Sorry, but the belief that square tiles are dated is ill-informed. If anything, square tiles have longer (chronologic) use than subways.

I've wondered the same thing. What's next? Subway in a period home is timeless...subway in suburb developement is trendy; I think it will have longevity as a trend; it already has, really. But in a newish home, it will look "early 2000's" at some point, imoho....just like the 80's oak is so recognizable. At that time, the "young" people (buyers) will call it dated...and the then old folks (ah..hum) will still see it as classic.

The Real Estate feedback you got may be refering more to what is not there; stone, glass or subway in any combinatin is the "bar" for buyers (many buyers) that want the rooms they see on HGTV (which is sponsored by....)...and other homes in your market have these.

But, I put square in my last bathroom- the traditional options started looking alike to me...the square seemed fresh and different. he! ;)

Fixtures aside- pretty, neat and clean rooms sell homes; this I know for sure!

But, anyway....what IS next?! Some say glass block.

I think large tiles will be next....we are seeing a lot of 12 x 24", (Porcelanoso for example has lots), and of course I have to say fun shapes could be on the horizon....like my Beveled Arabesque tiles:
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Running bond subways and stacked squares have always been around, subways are a bit easier on the eye and being closer to the golden rectangle in proportion, they do flow better and generally look more upscale.

The subway or generic 2:1 proportional shape will always be around. Patterns are being played with, herringbones, variations on the simple stacked running bond, etc.

Stacked squares have always been around, and will always be in style, but are generally considered a more entry-level pattern. That's not to say they are cheaper or less expensive or look horrible or are undesired. They just are what they are. It's a visually simple shape and a visually simple pattern.

Take square tiles and set them on a diagonal and suddenly you go from what some think of as boring and end up with what some think is hip and cool. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Large format is not just here now, but it's also the near future based upon what people have been asking me about. Large format generally lends itself to a contemporary or clean and slick design style though, so large format in a traditional bathroom can be pulled off, but it can also be a style risk of sorts.

Again, it's not a "one shoe fits all" scenario. Pretty much any tile can be made to look good in most any setting, but sometimes the longevity of the design might not be there.

With tile being fairly permanent versus a wall color-du-jour that can easily be changed by repainting, the first step in tile design is deciding who you are designing for; yourself, or resale.

Designing for yourself you can stray off the design path and do whatever floats your boat. Designing for resale, it's best to stay with the tried and true colors, shapes, and patterns. Tried and true can still look lovely. Or boring.

Whenever the people who help shift trends (high profile designers, TV shows, magazine editors, etc) find something old and wish to make it the newest trend, they will often use phrases like "classic" or "timeless" in order to sell this re-used trend. I think technically both subway-shaped and square-shaped tiles are both recycled from previous eras. Lately, subway tiles have been very on trend (I'm not an expert enough to tell you why) and I have seen them frequently in current on-trend publications. At some point, we'll probably see a resurgence of the use of square tiles as well. Likely you're just hearing comments from people who have built their perceptions based on the mainstream trends.

I have no skills/knowledge that might be able to predict what will be the new "classic" or "timeless". Didn't we hear something similar during the late 90s and early 2000s about beige being "neutral" and "timeless" and so it was used extensively in bathrooms and kitchens (often to a fault)? I suspect that unless you sell a home with completely brand new everything, something has the potential for being "outdated". But clean and fitting with the style and architecture of the entire home will probably get you a long way in terms of a remodel being "timeless" rather than worrying too much about what is on trend at this time.

Yes, I thought the larger size might have picked up more quickly, is it around the corner? I wondered if it was reading too modern for a lot of consumers as it has initially been used more in modern applications. We used a 12 x 18 in our previous master bath shower and the result was fresh, but a bit cold to me- for a less institutional feel I needed to add back some texture that I missed with fewer grout lines. Love the tile pattern and shadows in your kitchen, beekee, who wouldn't?

I think I missed the point of your question, ncamy....subway are quite pleasing, of course...and usually mellow with light grout, but when combined with everything that is so "now" they will turn on each other and the group will make a larger time stamp than a single element. To hedge your bet...I'd resist recreating "the perfect" bathroom straight out of today's or any days retail catalog. For longevity- put in a bath where you might change the art, wall color, faucets and lights, and the fairly neutral fixed elements can morph without a lot of expense and dust. A common geometric shaped tile won't kill or impact any look too drastically.

If buyers can't get past the square tile in your current home, I'd look at the above quick changes, the least expensive first- to change buyers' perspective.

I would say large format and shaped or very attenuated skinny tiles will become more popular.

