genevieve.malarkey On my first trip to France, at the age of sixteen, my teacher/chaperone turned us loose on the metro in Paris. She told us which stop to meet her at, and after explaining the method for navigating the subway (one of the easiest I have ever experienced, which is many), she wished us “bonne chance!” and we were on our own.
As a mother, the thought of turning my own teenagers (let alone ones that did not belong to me) loose in the bowels of an international city scares me to death. Either she was incredibly brave or way too laid back, but I give her big props because not only did we all find our way correctly, it was an exercise in self reliance and real-world problem solving. The next time I visited Paris as a college student I was 100% confident in navigating the city and not at all intimidated by its changeovers, crowds, and the slight smell of urine. So, thanks Jeanne! You inspired my love of le metro, which continues today.
Perhaps I love the subway tile because of its clean lines, elegant repetitive pattern, or (at my house) the fresh, gleaming bright sensation they instill in my kitchen and bathrooms. I love the way they reflect the light onto even the darkest parts of the room; they are easy to clean and thus always stay shiny and white, and the brilliant and clean air they give off contributes greatly to my happiness. And maybe, just maybe, I also love them because they remind me of the Paris metro. Either way, subway tiles were my go-to choice when remodeling our home, and I love the way they turned out.
It seems like such a simple choice, no? Basic white tiles laid in a repetitive, boring pattern… But simplicity is often deceptively difficult to replicate. Some things you must consider before settling on the seemingly identical little white tiles: herringbone, offset, basket weave, or stacked pattern? Long or standard bricks? Matte or glossy finish? And what color of grout, which can be virtually any color under the sun? You can get pretty creative with subway tile, but I’m a classic kind of girl, and I knew straight away I wanted the classic offset pattern…
Except for in my kitchen, which in a happy accident turned out to be a vertically-stacked herringbone pattern. Our tile installer didn’t realize that traditional herringbone should be at a 45-degree angle, I guess, so he made the patter at 90 degrees. When I saw it, I thought it was different and more modern, so I decided to keep it. He was just happy I didn’t ask him to remove them all and start again.
I surrounded all “wet” surfaces in the house with subway back-splashes, and as you already saw, we tiled in the shower completely with subway tile. I chose a dark gray grout to accentuate the white of the tile and the straight lines of the patterns. The contrast shows both the geometric simplicity of the pattern, but also adds a good deal of drama to an otherwise innocuous white porcelain tile. Je l’adore..
As it was one of the last things done in the remodeling process, it truly felt like the tiles were the icing on the cake of our newly-made home. After such a stressful and arduous process (which you can read more about here), we had a literal blank slate of white, clean patterns and inviting finishes that gave us a sense of calm and peace when we greatly needed it. To say I love soaking in that tub with some candles at night would be an understatement.
Want more French-inspired home details? Check out my post on the perfect Parisian grey wall color, and how to give your casual dining space a French café vibe. Do you share my love of simple subway tile? Share with me your thoughts and leave a comment!
À la prochaine-
Genevieve
