You can get beige subway tiles and brown grout, if you think that would work better. The subway/hexagonal tile combo is a can't-miss.

If you want to keep the hexagon tiles but don't like the colour, you can always paint them! There's this easy-to-apply/waterproof paint that you can use on any support, from tiles to glass, varnished wood and such. I think it's worth checking it out.

unfortunately I think that replacing the floor would be the best way to be able to pick a wall you really like. It sounds like you're really not crazy about the beige, and to me almost anything out of the beige, brown, family with some accent color will look out of place. Maybe green? But personally I wouldn't want to have a green bathroom. This is a tough one.

Look at Crossville Savoy subway tile - it comes in white, off white and a beige. I wonder if the beige would coordinate with your floor. Maybe you could do the field of the wall in white tile and add a beige cap or liner to tie it back to the floor. Maybe a sand color for the grout rather than a dark gray.

Do you have to tile that section of the bathroom? Why not remove the tile, spackle, and paint?

I don't think you can go wrong with white subway tile. You could use an almond-color grout to tie it in with the floor.

Throw some cool bath mats done on such a small space, and you won't even notice the floor tiles.

how about this... http://www.tileshop.com/product/productdetail.aspx?familyID=1993&recordID=5040781

or if you want to get gray in http://www.tileshop.com/product/productdetail.aspx?familyID=1968&recordID=5019739

it's hard to judge how these would look by judging from a picture but they both might be appropriate.

Those floor tiles are so classic for this style of home, I'd definately keep them. Subway tiles on the wall are a good idea. What about choosing a darker color that complements the bungalow style. You could even consider more hexagon in the same color but a larger size. Or run an ombre up the wall, from lighter to darker, starting with the same beige as the floor tiles.

Suggestion: buy single tiles you like and just leave them on the floor for a week or so, a couple at a time, swapping out here and there as you eliminate and elevate choices. Eventually you will find your self attracted to particular tiles over and over. At that point, make your decision.

I would use the white subway tile but try to find some mosaic accent tile (just a bit) that has both white and the beige color in it to echo back to the floor and kind of meld everything together.

You'd have to get some samples to do this well, but one of these may work:

glass mosaic

stone mix

Good luck!

I think subway tiles would look great, especially the extra long ones (like 3x12) to cut down on the amount of groutlines. The hex tile on your floor is a lovely pattern, might I suggest having it refinished to white? You can hire a professional to come in and refinish it and it will last for years, I'm doing this to my heavily tiled bathroom in my 1960 house very soon, it's cheaper than a full reno but still looks good (to refinish the entire shower, tub and wall tile around the room is $1000). That way you won't have to worry about matching the funny beige of the tile and grout, it would be solid white (and your grout would be sealed).

I would not recommend painting your tile floor yourself, as another commenter suggested. Good luck.

I find that bathrooms of that age goes well with patterned tile, maybe some kind of moroccan style. That would also steal attention from that floor. With patterned tile I would use classy, neutral textiles like shower curtain and towels in light beige.

I don't completely understand what is wrong with the existing square tiles since those are just as authentic as the subway tiles (just not trendy at the moment). I think with the wall color and shower curtain, you have made the bathroom look modern and tidy.

But if your mind is made up already, then I agree with the idea of finding a warm white subway tile and match the grout color to the grout on the floors. Good luck.

We have a 1929 bungalow and, echoing re-store design, there are lots of different colors of subway tiles. In our downstairs bathroom, which still had the original hex tile floor in good shape, we went with an off white that looked a LOT better with the floor than the standard white did. Look at different companies' lines and see if any of them will work with the floor tile--there is a lot of color variation, even in the off whites. Of course the other choice is to bit the bullet and simply replace the floor tile; it isn't that expensive and then you would go with the white subway tiles.

I agree with jessjeang. Why do you even need wall tiles? I also would spackle and paint the walls. You can always wallpaper the room for a change, but tiles go in and out of style so quickly, as you've noticed with your floor, and paint or wallpaper is so much easier to change when you get sick of it.

