The white subway tile shower is the reigning champ of bathroom design and shows no sign of retiring. This clean classic is at home in virtually every design style with limitless variations.
Since there are so many ways to execute the white subway tile shower, we’re sharing our favorite design ideas to help you put your own spin on this simple yet stunning bathroom design mainstay.
Why is White Subway Tile Good for the Shower?
White subway tile is timeless, elegant, and suits every design style. When considering the function, feel, and flow of the bathroom, white subway tile ticks all the boxes for a shower that reflects a clean, comfortable, and rejuvenating space.
Using handmade tile elevates a white subway tile shower with variations in color, size, and sheen adding a unique, one-of-a-kind personality to your design.
Is White Subway Tile Outdated?
Absolutely not. White subway tile will always be a key interior design element. While we offer a wide variety of colors, our top 3 best-selling colors of ceramic tile are all shades of white (White Wash, Tusk, and Calcite). White subway tile has never gone out of style since its introduction in New York's subway system in 1904 and judging by today's contemporary bathrooms using white subway tile liberally, it shows no sign of falling out of fashion.
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Set it Straight
The most modern interpretation of subway tile is the straight set pattern. Featuring clean lines and simple forms, straight-set subway tile is a minimalist dream, even among New Traditional accents like this bathroom below.
Tile:4x4 Shetland Wool, 6x6 Ivory, 3x6 Tusk, 2x2 Ivory, Seville Neutral Motif| Design:K.Squared Design | Image:Sierra Ann Photography
This shower features straight-set subway tile with a light grey grout to tastefully highlight the clean lines without going full contrast. The grout also pairs well with the grey mosaic tile—also straight-set—on the shower floor.
Tile:3x12 Calcite, 2x2 Overcast| Design:Christy Mack + Julie Manning, EM + KATE DESIGN | Image:Sen Creative | Installer:EM + KATE DESIGN
Twice as wide as standard subway tile, 3x12 straight set tiles highlight the horizontal lines of this bathroom, accentuated by the design carrying over to the tile backsplash behind the bathroom vanity.
Tile:3x12 Calcite, Hexite Antique| Design:Christy Mack + Julie Manning, Em + Kate Design | Image:Sen Creative |Installer:Em + Kate Design
Straight set subway tile is made even more intriguing with a high-variation glaze. Notice the subtle differences in color and sheen spread randomly throughout the shower.
Tile:2x6 Tusk, 3x6 Naples Blue| Design + Image:Leslie Murchie | Installer:Supreme Flooring
Straight-set also works when hanging the tile vertically. This warm white shower wall tile matches its tall and narrow footprint with 2x6 tile laid lengthwise. The warm shade of white goes great with the organic elements of the shower like the exposed beam and planks above.
Tile:2x6 Ivory, Sintra Warm Motif| Design:Sara Combs + Rich Combs | Image:Margaret Austin Photography, Sara Combs + Rich Combs
Same pattern but a much different personality, matte Calcite glaze gives off a cool white color and barely-there lines thanks to a matching grout.
Tile:2x8 Calcite| Design + Image:Quynh Dang
If you're a fan of straight-set but can't decide between horizontal or vertical, create a shower with a blend of both. This shower features vertical subway tile on the walls of the shower but a second plane below the shelf is hung perpendicular for an interesting detail in this minimalist shower.
Tile:2x6 White Wash| Design +Image:Leslie Murchie | Installer:Supreme Flooring
Speaking of minimalism, this Scandinavian bathroom shows what simple design done well can achieve. A two-tone palette of warm white and beige tile is differentiated by a pairing of horizontal and vertical straight set subway tiles of equal size.
Tile:2x6 Feldspar, 2x6 Dolomite| Design:Veneer Design | Image:Charlotte Lea
Traditional Offset
Sometimes you can't help but stick with a classic. White subway tile in a traditional half-offset pattern is the way subway tile was first introduced to the world and it still remains an incredibly charming combo today, evidenced here in this ethereal 3/4 bathroom.
Tile:3x6 Tusk, 3x6 Salton Sea| Design:Sarah Sherman Samuel | Image:Raquel Langworthy Photography
Offset isn't always indicative of tradition. Vertical offset gives a shower a strikingly contemporary look with broken lines streaking down the shower walls.
Tile:3x12 Calcite| Design:Mokume Design Studio | Image:Christopher Stark
Herringbone Heritage
Herringbone is a legendary pattern that works perfectly with the rectangular shape of subway tile. This walk-in shower features walls of 3x6 subway tile in a tight herringbone pattern for an elegant woven look.
Tile:3x6 White Wash, Mazagan Neutral Motif| Design:Kate Lester Interiors | Image:Gray Malin
This tub surround features a similar herringbone design with a slimmer tile for a slightly more delicate-looking pattern. The matching grout adds to the lightness of the design.
Tile:2x6 Tusk | Design:Mark Davis Design | Image:Luis Costadone
By contrast, this shower really shows off the herringbone pattern with black grout against the white tile for a bold accent that plays off the black floors.
Be advised, dark pigmented grouts are not recommended with some white glazes due to staining potential. Please consult with your design consultant and installer and test your desired grout's effect before applying to your installation.
Tile:2x8 Calcite, 8" Hexagon Basalt, 3" Hexagon Basalt | Design:Hygge & West
This shower goes all in on the herringbone pattern with a middle-of-the-road grey grout that shows off the design without overdoing it. While the bold look works for the contained shower above, this full coverage space rewards restraint unless you're after a maximalist look.
