Style on the Subway

If subway tile could have a persona, it would be Audrey Hepburn: simple, classic and always in style. Quite possibly the little black dress of home improvement, subway tile goes with just about every type of style and décor. Dress it up. Dress it down. We’re sharing some of our latest and greatest subway tile projects to inspire you in your next remodel.

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Clean and Crisp

All white subway tile with a matching white grout gives a beautifully clean look. Here it provides a backdrop with staying power, acing the test of time as your personal style evolves over the years. We love this wonderfully neutral background to let shower fixtures and accessories really pop. That’s the true beauty of this neutral tile. Your styles may change over the year and your subway tile will embrace it all.

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Contrasting Grout

Here, white subway tile with a darker grout makes a real statement. We especially love the pattern and color pay here, pairing the white subway tile walls with the grey hexagon floor. Talk about a match made in heaven. Using a contrasting grout gives subway tile a more modern look, while still keeping it clean and crisp. Still very much neutral, the contrast makes a great statement.

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Pattern Play

We love the utility of this tile. This herringbone pattern ups the elegance factor in this kitchen, making this Thermador range a real focal point and giving the kitchen a beautiful, custom look. Adding a pattern with subway tile does take a little more installation time, but the relatively inexpensive cost of subway tile makes special touches like these fairly budget friendly. We’ve also installed subway tile vertically instead of the traditional horizontal layout, giving a sleek and modern elongated look.

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Add an Accent

A basic ceramic subway tile is relatively inexpensive. That’s one of the reasons why we love it so much. It’s also easy to elevate. For a more luxe or custom look, consider an adding an accent, like we did here with a blue glass tile in a mosaic pattern.

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Variation on a Theme

There are so many variations of the standard subway tile. You can easily upgrade your selection with a subway shape with a handmade tile finish, a beveled edge, an enlarged subway tile, or, in this case, a with a subway tile in marble. We love the elegant combination of the marble hexagon floor with the marble subway tile in this master bathroom shower. Talk about a total classic.

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Pick a Color, Any Color

Subway tile comes in more than white. A simple off-white adds depth to this space on this kitchen backsplash. It’s a great compliment to warmer, off-white cabinetry. White and off-white aren’t your only subway tile color options. Select tile in a bright color for a shower or backsplash for a real statement.

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The Golden Touch

We’re seeing lots of brass fixtures right now, in the kitchen and in the bathroom. We’re loving this finish, which adds an element of style to any room. White subway tile, with a contrasting grout, paired with brass fixtures, provides a beautiful palette of color in this shower, yet is still wonderfully neutral, allowing for an array of paint colors or accessories over the years. Keep in mind that a shower fixture is easy enough to change when it’s time for an update. But the tiled shower wall has real staying power and will be ready to embrace the next trend.

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A Neutral Backdrop

Neutral doesn’t mean boring. In this laundry room backsplash, subway tile provides a beautiful yet basic backdrop, ready to embrace any accent color, style or trend. From modern to traditional to shabby chic. Subway tile knows how to make it work.

Of course, there are so many options out there beyond subway tile when it comes to exploring options for your home. There’s just about any shape, any size or any color. But more and more of our customers are leaning towards subway tile, a timeless and practical staple in the tile world. Dress it up. Dress it down. Subway tile is your wardrobe staple. Your faithful friend. A tried and true workhorse. Do you need some subway tile in your life? Is it time to overhaul your kitchen or bathroom?

Jennifer Buchholz