Subway Tile Shower Ideas – 19 Ways to Drench Your Shower in Style
Favoured for their timeless appeal, classy looks and ability to fit into any interior design scheme, subway tiles are the perfect choice for sprucing up a shower area.
Originally designed for use in, yes you guessed it, subways, these practical tiles burst into our bathrooms during the 20s and 30s. Used everywhere from porches and hallways to kitchens and bathrooms, these easy-to-clean tiles were the epitome of clean, hygienic living.
Subway tiles are one of the most popular of all tile styles. Classic, timeless and well-priced, they slot into all types of decor and suit all budgets.
From natural stone and polished porcelain to more rustic textured designs and metal-infused glass, there is a subway tile to suit every style. If you’re inspired by these versatile tiles, keep reading to discover different ways to lay them and find out how they can transform a shower area.
Image credit: @vitrabathrooms
Recommended Tile: Dorset Bevelled White
Subway shower tile ideas
Ready to create the subway shower of dreams? We’ve selected some of the best ways to introduce subway tiles to your shower area.
Think pink
No longer just for nurseries, pink has become a sophisticated addition to interior colour palettes. Soft calming shades are super versatile, working well with many other colours and helping to soften stark bathroom colour schemes.
Image credit: @townhouseandtiffany
Recommended Tile: Aria Pink
Brighten it up with glossy tiles
There is something so satisfying about a wall of gorgeously glossy wall tiles. Practical and easy to clean, light reflective gloss tiles are brilliant for brightening up shower spaces that lack natural light.
Image credit: @justonemorebuild
Recommended Tile: Shimmer Green
Add drama with bold black tiles
If you want to create a dramatic and sophisticated shower sanctuary, look no further than black tiles. Although black tiles can make a space feel more enclosed, they’ll also add an element of luxury and glamour that can be hard to achieve with lighter-coloured tiles.
We especially love the use of black tiles in this stylish shower alcove. It’s perfectly balanced by the brighter colour scheme in the rest of the bathroom.
Image credit: @alexanderjames_shop
Recommended Tile: Habana Graphite
Keep it simple with white subway tiles
White subway tiles, black grout, brick bond – one of the most classic tiling combinations. Inspired by the original subway tiles, white tiles are stylish, timeless and one of the most budget-friendly options.
Image credit: @melaniejadedesign
Recommended Tile: Dorset Smooth White
Go for gorgeous green tiles
Give your shower a refresh with vibrant green tiles. Green is one of the most popular bathroom tile colours and you can choose from a wide range of shades from bright fresh mint to deeper forest hues.
Image credit: @thetapend.design
Recommended Tile: Emilia Sage
Create a vibrant touch with zesty orange tiles
There are few more effective ways to revitalise a shower area than by choosing bright, vibrant tiles. Brights are a great choice for smaller areas like showers and splashbacks and you can offset bright colours by choosing white or neutral shades for the rest of the space.
Image credit: @getclever
Recommended Tile: Emilia Papaya
Add impact with dynamic patterns
Subway tiles are well known for their myriad layout possibilities. You can add character to an attractive tile pattern by combining contrasting colours. Black and white is one of the most popular colour combinations but you can pair neutrals, different shades of the same colour or complementary colours for equally distinctive looks.
Image credit: @kedai_jubin_linaz
Recommended Tile: San Vincenzo Black and White
Choose bold two colour tiles
Take the half-wall paint trend into your shower room and recreate the look with practical subway tiles. Using two colours to split a wall is a clever way to add subtle interest and character to a small space.
Image credit: @katerinabuscemi
Recommended Tile: Dyroy Aubergine
Up the style stakes with stripes
If you’re feeling bold and want to liven up a shower nook, try creating stripes with different-coloured subway tiles. You can stick to two colours or create rainbow stripes. However you style them, stripes are guaranteed to pep up your daily shower routine.
Image credit: @piyama_co
Recommended Tile: Rio Verde
Make it marble
Subway tiles are available in many types of natural stone and stone effect porcelains, making them a practical and beautiful addition to your shower space. Marble is one of the most luxurious tile materials that will take a shower space from ordinary to outstanding.
Image credit: @lizlevininteriors
Experiment with creative tile layouts
It’s not just the vast choice of colours, textures and materials that make subway tiles stand out from the crowd, these versatile tiles can also be laid in a variety of attractive patterns. The almost limitless combinations of colour, texture and pattern allow you to create a shower area like no other.