Tile:2x6 White Wash, 2x2 French Linen | Design:Becki Owens
Add an Accent
White subway tile doesn't have to be the star of the shower and is perfectly appropriate as a supporting shape. This tub surround features white subway tile with high contrast grout throughout but it's the accent wall of hand-painted tile that steals the scene.
Tile:3x6 White Wash, Interlaced Leaves White Motif | Design:Asquared Studio | Image:Tony Garcia, AIA
This shower is awash with decorative lines. Long linear subway tiles cover two walls extending out across one side of the bathroom while an accent wall of Hexite tile draws a honeycomb pattern intersected with diagonal lines, all accentuated with bright white grout.
Tile:2x8 White Wash, 2x2 White Wash, Hexite Seedling | Design:Jessica Atal | Image:Angelica Vasquez | Installer:Harmony Design and Development
Speaking of lines, this shower features soft ivory mosaic tiles and an eye-catching floor of Handpainted Dot Dash 7 tile from the Block Shop x Fireclay Tile Collection, giving a sense of movement to the spacious bathroom.
Tile:1x6 Ivory, 6x6 Dot Dash 7 Plein Aire Motif | Design:Amber Lestrange | Image:Cary Mosier
A balance of checkered grey and white and solid white subway tile offers gorgeous contrast in this shower—all the way down to the built-in niche.
Tile: 2x8 Tusk, 4x4 Feldspar + Dolomite | Design:Natalie Myers, Veneer Designs | Image:Jessica Alexander Photography | Installer:Lion Builder
A built-in niche is the perfect way to add an accent to your white subway tile. The shower below used a custom colorway on our Handpainted Valencia Tile to elevate the space with an old-world Spanish feel.
Tile:4x8 White Wash, 8x8 Blue Velvet, 8x8 Valencia custom colorway | Design:The Brownstone Boys | Image:Nick Glimenakis
Subway with Squares
This wet room bathroom features walls of glossy subway tiles stacked between matte 6x6 squares in an offset pattern for an intriguing take on the traditional white subway tile wall.
Tile:3x6 White Wash, 6x6 Daisy | Design:Kate Lester Interior | Image:Grey Malin
Taking a similar design approach, this shower features subway tile interspersed with square tiles in a more random pattern. A warm white shade of glaze adds to the organic nature of this shower design.
Tile:3x6 Tusk, 3x3 Tusk| Design + Image:Claire Thomas
Subway With Stars
This subway tile shower shares its space with a floor of Star and Cross tile for a classic combination of utilitarian and decorative design.
Tile:3x6 White Wash, | Design:Annabode + Co | Image:Brandon Lopez
This shower takes the decorative element to new heights by using two colorways for the Star and Cross tiles to accentuate the pattern even more while the subway tile stands strong on the walls.
Tile:3x6 Calcite, , | Design + Image:Stephanie Feinerman Design
Hexagons Help Out
Another shape that frequently shares the shower with subway tile is the hexagon. A true classic for bathroom floors, there may be no more quintessential bathroom pattern pairing than subway tile and hexagons. Choosing contrasting colors lets each shine in their own regard.
Tile:2x6 White Wash, 2" Hexagon Basalt| Design:High Street Homes | Image:Dan Swindel
Black and white. Subway tile and hexagons. Some things just go together effortlessly. This bathroom looks both contemporary and timeless thanks to these enduring shapes and colors.
Tile:2x8 Tusk,3" Hexagon Basalt, 6x6 Basalt | Design:Mark Davis Design | Image:Luis Costadone
On the other hand, any classic combo can skew contemporary with the right tweaks like this shower that brings the hexagons up to the walls alongside the white subway tile and a colorful, futuristic floor of hexagon ombre mosaic.
Tile:3x6 White Wash, 3" HexagonGypsum, Salton Sea, Morning Thaw, Dusty Blue, Nautical, Cyclone, Carbon| Design:Tom McElroy Architecture | Image:Rachel Styer
Tasteful Two Tone
Adding contrast to a white subway tile shower can come from the grout, the floor tile, an accent wall or even the same walls with a two-tone design. This bathroom features white offset subway tile beneath a gray wall of offset subway tile for a balanced and dapper design.
Tile:2x6 Tusk, 2x6 Cyclone| Design:Noz Design | Installer:O'Reilly Tile Design Inc.
This two-tone design takes things to the next level with two sizes of subway tile. The white half uses large 6x12 tiles while the top half features 2x8 to give the bathroom an interesting dimension of depth.
Tile:6x12 White Wash, 2x6 Skipping Stone, 4" Hexagon Magnetite | Design:Noz Design | Installer:O'Reilly Tile Design Inc.
Parquet (and Other Possibilities)
The possibilities of white subway tile are virtually endless. This parquet pattern is clean as can be, showing what a little attention to detail and imagination can do for the simple and persistent subway tile.
Tile:2x4 White Wash| Design:Orlando Soria | Image:Tessa Neustadt
This shower hits all the right angles. Installed in a unique horizontal to vertical offset pattern, our warm white Tusk adds visual interest to the walls and built-in shower niche.
Tile:2x6 Tusk | Design:Cathie Hong Interiors | Image:Margaret Austin Photography
Get the Right White with Free Design Assistance
Design your perfect shower with help from the pros. Our friendly tile experts are here to help with our signature free design assistance, including sample selection, measurements, renderings, cost estimates and more. Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch shortly.
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