Subway

Subway Tile

Subway tile has outlasted every trend that was supposed to replace it, and the reason is proportion rather than fashion. A rectangle roughly twice as wide as it is tall reads as calm at any scale, which is why it works equally well in a compact bathroom and behind a twelve-foot range wall. Home Craft Studio stocks 124 subway tiles in glazed ceramic, porcelain, glass and natural stone.

Sizes and layouts

The traditional proportion is 3 x 6 inches. Larger 4 x 12 and 2 x 6 formats are now just as common: the longer tile gives a more contemporary line and fewer grout joints. Layout does most of the styling work. A half-offset running bond is the default, a stacked vertical or horizontal layout modernises the same tile instantly, and a herringbone or vertical-stack layout turns it into a feature. Browse by size at 3 x 12 and 12 x 24, or see the wider subway look range.

Grout is half the decision

With subway tile the grout colour changes the result more than the tile colour does. A matched grout makes the wall read as a single surface; a contrasting grout turns it into a graphic grid. Decide this with a physical sample board rather than a rendering, because the effect is much stronger in person.

Subway is the single most requested format for a kitchen backsplash, and it pairs especially well with shaker cabinets and white kitchen cabinets. It is equally at home in bathrooms and showers.

Book a showroom appointment to compare glaze and grout combinations side by side, or read the backsplash tile buying guide first.