I think an off white is the way to go. A decent tile place will let you take samples home to see how they play off the creamy hexagons. Straight white (which you have now with those squares) does not work. But a nice off white will still "read" as white and will also downplay the yellow undertone of the floor.

Whoever put in the floor has decided for you to use whites that have a brown/yellow undertone. What we call "white" often has a blue undertone. They don't look right together...both look icky. So think about repainting that floor grate to off white. And I love you shower curtain, but I think it has the same issue.

We had a similar issue with beige floor tiles that had to stay. We ended up doing beadboard that will be painted off-white.

go with beadboard, and finish the top edge with some trim

I wouldn't paint the tile, or refinish it. You could rip that out and start all over for what it's going to cost. Your challenge is a neutral color palette combined with pattern, and they're in competition with each other and, thusly, the rest of the room. You could use a handheld rotary tool to remove the grout, then re-grout the hex tiles. Instinctively I think black grout would give you more options, and look a lot more authentic, but I don't know how it would look in real life, since I can't physically see your tiles. You could go with a much darker brown or a really dark gray, however, to create more contrast. If the product is still available, you could also remove the baseboard, then run the hex up the wall.

The gray paint and gray/white shower curtain aren't working with the floor tiles. If you're keeping the floor, everything should work with that. Maybe think about repainting the wall a rich green (BM Peale Green is one of my favorites) and getting a different shower curtain in a warmer color. Cream subway tiles with dark grout would look great on the bottom of the wall.

Maybe it is just my monitor, but it looks like you could go greyish with the wall tile, which is an intriguing thought. If that doesn't work, go with a creamy white subway tile with a hint of brown or yellow in it, not a bright white. Consider matching the grout to the floor grout. Get base tile to replace the wooden baseboard. Put a row of accent tiles up near the top that ties in the floor tile -- perhaps a super-narrow band of amber-colored glass?

I think a tile in a rich, saturated color would look great. Right now, the white wall tile makes the beige floor tile look dingy and old. I would put in a beautiful emerald green or cobalt blue subway tile. That would make the room "pop" and look good with the beige floor tiles. You would have to paint the wall a neutral color, of course.

I bet a good scrubbing and reglazing would transform those floors.I also agree that losing the wall tile would give you a more spacious feeling.but honestly,I could live with it as is! it isnt bad at all.

I think beige and white go well together. Either white subway tile or headboard would be nice. It might feel bigger if you painted the walls the same colour as the tile. You can loop in the beige with natural wood accessories. They alway shook nice in a bathroom, driftwoods, unfinished wood frames etc.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=beige+tile+and+beadboard&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=1c0uUeasGIfv0gGKk4GQDw&biw=1024&bih=644&sei=2s0uUZyZHurE0QGx04CICA#biv=i%7C0%3Bd%7CZ1cYD_bbu70zPM%3A

Re-grout the floor with black grout, then use beige and black tile in whatever combination you like.

Oxidized cement, to modernize the concept, if you are not too keen on keeping it era-appropriate. In reddish colors or the ones you feel open the space the most. Bluish gets a sky color in oxidized that I like very much. And you could DIY it.

Ditto on the subway tile-- and just go white with it. Try and find a grout that matches the floor's grout... and then tie in the beige floor tiles by doing some accent line or cap in a shade of beige/brown that you can stand :) Good luck!

I would leave it. It's not like it's gross - it looks perfectly nice - and subway tiles are so fashionable I can't help thinking in five years they'll look dated, which this won't.

Spend the money and resources on something else.

Original subway tiles were an off white, an almost beige or almond color. The bright titanium whites of today did not exist back then. For an inexpensive solution paint your baseboards a light tan or light coffee color along with your heating vent. If the wall tiles are not attractive to you ask for samples of vintage subway tiles from companies and choose a color 2 to 3 shades lighter than you think you want.