I bet there will also be a trend of non-tile backsplashes: slabs, laminate of some sort, wood, metal, nothing. Henrybuilt does modular backsplashes in wood, plastic, metal (?) with an integrated hanging slot--very spare.

Square tile is "dated" only because subway is still trendy. Ask someone twenty years ago how "classic" Subway was when they were trying to find some to do repairs in a vintage house or recreate a period bathroom.

Subway will be a classic in *some* houses because it has had two eras of distinct popularity. It will hold up better style wise in some kitchens than others. I think square would look better in some kitchens, now.

"The square tiles are so dated."

I'll be working in a $1.7 million home tomorrow, and the masterbath floor is getting set with 12x12 tiles, set square.

The ONLY people who will tell you square tile is dated are the ones making a much better commission on the rectangular ones.

Complete hogwash.

You want to see dated? Just the term itself-- "subway tile". THAT'S dated. I've been working with rectangular tiles since I first got into the trade in July 1980 (yeah, I just hit 30 years). Usually, it's been 4x8, or 6x12, but it's almost always been either herringbone, basketweave, or RUNNING BOND (what most of you call "SUBWAY PATTERN"). I mean, look back at the late 80's-- almost every fast food joint had those 4x8 wood grain tiles-- QUARRY TILES-- not subway tiles! The only REAL subway tiles are 3x6, and they're WHITE. No exceptions. But it seems as though every rectangular tile made now has just come on the scene, and they're ALL SUBWAY tiles-- just ask the sales people-- they'll tell you. They LOVE buzz words, and that's it for the first decade of the new millennium.

Trust me-- in about 15 years, just the term "subway tiles" will be so worn out that people will barf just at the sight of a rectangular tile. Kind of like avocado appliances now. (My mother LOVED those things!)

3D tiles, sculpted tiles, curved edges etc are next, in my opinion, for homes. However, this is only for magazines and other designer venues.

Large format tiles are going to be the future. I am traveling in india at the moment. Floors, walls, etc at homes, malls, airports are being done in slabs. 2ftx4ft and up. No grout (bill v will disagree :) but that is what i am seeing. There is a major construction and remodeling boom for the booming economy. Highly polished marble floors are common in homes, granite floors in malls and airports.

BeeKeepers wife-
I fell in love with those at Mission's site, so I was excited to see you use them! Stunning! When we renovated our bathroom...lo and behold, we had them in yellow/white! I was so sad that we weren't able to salvage them. I had the tiler tuck one that we signed and dated in behind the wall when he put up the backer. I think they're fun and funky but with a classic twist. That shape was original to our 1940 cottage.

Following Bill's line of thought (which had me laughing -- don't hold back, Bill, tell it like it is!), unless I'm wrong in my history, subway tiles originated in, ummmm....wait for it.....The New York City SUBWAY! They were introduced in the very early 1900's when they first opened the subway system. They were, and still are, 3x6" and white. Yes, they come in other colors, but traditionally white.

Imo, design is a funny thing. It tends to be cyclical. Yes, there are those things that will always be traditional or classic, or true to a particular period (like true subway tiles, hex tiles, etc.). But things come and go. Today it might be granite and glass tile, but at some point that will look as "dated" as oak cabinets and laminate do today. And then at some point later, it'll all come back around, but updated for the new times. At this point in our history we are so inundated with home mags, HGTV, DIY, etc, that really, the next big thing will be brought on by whatever advertiser has enough $$$ to saturate the media and tell us we can't live without their product. The designers ears (or wallets) perk up, the general populace drinks the proverbial kool-aid, and voila, a new design trend is born.

Yeah, I'm a little cynical, but I used to work in advertising, and now I'm a design consultant, lol! =P

I agree with whoever said-it depends on the home.

I live in a new home that is a very faithful recreation of a Craftsman bungalow. A modern bathroom would "go" but would probably look dated in 15 years. My hexagonal tile, Bancroft pedestal sinks and rectangular running bond tiles (not gonna say the "S word", Bill) will always look like they belonged here. I think the same bathroom that is installed in a more "traditional 2010 new construction style" would look very dated someday, but at the same time, it will look appropriate to the home because that's what many of the other homes in the area will have.

Once you get beyond dated you get back to classic, after all. Somewhere in America someone is looking for a matching set of avocado green kitchen appliances for their 1960's ranch home renovation.

Avocado green and harvest gold appliances, wall-to-wall orange/rust colored shag carpeting...ah, the good old days! When style was style and everyone recognized it as such!

We had neighbors with the first finished basement in our neighborhood. They turned it into an orange shag cave. Not that shag. Shag carpet.

