Tile Trends 2027: Backsplashes, Bathrooms and Floors in Indian Homes

Tile trends for 2027 pull in two directions at once: bigger slabs with fewer joints, and small, handmade-looking squares that make a wall look crafted. Finishes are turning matt and textured on floors, colours are warming up, and in India the old cement tiles, Athangudi and terrazzo, are back in new homes. Below is what each trend rests on, and how to use it in an Indian kitchen, bathroom, living room or balcony without it dating in three years.

About the claims below: each trend names its source: reports from Cersaie 2026, the Bologna tile fair held 21 to 25 September 2026; Indian tile makers' own pages; design press; BIS standards; and MOA members' projects. Maker pages are described as facts, not ranked or recommended. Sizes are the makers' published sizes. "Our view" and "guidance" mark MOA's professional judgement. Checked 18 Oct 2026.

Our sister posts cover last year's Indian home trends and where floors sit in an interiors budget. This one is about tiles across the whole house.

1. Formats: large slabs and small squares, both at once

Cersaie 2026 drew 92,352 visitors and 595 exhibitors, and Floor Covering News reported "increasingly large-format slabs" on show, with tile moving onto countertops, vanities and tabletops. At the other end, Tile of Spain's insights from the fair, reported by Kitchen and Bath Business, describe small-format tile as "an enduring favorite", with zellige-inspired looks driving square formats and handmade-style layouts. Azure's Cersaie roundup lists 60 x 120 cm porcelain next to 10 x 10 cm squares and 5 x 20 cm subway tiles.

Indian makers publish the large end in detail. SOMANY's SurfaceScape 2026 launch, announced on 13 October 2026, lists glazed vitrified tiles in 1200 x 1800, 800 x 1600, 600 x 1200 and 600 x 600 mm. NITCO's Elementra page describes an 800 x 2400 mm full-body tile, 15 mm thick.

How to use it at home

Guidance: put the slabs where joints are a nuisance, on bathroom walls, living room floors and the wall behind the hob, and put small tiles where joints help: a shower floor that must slope to a drain, or a backsplash strip you want to read as handmade. Before you order slabs, check that they fit in the lift and up the stairwell of your building, and that your tiler has laid that size before. Hexagons are an option for shower floors and niches; no fair report we read named them as a 2027 trend, so treat them as a classic, not a new idea (our view).

Table card of tile choices for seven areas of an Indian home: kitchen backsplash, kitchen floor, bathroom walls, shower floor, living and bedrooms, balcony and terrace, and pooja niche or feature wall. For each it gives the tile format, the finish to ask for and the grout and joint advice, with a swatch that shows the same 1.95 by 1.26 metre patch at one scale so the number of grout lines can be compared — Tile format, finish and grout by room: slabs where joints are a nuisance, small tiles where a floor must fall to a drain or grip wet feet. Diagram: MOA

2. Surfaces: matt and textured on floors, gloss on walls

The same Tile of Spain report says high-gloss finishes are giving way to matte, honed and satin surfaces, with soft-touch glazes, reliefs, fluting and "micro-textured surfaces" that improve grip on floors. Floor Covering News noted deeply textured surfaces, grooves and bold graphics. Gloss has not gone: Azure lists finishes from glossy and reflective to velvety and matte. SOMANY's 2026 launch lists finishes such as Etchtech, Silk Surface, Matt and Carving, Velvet, Grit Mica and Outdoor.

How to use it at home

Our view: matt or satin on every floor that gets wet or oily, and gloss where you want light bounced and grease wiped off, on a backsplash or a bathroom wall above the splash zone. Deep reliefs and fluted tiles look good in a showroom but hold dust and tadka grease in an Indian home, so keep them to a dry feature wall or a pooja niche, not behind the stove.

3. Colours and patterns: warm earth, and pattern in one place

Every Cersaie report we opened describes a warmer palette. Tile of Spain says "warm, earthy hues" will set ceramic palettes in 2027, led by deep creams, chestnut browns and ochres, with forest greens and ocean blues as accents. Floor Covering News saw earthy and blush tones; Azure lists blush, beige, amber, burgundy and sage. The fair's own preview, sponsored by Cersaie, named espresso, deep chocolate, cinnamon and saffron. On pattern, Azure points to nature motifs and old techniques such as majolica.

On MOA, the courtyard at Aadhyashree, a 2025 farmhouse near Patan by re:sōch, shows a calm way to use pattern: grey and white geometric tiles around a frangipani tree, framed by plain tile and white walls.

A sunlit courtyard in a farmhouse, with a frangipani tree in a white-edged planter set into a floor of grey and white geometric patterned tiles framed by a plain border, white walls and a folding glass door open to the dining area — Patterned tiles kept to one place: the courtyard floor at Aadhyashree, a 2025 farmhouse near Patan, Gujarat, framed by plain tile and white walls. Image: re:sōch | a design studio on MOA

How to use it at home

Our view: choose one patterned plane per room, a courtyard, a balcony floor, a backsplash strip or a pooja niche, and keep the rest plain. Warm beige, cream and terracotta tones forgive dust and hard-water marks better than the cool greys of the last decade. If you want a strong colour, put it in small wall tiles that can be replaced, not across a floor you will live with for twenty years.

4. Made in India: Morbi, and what the box should tell you

Most Indian tiles come from one district. A Gujarat government statement released before the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in January 2026, reported by PTI, put Morbi at an estimated 1,200 ceramic units producing about 60 lakh tonnes a year, contributing 80 to 90 per cent of India's ceramic exports, worth about ₹15,000 crore in 2024-25, and called it the world's second-largest ceramic cluster. The Morbi Ceramic Manufacturers Association says the cluster makes wall, floor, vitrified, polished glazed vitrified and twin-charged tiles in formats from 20 x 30 cm to 120 x 180 cm. Its site gives a lower count, 610 units, and is undated, so the two numbers measure different things or different years.

The standard behind all of these is IS 15622, for pressed ceramic tiles. Its 2006 edition sorts tiles by water absorption, from group B Ia (0.08 per cent or less) to B III (over 10 per cent), and BIS's product manual for the 2017 edition lists five groups, glossy, matt and semi-matt glazes, and polished, semi-polished and unpolished finishes. The 2026 change is about grip. Under Amendment No. 2 to IS 15622:2017, the floor-tile friction test is now titled "slip resistance" and must follow IS 18433 (Part 1) or (Part 2); BIS set 28 June 2026 as the last date for licensees to comply, and the amendment adds a test for lead and cadmium given off by glazed tiles.

How to use it at home

Guidance: ask for the water absorption group, the batch and shade number, and for floor tiles the declared slip resistance with its test method. Buy every box for one room from one batch, plus spares for repairs, because a later batch rarely matches.

5. Athangudi and terrazzo: the cement floors come back

Athangudi tiles are handmade in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu. DT Next described the process in 2022: a cement, sand and colour slurry is poured into a stencil on glass, backed with dry mix, cured under water for about 8 to 12 days, then dried in rice husk. The makers' federation applied for a Geographical Indication tag that year; we could not confirm whether it has been granted.

Terrazzo is following a similar path. The Nod profiled Delhi studio Parman Designs in 2024, which makes terrazzo walls, furniture and bathtubs; the article links the revival to architects looking for eco-friendly materials and designers preferring local sourcing. From Bologna, Tile of Spain mentions metallic chips in terrazzo as a warm accent. On MOA, Nagappan's Dr.V Residence in Coimbatore has a yellow tiled living room floor with small white inserts and a patterned border.

A pale terrazzo floor with grey and white stone chips and a repeating inlay of small black four-petal flowers, running from a glass-walled stair past a concrete column towards lift doors — Terrazzo with a black inlaid motif at the MAST foundation in Bologna, the city that hosts Cersaie. Photo: Armin Kleiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to use it at home

Guidance: cement tiles suit living rooms, pooja rooms and sheltered verandahs, not shower floors or the hob zone, where oil and constant wetting wear them. IS 1443, the code for laying cement concrete and terrazzo tiles, says joints are normally 1.5 mm wide and grouted with neat cement slurry, coloured to match if needed, with no sand added. Ask the maker how long the batch was cured, and visit a floor they laid a few years ago.

6. Outdoor and anti-skid tiles: grip comes first

Floor Covering News reported Cersaie products for patios, facades and other exterior spaces. Indian makers publish outdoor ranges with thicker bodies: H&R Johnson describes outdoor vitrified tiles 15 and 20 mm thick for gardens, pathways, verandahs and pool decks. Orientbell says its anti-skid tiles combine a matte finish with texture and are tested for an R-value (ramp test rating).

The covered terrace at Deep's Mansion in Bengaluru, by KB Sowmya, shows patterned tiles taken outdoors, around a raised platform under a swing.

A covered rooftop terrace with a wooden swing over a raised platform finished in wood-look planks edged in black stone, surrounded by a floor of grey, white and terracotta patterned tiles, with potted palms along a black stone ledge and pink bougainvillea across a slatted ceiling — A covered terrace at Deep's Mansion, Bengaluru, where patterned floor tiles surround a raised platform under the swing. Image: KB Sowmya, surya architects and interior designer, on MOA

How to use it at home

Guidance: on any balcony or step the monsoon reaches, ask for the slip-resistance value and the test behind it, not just the words "anti-skid". Use matt or textured tiles there, never polished, and check that the floor falls away from the door to a drain. Outdoor floors also need the layers underneath done right; our waterproofing guide covers terraces, balconies and bathrooms by climate.

7. Grout and laying: where tile jobs succeed or fail

Grout is now chosen, not left to the mason. Pidilite's Roff Starlike page, for example, describes an epoxy grout for 1 to 15 mm joints that resists grease and oil stains, in 16 shades, with tiles left 24 hours before grouting and 48 hours recommended for full cure.

How to use it at home

Guidance: use epoxy grout behind the hob, around the sink and inside the shower, where cement grout stains and grows mould. Pick a grout close to the tile colour, so the joints disappear rather than draw a grid. Large slabs need a flat base, full adhesive cover under the tile and a tiler with levelling clips; a hollow corner on a big slab cracks under a dropped vessel. If the kitchen layout is changing too, settle it first with our kitchen layouts guide, so the backsplash and floor follow the final plan.

What will date fast, in our view

Grey-on-grey everything. The 2026 fairs moved to warm palettes; a fully grey flat already reads as the last decade.
High-gloss floors in wet rooms. They look new for a week and slip for years.
Pattern on every surface. One patterned plane lasts; a patterned floor, wall and ceiling together tires quickly.
Deep 3D relief behind the stove. It traps tadka grease and is hard to clean.

FAQ

What are the tile trends for 2027?

Large slabs alongside small handmade-look squares, matt and textured floor finishes, warm earthy colours, single patterned surfaces, a revival of Athangudi and terrazzo in India, and outdoor tiles chosen for grip. Each is drawn from Cersaie 2026 reports, Indian makers' pages or MOA members' projects cited above.

Which tiles are best for a kitchen backsplash in 2027?

A slab or large-format tile behind the hob for the fewest grease lines, or small glossy squares if you want a handmade look, finished with epoxy grout. Keep deep relief tiles away from the stove.

Which tiles are best for bathroom floors?

Matt or anti-skid tiles, small enough to slope to the drain. Since Amendment No. 2 to IS 15622:2017, slip resistance on floor tiles is tested to IS 18433, so ask for the value and the method.

Are Athangudi tiles good for bathrooms?

Not for the wet zone, in our view. They suit living rooms, pooja rooms and sheltered verandahs better; use vitrified or ceramic tile in the shower.

Choosing tiles for a new home or a renovation? Find an interior designer on MOA, or an architect if walls and floors are changing, and browse finished homes in the project gallery.

Sources

Floor Covering News: Cersaie 2026 showcases global tile trends, innovations, 13 Oct 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Kitchen and Bath Business: Insights From Cersaie 2026: A New Era of Spanish Ceramics (Tile of Spain), by Carrie Whitney, 8 Oct 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Azure: Cersaie 2026: 5 Collections That Highlight the Transformative Power of Tile, by Kendra Jackson, 8 Oct 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Kitchen and Bath Business (sponsored by Cersaie): Discover What's Next in Kitchen and Bath Design at CERSAIE 2026, 10 Jul 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
SOMANY Ceramics, via ThePrint (PNN release): SOMANY Ceramics unveils new generation of Duragres glazed vitrified tiles, 13 Oct 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
NITCO: Elementra collection (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
H&R Johnson (India): Outdoor tiles (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Orientbell Tiles: Anti-skid tiles (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
PTI via The Week: Morbi leads India's ceramic exports with up to 90 pc share: Gujarat govt, 6 Jan 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Morbi Ceramic Manufacturers Association: Welcome to Morbi Ceramic Manufacturers Association (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 15622:2006, Pressed Ceramic Tiles: Specification, via Public.Resource.Org (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Bureau of Indian Standards: Product Manual for Pressed Ceramic Tiles according to IS 15622:2017, September 2019 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Bureau of Indian Standards: Guidelines for implementation of Amendment No. 2 to IS 15622:2017, 2 Apr 2026 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 1443:1972, Code of Practice for Laying and Finishing of Cement Concrete Flooring Tiles, via Public.Resource.Org (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
DT Next: Athangudi tiles may soon get GI tag, 16 Apr 2022 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
The Nod: This Delhi-based studio specialises in not-your-grandma's terrazzo, by Avantika Shankar, 18 Jul 2024 (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
Pidilite: Roff Starlike epoxy grout (accessed 18 Oct 2026)
MOA: Aadhyashree by re:sōch, Deep's Mansion by KB Sowmya and Dr.V Residence by Nagappan (accessed 18 Oct 2026)