Subway tiles are white rectangular tiles that were originally made and used by the walls of the New York Subway in the early twenties. Nowadays, subway tiles are commonly used for the backsplash and feature walls with different styles and look paired with other sorts of tiles.
The value behind subway tiles is the way they are placed and creating patterns to generate a distinctive look by applying different styles such as brick, herringbone, basketweave, etc. The subway tile works well with various interior styles, from casual to a heritage look when placed right. The common usage of subway tiles is in kitchens, bathrooms, and subways due to their easy-to-clean attribute. In addition, using a glossy finish on the subway tiles would help to reflect light and when paired well with mirrors, the space would appear bigger, which is perfect for small areas.
There are a variety of colour palettes to look upon for subway tiles where white is the main colour because white is the neutral colour that highlights the items placed around it and the availability of different patterns where colour would not be an issue for it. With different attributes mixed from the subway tiles themselves and grout effects, the designer could create a close-to 3D effect when viewed from a certain angle and increase modernity with the contrast of the chosen darker colour for the grout. Subway tiles are one of the best tiles to personalize a space with the laying patterns mixed with grout colour where it is commonly used on the walls of kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries across the globe.
Easy cleanup designs by allocating subway tiles on all the walls up towards the ceiling provide ease to clean and warmth for the kitchen area. 
Positioning of subway tiles and the patterns could visually make the ceiling look higher when laying the subway tiles vertically and the room seems longer when placed horizontally. The rectangular shape of subway tiles allows several patterns to be used to lay the tiles such as straight or stack bond which is the simplest, brick pattern, herringbone pattern and a basket weave pattern. The mixture of subway tiles and square tiles form more complex patterns such as windmill, cobblestone, and English bond.
Subway tiles’ attributes give an upper hand on kitchens walls due to their cheap, easy to clean, versatile and timeless attributes wherever the setting would be in, subway tiles would not look outdated. Aside from kitchen walls, subway tiles are famous for smartening up the kitchen, a backsplash. With the various versatility of subway tiles being able to fit into several designs, various colours of subway tiles merged to form a pattern would make the backsplash more eye-catching.
Various colours are available to find the perfect fit for subway tiles where a light accent for the delicate decors or dark themes to make the kitchen backsplash appealing. Subway tiles are famous for highlighting the colours, décor, wooden texture, and surrounding appliances if used correctly. Light themed colours to give the kitchen a unified theme and marble subway tiles for a delicate décor. Lime green subway tiles boost the natural light wood cabinets and create an outdoor feeling for the kitchen area and could be paired with the overall house design. Bold dark theme colours would make the white cabinets look stand out and highlight the appliances.
A kitchen with edgy concrete floors, retro red stools, classic black stained-wood cabinets, and simple subway tiles would create an eclectic yet cohesive whole look. Aside from modern traits, white subway tiles with chevron patterns paired with light colour furniture would create a fun atmosphere.