Beanbag chairs, lay-z-boy recliners, and ottomans covered with an orange shag fabric to match the orange shag carpet they had on their floors AND walls. They tried putting it on the ceiling but it kept coming loose, so they ended up painting the ceiling orange. Now that's accessorizing! It was a pretty wild room to step in to...for five minutes. Then vertigo set in.

I think there is a reason why a "running bond" is a good layout for a wall that gets splashed onto. When someone horks tobacco juice onto the wall (in NY subway a century ago), and then someone else later wipes it off, the discoloration of the grout line is not as strongly apparent as it would be if the vertical grout lines were all lined up. Because wet stuff slides down the wall, it's best if the grout lines get interrupted by a tile, easy to wipe off, as it doesn't hold onto the grime.

This is most obvious in kitchens.

My prediction for the future is the same as the one palimpsest made on Tuesday:
non-tile backsplashes, or
skinny tiles, or
large format tiles

hth

I remember that a few years ago kitchens were seen with large flooring-sized tile on the backsplash.... a 12 by 12 tile often set on-point. Very geometric and often with dark tiles. The size was simply overwhelming to the 18" height of the average backsplash. This emerged as people were moving away from full-height granite splashes to tiled splashes. Within a year or two this look had fallen out of fashion. I was very glad that this was one trend I missed.

It seems that regardless of what's in or out, there are so many choices available that many looks will both remind one of an earlier era (and may appear dated as a result), and that many looks will be considered classic. In the 60s and 70s, there were far fewer people with way less money and less desire for "the latest," so manufactures and designers were more constrained. Now it seems that the sky is the limit. Even the most elegant of kitchens and baths from a generation ago seem, at best, average to the rooms of today. The industry can support a variety of looks because so many people are spending money on creating their dream homes. For example, carrara marble or black granite are materials that will always be in demand. They are valued because their appeal does not diminish.

It is a good idea to vary the tile shapes and possibly materials from bathroom to bathroom in the same house. I do believe that accent tiles-unusual shapes or colors or materials-will be dated sooner than a square or brick shaped tile. So for my house, as fabulous as some of the travertine, porcelain, metallic or glass tiles are, I have not used them to avoid dating the bathrooms in such a way that is rather difficult for the average homeowner to change in ten or twenty years.

I love the way subway tiles look. I think they suit my 1920's house very well . Anything too "modern" or "sleek" would feel like I was trying to make my house into something that it's not. There would be a kind of disconnect for me. That being said, I love mixing in classic styles with more contemporary styles. I think it makes the house feel more vibrant and fresh. If I lived in 50's or 60's + house, I might go in a totally different direction with tile.

Unless you're planning to sell in the very near future and want to get the most for your house, you should put in what's pleasing to you, be it trendy or classic. After all, you live there and have to enjoy it. The next owners may or may not have the same taste in anything you choose to install in your home.

I think the new trend in bathroom tile will be large format , less geometric, more organic shaped and or textured tile, and maybe more "green" tile made of recycled materials. More likely than not, some of these trends wont hit the masses for about 5-10 years. Most of us have to be inundated with them in magazines and on tv before we attempt to use them in our homes.

I love the way subway tiles look. I think they suit my 1920's house very well . Anything too "modern" or "sleek" would feel like I was trying to make my house into something that it's not. There would be a kind of disconnect for me. That being said, I love mixing in classic styles with more contemporary styles. I think it makes the house feel more vibrant and fresh. If I lived in 50's or 60's + house, I might go in a totally different direction with tile.

Unless you're planning to sell in the very near future and want to get the most for your house, you should put in what's pleasing to you, be it trendy or classic. After all, you live there and have to enjoy it. The next owners may or may not have the same taste in anything you choose to install in your home.

I think the new trend in bathroom tile will be large format , less geometric, more organic shaped and or textured tile, and maybe more "green" tile made of recycled materials. More likely than not, some of these trends wont hit the masses for about 5-10 years. Most of us have to be inundated with them in magazines and on tv before we attempt to use them in our homes.

Square tiles in non traditional layouts:

IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/29z7yqg.jpg[/IMG]
IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/fdag5e.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i55.tinypic.com/8z30nm.jpg[/IMG]

Oops..somehow my message was posted twice and my pictures didn't show up. What did I do wrong?

D&C, sorry, I don't know what you did, but here are your pics

Extra large porcelain formats will be more common, and I think architectural glass tile in large formats may also make a comeback. I think, though that subway has come back for long enough that it has become another option. I don't think 4x4 is going to go away although color preferences will come and go.

Thanks olychick!