Subway Tiles in the Home: 5 Interior Design Ideas

Subway tiles provide a timeless choice for the home thanks to their classic and simple shape as well as the vast range of designer tile options that are available in a subway format. Taking a step away from the traditional sleek white subway tiles we’ve become accustomed to, modern options include variations in colour, texture and even in materials to provide a wider variety for the home. From natural stone tiles to handmade options and more, subway tiles can be included in any interior design scheme to create a unique and personal finishing touch. These exciting interior design ideas incorporate classic subway tiles in a variety of unique ways.

Interior Design Ideas: Combining Subway Tile Shapes

Subway tiles are characterised by their classic rectangular shape. You can add a unique touch to your interior design scheme by modernising this look with a combination of different tile shapes. Small square tiles for example can be paired with subway tiles to add a variation in texture, pattern and shape in your design scheme. The example below combines these two classic tile shapes for a wonderfully textured look, creating an irresistibly tactile aesthetic in this stylish interior design idea.

Our Brickland collection combines square tiles with subway tiles to create a new interpretation of the classic subway tile design. This collection offers a stylish handmade appearance with each tile varying from the next.

Subway Tile Patterns

Subway tiles can be used to create a variety of different layout patterns that will add a unique touch to your design scheme. Thanks to their small format and simple shape, subway tiles can be laid in various styles such as the popular herringbone tile layout, in a basket weave pattern or a classic brick bond layout. These simple tiles can even be run horizontally or vertically across your walls for a different take on this classic tile look, offering you a vast range of creative interior design ideas to choose from when designing your home.

Our Calacatta collection includes a range of different tile shapes and styles, including a luxurious subway tile option. These natural stone tiles add a refined quality to any interior design scheme, creating an earthy yet luxurious touch.

Combining Materials & Finishes

If you are looking for interior design ideas to add more character and charm to the classic white subway tile, pairing them with different materials is a sure-fire way to add that unique touch! This design solution also allows you to take advantage of a range of different materials and finishes in areas where a range of qualities and characteristics are most needed, such as the kitchen for example. The kitchen example pictured below combines natural stone with classic white wall tiles for a stylish splashback solution that adds a unique and personal touch to the all-white kitchen colour palette.

Our Fracture wall tiles can be used in the kitchen to add a charming quality to your new splashback. These tiles are available in a selection of cool, neutral colour options offering the perfect complement to a range of natural stones such as marble or granite.

Interior Design Ideas: Handmade & Handmade-Look Tiles

Handmade tiles will feature stunning variations in their depth of colour, texture, edging and even shape, creating a timeless and elegant quality in any interior design scheme. These tiles will often feature a sleek, glass-like glaze that has been baked onto the tile to create a hard wearing and durable protective layer, allowing for better ease of maintenance in the home. Handmade-look tiles are specific collections that have been designed to offer the same look and feel as authentic handmade products in a different price point. These tiles will create the same aesthetic in the home and can be used to create decorative feature elements throughout your interiors.

Our Metro collection includes a range of stylish earthy colours, each featuring luscious heavily saturated colouring and a luscious glossy finish.

Vertically Stacked Subway Tiles

Offering a modern look in the home, vertically stacking your new subway tiles can create quite the visual statement. This modern tile layout will not only add a stylish touch to your design scheme but will also enhance the space’s dimensions by creating the visual illusion of a higher ceiling; this technique is especially popular for spaces with a low ceiling, adding a sense of height to the room. This tile layout can easily be accented with a contrasting coloured grout for a strong visual statement or can be dialed back for more of a discreet feature using a grout colour that will complement or blend in with your tile’s colour.

Our Riverside collection offers a stunning selection of vibrant and earthy colour options to choose from. These timeless subway tiles can be used throughout the home, being an excellent choice as a kitchen or laundry splashback tile or as a feature bathroom wall tile.

Subway tiles offer an endless range of design solutions for the home with their many varied style options. These elegant classic tiles have certainly evolved from the traditional simple white tile options we have become accustomed to seeing; subway tiles are now available in a wide selection of materials, colours and textures allowing for more creative freedom when putting together your home’s colour palette.