35 Stunning Subway Tile Bathroom Ideas

Quickly upgrade the look of your bathroom with these subway tile ideas that make a statement.

Subway tiles are a modern yet classic design choice that can help your bathroom look both polished and stylish. They have the advantage of being relatively easy to clean, budget-friendly, and also simple to install. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even create a DIY backsplash or wall of subway tiles in just a few hours.

Get inspiration for adding subway tiles to your bathroom in the form of a backsplash, shower wall, or even unique tile patterns. These are our best subway tile bathroom ideas.

Related: 17 Subway Tile Ideas That Are Far From Boring

Subway Tile and Wallpaper

Traditional subway tiles are usually white, like the tiles lining half of the wall behind this bathroom’s sink. But you can still easily tie color and bold patterns into your bathroom design by lining the top half of the wall with wallpaper. Almost any color scheme will pair well with white!

Related: 37 Bathroom Wallpaper Ideas That Add Pattern and Color to Your Space

Mixed Bathroom Subway Tiles

Bright white subway tiles create a clean look for the shower in this bathroom. For visual interest, they’re offset by marble tiles on the floor and much smaller honeycomb tiles lining the wall behind the sink, creating contrast with the stark white.

Herringbone Shower Tile

Though the majority of the gray tiles in this bathroom are placed in traditional subway tile rows, a section of the shower wall puts a twist on the pattern. The back wall has a section of tiles placed in a herringbone pattern, which draws the eye into the shower and adds a hint of interest and complexity to the gray subway tiles.

Related: 10 Tile Patterns to Try for Backsplashes, Floors, and More

Black Bathroom Subway Tiles

Give subway tiles a whole new look by choosing black instead of traditional white. The dark-color tiles become a focal point in a bathroom with marble floors and counters, white trim, and gray walls.

Related: 32 Beautiful Black-and-White Bathroom Ideas

Pair it With a Pattern

If subway tile looks a little too conventional for your taste, don't be afraid to pair it with patterned tile. In this bathroom, the shower subway tile takes a backseat to bold floor tiles that stretch up the sides of the walls. When paired with a busy pattern, subway tile acts as a blank canvas on which to rest your eyes.

Related: 20 Bathroom Wall Tile Ideas to Inspire Your Next Renovation

Shower Wall Tile

This bathroom has a unique arched ceiling with enough space for a bathtub and shower fixtures. White subway tile provides a neutral, stylish backdrop on the walls and ceiling, allowing the gold fixtures and marble trim to stand out.

Related: We Tested 20 of the Best Shower Heads, and These 8 Are the Best Styles for Your Bathroom, According to Testing

Classic Bathroom Subway Tile

Nothing is more classic than a black and white color scheme. Keep your subway tile looking crisp with bathroom fixtures and decor to match. Make white subway tiles stand out and act as a graphic element in your bathroom by lining them with black grout. The color change helps define each individual tile and ties them in with darker elements in this bathroom, like black floor tiles and trim.

Showcase a Bathroom Mirror

Extend a white subway tile backsplash to the ceiling to draw attention to the mirror and vanity in your bathroom. Continuing the subway tile along the bottom half of the wall throughout the bathroom creates space for adding other elements along the top of the wall, like larger art prints.

Related: 10 Bathroom Mirror Ideas to Reflect Your Style

Square Subway Tiles

Larger subway tiles will lend a more contemporary look to a bathroom, while still retaining a sense of timelessness. Wide grout lines also add a distinguishing accent to the tile application, as does a specialty glaze or color. The tile in this bathroom embodies several of those traits, creating a memorable shower surround. In the light and airy bathroom, the bold structure of the tile design grounds the space, and the black grout coordinates with the bathroom countertop and floor.

Embrace Color

Explore tile finish and glazing options if you want the classic shape of subway tiles but don't want traditional white tiles. A greige finish on these glazed bathroom subway tiles adds contemporary edge around a traditional freestanding tub. White tile on the bathroom floor keeps the room grounded and timeless.

Related: 10 Gray Bathroom Ideas for a Serene Sanctuary

Eclectic Bathroom Subway Tiles

Black grout makes the subway tiles lining this shower-tub combo stand out, and it also matches with other elements like the black ceiling and floor tiles. By leaving a gap around the window and allowing some of the black paint to show through, it also helps the subway tiles pop even more.

Related: 26 Bathroom Wall Decor Ideas

Modern Bathroom Subway Tiles

White subway tiles with white grout will largely fade into the background in your bathroom, allowing other elements of the design to shine. However, updating to black grout makes the tiles stand out more, creating a modern look in this bathroom, especially paired with black tile floors and wood ceilings.

Farmhouse Bathroom Tile

Play with scale and shape in a farmhouse-inspired bathroom by pairing smaller subway tiles with large white paneled walls. The contrasting shapes draw attention to the subway tiles lining the shower, while also complementing the white counters and marble countertops.

Related: Our Best Farmhouse Bathrooms

Accent with Prints

Black and beige bathroom wallpaper stands out immediately from the largely white color scheme. In this bathroom, white subway tile is a supporting player, complementing the wallpaper and matching the white vanity and marble countertops.

Subway Tile Backsplash

If you want to add a fun print to your bathroom without overwhelming it, create a large backsplash with subway tiles that covers two-thirds of the wall. Adding a larger print wallpaper at the top adds color and style to the room without feeling cramped or overwhelming because of the large-scale print.

