20 Penny Tile Ideas with Vintage-Inspired Charm by Maria Sabella

Add elegance with the Victorian-era classic that’s making a modern comeback.

Brie Williams

Penny tile is a classic wall and floor covering that’s making a stylish comeback. Dating back to Victorian times, it’s a round or hexagonal tile that’s typically under an inch in diameter, and gets its name from the penny coin. One of the most traditional bathroom floor designs you’ll see is black and white penny tile arranged in a flower pattern, but the tile is also used to create a variety of other patterns and borders. In addition to these decorative features, the small tile lends itself well to fun word designs which add playful personality.

In addition to being a timeless floor and wall covering option in a bathroom, you can use penny tile for a kitchen or wet bar backsplash. While choosing the right tile color is key, picking the right grout color is equally as important. Grout that matches the color or tone of the tile will create a softer aesthetic, while contrasting grout emphasizes the shape of the penny tile, creating a distinct pattern. Whether you’re renovating a bathroom or want to give the kitchen a quick refresh with a new backsplash, browse our favorite penny tile ideas that put a modern twist on the vintage tile.

Penny Tile Backsplash

Adam Albright

Mint green penny tile is a charming choice for a backsplash in this colorful kitchen. The chunky design of the rustic wood shelves juxtaposes the miniature size and round shape of the penny tile and the natural material pairs beautifully with the light green tile color.

White Penny Tile Bathroom Floor

Laura Moss

Use white penny tile on bathroom floors to add visual interest and a touch of classic style, without distracting from a bold wallpaper or paint color on the walls. In this modern rustic bathroom, the penny tile floor fits in with the blue and white color scheme, allows the charming buffalo check wallpaper to stand out, and introduces a round shape to contrast the room’s linear features.

Sleek Penny Tile Backsplash

Jean Allsopp

Dark gray penny tile gives this wet bar backsplash a sleek look. For a modern wet bar design, extend dark penny tile from the countertop to the ceiling, allowing it to serve as a feature wall. Instead of mounting shelving on top of it, leave the wall blank and use matching dark grout to maintain the tile’s moody aesthetic.

Penny Tile Word Design

Hector M. Sanchez

Take inspiration from this small laundry room and use penny tile to create a playful word design. Start with a base of white penny tile, then use a contrasting color to spell out a word that goes with the room’s theme—such as “fresh” in a laundry room or bathroom. It’s a fun way to add personality and a whimsical touch to this hard-working space.

Penny Tile Shower Floor

Tria Giovan

Black penny tile on this pet shower floor is a practical and stylish choice. The dark color is a continuation of the mudroom floor tile, but the contrasting shape of the two tiles adds subtle distinction. White subway tile on the shower walls and white cabinetry throughout the rest of the space adds contrast and creates a clean and modern look.

Black and White Penny Tile Flowers

Nathan Schroder Photography

For a classic bathroom floor design, use black and white penny tile to create a flower pattern. This charming design is timeless and provides a great way to break up a solid flooring color and introduce a little bit of pattern. Here, the penny tile colors echo the black beadboard and white subway tile wall, tying the whole space together.

Elegant Bathroom with Penny Tile

Brie Williams

Recreate this elegant bathroom with white horizontal wood paneling on the bottom half of the wall and light gray penny tile on the upper half. The cool silver tones in the penny tile pair beautifully with the polished chrome wall sconces, mirrors, and vanity hardware for a crisp and clean bathroom design.

Marble Penny Tile Bathroom Floor

Adam Albright

If you want to use marble tile on your bathroom walls and floors, opt for two different tile shapes to create subtle distinction between the two. In this modern bathroom, marble penny tile on the floor brings in a small-scale pattern while the large rectangular tile on the walls creates the illusion of spaciousness.

Penny Tile Floor Design

David Tsay

The small size and round shape of penny tiles lends itself well to creating interesting designs on bathroom floors. Here, black and white penny tile is used to create a snowflake pattern which is surrounded by an elegant Greek key border made up of small square tiles.

Modern Rustic Bathroom with Penny Tile Floor

Jay Wilde

This modern rustic bathroom is light and bright, yet full of character. White walls set a clean and crisp backdrop and marble penny tile on the floor maintains the bathroom’s light aesthetic while adding slight color variation and a small-scale pattern. The flooring also creates a neutral base that allows the statement bathtub to stand out.

Penny Tile Shower Nook

Kim Cornelison

Given its small size, penny tile is ideal for creating a fun shower nook. In this black and white bathroom, black penny tile with a whimsical word design inside the shower nook contrasts the white subway tile that covers the shower walls. The contrasting colors, shapes, and sizes of the two tiles add visual interest to the shower in a simple and elegant way.

Penny Tile Kitchen Floor

Kim Cornelison

This modern farmhouse kitchen exudes charm and character. The classic cabinetry and wood countertops are a timeless choice, but it’s the penny tile kitchen floor that really makes the space. The choice of pairing white penny tile with gray penny tile makes for a softer, more subtle floor design than if you were to use black penny tile, while still offering plenty of contrast to make the snowflake pattern and traditional Greek key border visible.

Penny Tile with White Grout

Anne D. Schlechter

Choosing the right grout color is just as important as picking the color of the tile itself. When using white penny tile, you can either go light or dark with the grout color. If you’re going for a soft and neutral atmosphere in your bathroom, pair white penny tile with white grout. If on the other hand you want to emphasize the size and shape of the penny tile, use dark grout which will create contrast and a visible pattern.

Black Penny Tile Bathroom Floor

Robert Peterson

In this small bathroom, black penny tile on the floor grounds the space and contrasts the bright white walls. White penny tile is used to create a simple border, breaking up the black floor and echoing the white elements in this eclectic space.

Penny Tile Border

Jessica Delaney

In addition to creating fun word designs and patterns such as flowers and snowflakes, you can use penny tile for a variety of decorative borders. The possibilities are endless, from applying a straight border along the bathroom walls to creating a classic Greek key border in the negative space around the vanity and toilet.

Industrial Kitchen with a Penny Tile Backsplash

Annie Schlechter

This industrial kitchen mixes modern and vintage elements for a space filled with style and character. Dark grout is used to create a visible backsplash pattern with the penny tile, which is juxtaposed with a more graphic and large-scale tile pattern on the floor.

Eclectic Bathroom with Penny Tile Floor

James Nathan Schroder

Eclectic homes layer a variety of design styles, colors, and materials to create a collected, lived-in feel. In this eclectic bathroom, black and white penny tile flooring with a vintage-inspired flower pattern is a charming addition to painted shiplap walls, a desk-style wood vanity, and collected wall decor.

Penny Tile In a Vintage Bathroom

Jay Wilde

Penny tile is an appropriate flooring choice for this vintage bathroom. The black and white tiles create a small-scale pattern which contrasts the bold black tile border which replaces baseboards in this bathroom. A graphic blue and white wallpaper injects a contemporary touch and adds a third layer of pattern.

Penny Tile In a Green and White Bathroom

Max Kim-Bee

This green and white bathroom is crisp and clean thanks to the white walls and penny tile floors, and possesses a rejuvenating and optimistic energy thanks to the bright green vanity. The penny tile maintains the bathroom’s two-tone look, adding a vintage-inspired element and subtle pattern in a modern way.

Penny Tile Floor with Beadboard Walls

Karyn Millet

Vintage-inspired details such as a penny tile floor and beadboard on the walls lend a charming atmosphere to this white bathroom and prove that an all-white space doesn’t have to look boring. For a non-permanent way to add a pop of color, take inspiration from this space and bring in a patterned window shade, lay out a vibrant runner rug, and hang a colorful piece of art.