Subway tiles are one of the most versatile of all tiles and we’ve explored some of the most popular tile layouts in this article. You can take your tile layouts to new levels by combining different layouts within the same space. We love this simple but powerful combination of vertically stacked and simple horizontal border tiles.
Image credit: @sarahhollingsworthdesigns
Recommended Tile: Emilia Bone
More Subway tile layouts
- Brick bond: The classic subway tile layout, this pattern involves the tiles being laid out like bricks, usually with a 50% offset between rows. This is one of the most popular subway tile layouts and it’s effective in modern and classic interior schemes.
Image credit: @bookgirlcreations
Recommended Tile: Rio Blanco
- Stack bond: Ideal for modern shower areas, this clean and contemporary layout consists of tiles stacked exactly over each other, like a grid. Tiles can be stacked horizontally or vertically.
Image credit: @westonebathrooms
Recommended Tile: Coral Brick Moss
- Herringbone: One of the most beautiful subway tile designs, the tiles are arranged in a zigzag pattern where the short edge of one rectangular tile is placed next to the long edge of another. The design can be laid in various directions to create a range of different looks.
Image credit: @thatchedyewtreecottage
Recommended Tile: Emilia Ask
- Double Herringbone – This eye-catching layout is achieved in the same way as the herringbone pattern, but two tiles are laid side by side instead of one. The tiles below have been laid in a block herringbone design for a contemporary look.
Image credit: @iic_official
Recommended Tile: Kesha Bottiglia
- Basketweave: One of the rarer, but equally attractive subway tile layouts, the basketweave design is created by laying 2, 3 or 4 tiles together in squares. The squares are alternately rotated 90 degrees to make the basketweave effect.
Image credit: @bathrooms_of_insta
Recommended Tile: Brick Green
Insert a herringbone-patterned wall panel
If you’ve set your heart on subway shower tiles but can’t quite decide on the layout, why not combine two or more designs? Creating a feature wall panel is a great way to showcase an attractive tile layout and the classic herringbone pattern is an inspired choice.
Design tip: Choose moulded border tiles to edge the feature panel.
Image credit: @warmyourfloor
Recommended Tile: Tinte Blanco Matt
Add texture with zellige-style subway tiles
Bringing texture into a shower area will create a different dimension, adding welcome character and interest. Zellige-style tiles are inspired by the handmade, irregularly surfaced Moroccan tiles. These tiles work best when laid together as closely as possible, enhancing their uneven appearance.
Image credit: @yabby.com.au
Recommended Tile: Shimmer White
Enhance a small shower with glass brick tiles
Durable, mould-resistant and available in a range of finishes from plain and mirrored to iridescent and metallic, glass tiles are perfect for reflecting light and making small spaces feel bigger.
Many glass tiles are made from recycled glass, making them a great eco-friendly alternative to porcelain and they’re completely watertight so ideal for use in shower areas.
Image credit: Original Style
Why is subway tile so popular?
Subway, metro or brick, whatever you call these humble tiles, they’re the tile trend that’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Subway tiles are popular for many reasons; they’re often cheaper than large-format tiles, they are available in the largest range of materials, colours and textures and they can be laid in more ways than any other tile.
Are subway tiles still fashionable?
Subway tiles are one of the most popular tiles on the market. Just a quick scroll through bathrooms on Instagram will reveal endless subway tile-clad bathrooms. Subway tiles are exceptionally versatile and their timeless quality ensures they’ll remain in style for years to come.
Are subway tiles hard to clean?
The main drawback of subway tiles is their large grout area. Smaller tiles have many more grout lines than large-format tiles which can make them a little trickier to clean. To help avoid grout discolouration, dry your tiles after use, use a mould-resistant grout and, if it suits the tile, try opting for a dark-coloured grout.
How do you make subway tiles look expensive?
Subway tiles are inherently stylish but there are a few tricks to help them stand out from the rest:
- Make sure to have your tiles fitted by a professional tiler, complicated patterns need to be laid perfectly.
- Go for floor-to-ceiling tiles.
- Choose a dark-coloured tile or a luxurious finish like marble.
- Mind the gaps; take care to hide cut edges, metal edging strips and border tiles will help to deliver a high-end finish.
Atlas Ceramics has an impressive range of subway shower tiles to help you achieve a similar look in your bathroom. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our helpful experts for advice.