Square Tile is the New Subway Tile and We’re Not Sorry

Subway tile is everywhere. For years it’s held sway over our bathrooms and kitchens, and for good reason: it’s classic, it’s inexpensive, it’s easy to install, and it matches practically everything. But all those things are also true for subway tile’s somewhat less prominent cousin too: the humble 4″ x 4″ square tile. Combined with dark grout, it feels at once classic and fresh. It has all the versatility of subway tile — and you’re not tired of it yet.

Above (and lead image): In this bathroom from Entrance, square tile contributes to a graphic, modern look. The black hex tile on the floor is a nice pairing.

I like how the square tile in this kitchen from Svenska Mäklarhuset contrasts with the space’s more textured and more traditional elements, like the wood floor and the wood worktop. It’s a nice mashup of new and old.

In this kitchen from Lotta Agaton, via Sanna Fischer, staggered square tiles are a beautiful complement to traditional elements like shaker-style cabinets and a marble countertop. Thinner, lighter grout lines mean these tiles read more as a texture element than a graphic pattern.

As evidence that square tile can also be very nice in a more traditional space, there’s this kitchen from Studio McGee, where square tiles are a beautiful complement to shaker cabinets and and an intricately patterned cement tile floor.