Weekly Design Inspiration: Subway Tile–Horizontal Versus Vertical
You all know my deep love for subway tile; it’s classic and timeless. With so many different sizes and variations to choose from and installation options, it’s a winner in my eyes.
Now let’s talk about one of the many installation options - vertical vs horizontal.
Horizontal Subway Tile
Horizontal (which is usually what you see when you see a standard subway tile) has been around for decades and in my option will never go out of style.
Let’s look at some examples:
Lindsey Brooke Design
This kitchen is clean and fresh but has the added warmth of the gold sconce and wood floating shelves - which are the perfect place to show your personality.
Office of Architecture
This bathroom by Office of Architecture is traditional with its black-and-white hex floor, paired with a basic brick orientation for the wall tile. However the matte black faucets and sconces provide a more modern element. The lesson here is that you can definitely go more classic with an “expected” subway tile, but you can freshen things up with other finishes.
Amber Interiors
I love Amber Interiors and there is so much to love about this bathroom. This is the perfect example of a horizontal stack. Can we talk about these mirrors! The satin brass wall-mount faucet! The floating wood vanity with its notched our hand pulls!! IT’S ALL SO GOOD and I love the matte tile which speaks to the warm modern vibe of this space.
Now, let’s look at some examples of our classic tile installed vertically.
Vertical Subway Tile
100 Layer Cake
I love the white oak vanity, wall mounted brass faucets, black rectangular mirrors and modern black sconces.
Biker
You can see how this vertical stack really modernizes the look of this kitchen.
Can’t decide? What about a bit of both!?
It’s a take on crosshatch, but with a running stacked vertical. Oh, and it’s staggered. It’s basically EVERYTHING all in one place, perfect if you’re indecisive! (Except, I would imagine that you’d have to be pretty decisive and confident to pull the trigger on this pattern. It’s awesome, but not for the faint of heart.)
Subway tile is a budget friendly material that’s found in most stores and can be used in so many different ways to provide you with whatever look and style you love.