Mix Tile Patterns

Break up a backsplash of white subway tile by adding a border of patterned tiles near the top. In this bathroom, the tiles added at the top of the backsplash match the bathroom floor tiles, creating consistency throughout the design.

Vertical Bathroom Subway Tiles

If you like the classic look of subway tiles but want to mix it up a little, consider placing the tiles in vertical rows instead of horizontal. The effect can help elongate the bathroom walls and create the illusion of higher ceilings, while keeping a neutral, traditional palette and style.

Bathroom Subway Tile Ideas

With contrasting colors, even plain white subway tiles can have a dramatic effect in your bathroom. In this design, white tiles placed in the shower instantly stand out against black walls and a black ceiling, making the white even more brilliant and eye catching.

Related: 9 Ceiling Paint Color Trends Designers Love That Aren’t White

Tiles for Glass Shower

A major advantage of using subway tiles in your bathroom is that they’ll blend well with almost any design style or alternate type of tile. For example, this bathroom lines the shower with white subway tile to offset the back wall from the brown honeycomb tile lining the floor, ceiling, and built-in shelves.

Related: 22 Beautiful Bathroom Shower Ideas for Every Style

Large-Scale Bathroom Subway Tiles

If you want the look of subway tiles but want to modernize them a little, consider picking a larger-scale tile. The subway tiles in this bathroom pair well with the blue print floor, and also create an opportunity to add a row of tiny accent tiles in the center of the wall. Subway tiles are an affordable option for bathroom walls and surfaces, so using them for a majority of your tile application will yield a lower-cost project. But adding accent tiles can add a pop of color and pattern.

Timeless Bathroom Tile

The walls of this bathroom are clad in traditionally dimensioned and colored subway tiles. The room gets a signature look thanks to a slightly tinted grout, which helps provide a smooth shift between the crisp white tile and the bold black on the shutters. A switch to hexagon tile on the floor keeps the black and white color scheme going but contrasts classic running bond subway tiles.

Subway Tile Shower Surround

Inherently simple, subway tiles make a statement when applied en masse. The shower surround in this bathroom is clad in subway tiles and matching white grout, creating an uninterrupted plane of white. The reliable water resistance of properly installed tile also protects the walls of the shower from moisture damage.

Related: 36 Breathtaking Walk-In Shower Ideas

Shiplap and Subway Tile

White subway tiles lead into white shiplap panels in this rustic farmhouse bathroom design. The size of the tiles and panels create contrast while drawing attention to the corner where the large wood vanity sits.

Wood Backsplash Accents

Break up a plain backsplash by adding wood trim. This idea for a white subway tile backsplash has an extra edge thanks to the thin wood pieces between rows of tiles, which also help tie in the warm tones used throughout the rest of the bathroom.

Mixed Bathroom Subway Tile Ideas

Extend rows of blue and white subway tiles into the shower to carry the design throughout the entire bathroom. The upper half of the shower walls switch to diamond-pattern white tiles, creating a bit of separation from the rest of the room and providing contrast to the blue and white stripes.

Marble Subway Tile

If you love the look of subway tile but want a more refined look, consider using marble subway tiles rather than ceramic or porcelain. In this opulent bathroom, marble subway tiles climb to the ceiling and are accented with a thick border tile. Instead of relying on a thick grout line to add visual interest, variegated veining in the tiles draws attention to the walls and gives the tile a softer look.

Bathroom Ceiling Tile

The A-frame shower in this bathroom takes centerstage, and lining it with white subway tiles allows the unique shape to shine. The neutral tiles don’t distract from the design of the shower, even while covering the walls and the sloped ceiling.

White Bathroom Subway Tile Ideas

Simple white subway tiles on this bathroom backsplash stand out from the black vanity and black and white hexagon tiles on the floor. A thin line of black tiles helps transition the subway tiles into larger white tiles that extend to the ceiling.

Elegant Bathroom Tile

For this elegant, large bathroom, white subway tiles as a neutral to offset the flashier elements in the room. With marbled floors, columns, and patterned tiles all fighting for the spotlight, white subway tiles along the ceiling and back wall of the shower help ground all the different elements.

Subway Tile Bathtub

If your bathroom includes a separate shower and bathtub, use subway tiles to connect the two. This bathroom lines the outside of the tub, and a small portion of backsplash, with white subway tiles that are carried through the shower for a cohesive, classic look.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Bathtub Refinishing

Multicolor Subway Tiles

Don’t limit yourself to just one color for subway tiles. This design blends white, blue, and shades of green to create an interesting, eye catching pattern. When paired with light blue walls and a darker wood vanity, the effect is a subtle tropical oasis.

Blue Bathroom Tiles

Not all subway tiles have to be white, and by using two colors of tile, you can create your own patterned bathroom backsplash. Alternating rows of white and light blue subway tiles tie in with the patterned wallpaper used in this bathroom, and add an eye catching element to the design.

Backsplash Subway Tile Ideas

Create a classic look with a white subway tile backsplash lining the half the walls in your bathroom. Paired with pale pink walls, the overall effect is soft, calming, and a little rustic thanks to the wood cabinets.

Striped Bathroom Tiles

Update subway tiles to create a modern pattern in your bathroom by choosing two colors, and lining the walls with alternating stripes. The navy and white tiles used in this design create a high contrast on the walls, which adds a graphic, modern look to the bathroom.

White Tile Backsplash

The white subway tiles used in this bathroom help break up the large print from the wallpaper and add a neutral counterpoint. Black tiles separate the subway tiles from the wallpaper, helping to tie in the colors used in the patterned tile floors.

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