can make your small shower feel cold and uninviting. Warm-toned whites and creams are lovely, but can make your space feel closed in.
Cool-toned tiles like greys and blues open up the space, but can leave you feeling chilled when you shower. My solution? Neutral-toned tiles with warm undertones.
They make the space feel larger without being cold. Tip #7: Tile your shower ceiling too. This might sound excessive, but hear me out.
By continuing my shower wall tile straight up onto the ceiling, there wasn’t a clear stopping point for the eye to tell where the shower wall ended and the ceiling began. It creates the illusion of a taller, more expensive shower. Sure, it cost me an extra £60 for the tiles, but it felt like I saved hundreds.
Worth it. Tip #8: Think about maintenance when you’re tiny-tile shopping. Small showers mean you’re going to be up in your shower tiles faces more often than not.
When testing out shower tiles, get your hands on some actual shower products too. Squeeze your shampoo onto a sample tile and let it sit for a day. See how easily you can wipe it off.
You’d be surprised how many tiles that *look* the same have vastly different reactions to real shower products.
Tip #9: Don’t be afraid of grey grout. Speaking of grout, using grey grout (or even better, charcoal grey grout) can hide dirt and discoloration easier than white grout.
Spend the extra few pennies on epoxy grout too. It’s WAY harder to install than regular grout, but no mildew can grow on it. Seriously, every little bit helps when it comes to keeping your shower clean.
Now that little tile tour is over, here are the tiles I used in my current shower: I love how it turned out – simple subway tiles done right. It’s geometric and interesting enough to look intentional, but simple enough that I don’t mind looking at it every day. Plus, choosing the right tiles and grout colour means I don’t swear every time I step in to clean my shower. ?
Psst. Want to see how I installed subway tiles on a budget? Grab my free tile installation guide:
