3 on-trend ways to tile bathrooms, chosen by an interiors editor for how luxe they look

Bathroom tiles have been a big focus following his own bathroom refurb this year. 'It's so easy to go with subway tiles - they're a perennial style that always looks good, and is simple for tilers to lay,' he says. 'But you can have so much more design flair if you go with one of these approaches instead.'

Design journalist Pip Rich, editor of interiors bible Livingetc, explains the ways designers get it right.

I recently interviewed the designer Staffan Tollgard, whose very high end projects always look - and, realistically, are - very expensive. He told me that even he would never recommend real stone in a bathroom anymore - it's too pricey, too heavy and can be hard to maintain.

He said that advances in man-made stone-like materials such as quartz have meant that not only are they a far more practical and durable option, they also look just as good, too.

If choosing this approach, opt for a wide tile, at least 80cm x 30cm, with veining that is as rich and patterned as these tiles, above. Instant luxe spa vibes.

If the lure of the classic subway tile is too strong for you - and let me stress, they're a modern classic because they just always look good - then at least consider turning them into a chevron formation.

This takes on the lure of parquet flooring, that extra detail that makes your bathroom seem modern and fresh, yet also familiar and charming.

As with parquet, this approach is helped by tile that comes with colour variations (this could be because it's handmade, or some tile companies offer this as a detail in their machine-made ranges, which is cheaper), as shown above. It leads to a lack of uniformity and a subtle depth to the pattern.