23 Ways to Decorate with Subway Tile
While tile is an extremely versatile decor element, it comes in an overwhelming number of varieties, making it difficult to determine exactly which one works best in your space. However, you can't go wrong with a classic. Subway tile—a rectangular white glazed option named for the style used in New York City subway stations—is an elegant solution for any area, from kitchen backsplashes to shower stalls. Plus, thanks to its simple design, it plays well with most aesthetics. Thinking of renovating? Here are our favorite uses of subway tile from the AD archives.
Photo: Eric Piasecki1/23Designer Steven Gambrel added contemporary panache to this Manhattan duplex. Pendant lights by Gambrel for the Urban Electric Co. hang in the kitchen, which features walls sheathed in Urban Archaeology tile and cabinetry by Gambrel and Arcologica.
Photo: Scott Frances2/23Architect Joel Barkley and interior designer Todd Klein teamed up to make over a historic Kentucky estate. Pendant lights by Lindsey Adelman Studio illuminate the kitchen, which is equipped with a hood by Vent-A-Hood, a Wolf range, and Rohl sink fittings; the walls are clad in Waterworks tile.
Photo: Laura Resen3/23In this Los Angeles bath designed by Dan Fink, the shower fittings, shower shelf, teak stool, and mosaic-tile flooring are all by Waterworks.
Photo: Michael Moran4/23A kitchen in the Hamptons by Shelton, Mindel & Associates features Bulthaup cabinetry and stools, a Viking range and hood, KWC sink fittings, and a Waterworks tile backsplash.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Ken Hayden5/23The kitchen in motocross champion Ricky Carmichael’s Florida home—which was decorated by his wife, Ursula—boasts Ann Sacks tile, a Wolf range and warming drawers, and a sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer.
Photo: Joshua McHugh6/23The kitchen in decorator David Jimenez’s Kansas City home is outfitted with custom Restoration Hardware cabinetry; the lantern is by Williams-Sonoma Home, and the sink fittings are by Grohe.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Joshua McHugh7/23Ann Sacks subway tile and a pedestal sink lend a classic look to a refurbished bath in a Manhattan apartment decorated by Larry Laslo.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn8/23In an Adirondacks kitchen, the cabinetry, designed by Thom Filicia—who decorated the whole home—and Shope Reno Wharton, is painted in a Farrow & Ball white; the hood is by Wolf, and the backsplash tile is by Urban Archaeology.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Tim Beddow9/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-13.jpg
Black tile is used on the walls in the kitchen of Marshcourt, an English country house renovated by Robert Couturier.
Photo: Björn Wallander10/23A Martha’s Vineyard master bath’s subway tile, tub, and fittings are all by Waterworks; the home was decorated by Ashe + Leandro.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Oberto Gili11/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-01.jpg
In the kitchen of Lynn and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, home, which was built by Rivkin/Weisman Architects and decorated by Mark Cunningham, the backsplash tile and farmhouse sink are by Waterworks.
Photo: Thomas Loof12/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-02.jpg
Subway tile lines the kitchen of a family’s Houston home, which was renovated by Eubanks Group Architects and decorated by Miles Redd.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Roger Davies13/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-03.jpg
Singer Sheryl Crow’s Hollywood, California, estate features a kitchen enhanced by subway tile and a commercial-style Wolf range.
Photo: Douglas Friedman14/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-04.jpg
The kitchen of designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s New York apartment is outfitted with subway tile from Home Depot.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo15/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-05.jpg
Architect Isay Weinfeld used white subway tile and a polished concrete floor to contrast with the rustic wood in a São Paulo kitchen.
Photo: William Waldron16/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-06.jpg
White subway tile lines the walls in the kitchen of Trey and Jenny Laird’s Manhattan townhouse, which was renovated by Jeffrey Bilhuber and Rietveld Architects.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Simon Upton17/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-07.jpg
In the kitchen of a Los Angeles home designed by Madeline Stuart, cabinetry by architect Kevin A. Clark complements tiled walls; the pendant light in the window is from Blackman Cruz.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn18/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-08.jpg
The tile in designer Suzanne Kasler’s Atlanta kitchen is by Waterworks. Kasler-designed barstools for Hickory Chair stand at the island; the cabinetry is by Downsview Kitchens, and the sink fittings are by Michael S. Smith for Kallista.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Pieter Estersohn19/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-14.jpg
In his former New York apartment, designer Nate Berkus brought in the subway-tile backsplash, Electrolux dishwasher, and marble-top island. He also painted the existing kitchen cabinetry a high-gloss black by Farrow & Ball and added crown molding and brass pulls.
Photo: Roger Davies20/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-09.jpg
An Ann-Morris light fixture presides over the island in the kitchen of a Bay Area home renovated by Douglas Durkin Design, which also includes a Waterworks-tile backsplash, a Wolf range, and Erika Brunson chairs upholstered in a Rose Tarlow Melrose House fabric.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Roger Davies21/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-10.jpg
At the Beverly Hills home of film producer Steve Tisch, designer Peter Dunham used Waterworks tile for the backsplash. Barstools from Hollywood at Home face a walnut counter; the pendant light is from Ann-Morris Antiques, and the range is by Dynasty.
Photo: Joshua McHugh22/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-11.jpg
At the Manhattan apartment of accessories designers Richard Lambertson and John Truex, subway tile by Nemo Tile Co. lines the kitchen, which also features a Bosch dishwasher, a Blanco sink, and vintage factory lights from R. T. Facts.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside a 1920s Seattle Abode Reborn as a Soothing Sanctuary
Photo: Joshua McHugh23/23dam-images-decor-2015-09-kitchen-subway-tile-kitchen-subway-tile-12.jpg
The subway tiles in a Manhattan kitchen renovated by Shelton, Mindel & Associates are by Waterworks. Holophane light fixtures by Ann-Morris Antiques are suspended above the kitchen’s marble island; the range and hood are by Viking, the cabinetry is by Bulthaup, and the chromogenic prints above the bookshelves are by Sharon Core.
