Everybody loves a good classic white subway tile, us included! But when you are looking to create a fresh and modern update to your kitchen that won’t look just like everyone else’s on your block, rethinking how you use and incorporate subway tile can make all the difference.

First, lets look at some alternatives to your classic, flat white subway tile. Then we’ll take a look at how to incorporate any of these tile alternatives, or classic subway tile, in different patterns other than your typical running bond style.

Handformed Tile

One of my favorite ways to incorporate subway tile into a design is with handformed tile. Handformed tile is a great option if you love the classic look and proportions of traditional subway tile, but are looking for something with a little more organic texture and movement.

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Marble Tile

An easy way to elevate your space is by using a marble tile that maintains the same 3x6 proportions of classic subway tile.

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BEVELED TILE

Beveled tile is a great way to add a little dimension to the traditionally flat subway tile while maintaining the same, great, classic look.

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ELONGATED

One easy way to achieve a sleek and modern look with subway tile is by choosing a tile with elongated proportions. For our Fillmore Project, we went with a 3x12 subway tile, which gave us the more contemporary look we were going for while still maintaining a classic style.

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BRICK

Using a brick or brick tile tile is a great way to achieve a more rustic and textured look as opposed to a traditional ceramic or porcelain tile that will provide a sleeker, cleaner look.

In order to achieve this look Jenny used a brick veneer from Lowes and then over grouted the joints with a sanded grout. After the grout was flush with the face of the brick, she applied a limewash finish using Romabio Paints in their off-white ‘Avorio White’ color. She has a couple fantastic Instagram story highlights that walk you through her whole process. I totally recommend checking those out!

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TILE PATTERNS

Now that we’ve discussed some of the alternatives to your classic white subway tile, lets take a look at some of the patterns in which you can install either your classic subway tile or any of the alternatives we just looked at that is different than your typical running bond pattern.