I would pair it with 4x4 blue, tan or gray tiles matching the crackle lines or the blue.

Just my opinion, but the strawberry motif seems kitcheny to me.

That's statement, for sure. Beautiful-as long as it works for the (possibly) wet floors

Yes, you need something plain. And yes, it obviously should be pulled from the colors of this tile. So either cool white, or indigo(?) blue..

Here it starts depending on your budget.

The moment you go handmade-you get slight variation that elevates even the simplest of tiles. So if it is something within your budget (walls always bigger surface so harder to splurge)-I'd take this route.

By the way I'm not sure I'd go with 3 by 6(which is the size of the subway). Maybe be I'd pick 6 by 6..But I'd definitely give a thought to the size.

Another crackle is probably too much, I agree with you.

I would match the off white background & stick with a light gray grout.

According to the specs, it should work for a bathroom floor (possibly not for a shower floor, but that's not my intention). I'm waiting for the sample to arrive so I can put it to the test.

The pattern might be a bit kitchen-y, but I think it's abstract enough. The "more info" link under the image takes you to the Houzz page where they have examples with the tile as a kitchen backsplash, and I don't actually like the effect (or maybe it's the counter color I don't like?).

I like the thought of going with another square tile. A kind of a modern retro look. Don't know why I didn't think of that. Possibly because the current bathroom has square tiles (green and yellow). Oh, and the floor is... Hmm, I think a picture will be easier :)

Lovely, no? My kid wanted to know if we can take the green tiles out :) So rest assured my funky tile selection will be an improvement.

If anybody has a particular tile match in mind, or a particular vibe, please post a picture. The final tile budget will end up depending of the state of the wall and window behind the 80's plastic tub surround (yes, they just covered up a full size window), but you can let me dream :)

Does something like this still say "public urinal" to you? Perhaps if it were marble?

Daltile makes some very nice blues in their Semigloss line and a couple of them are in the (1) category of price --lowest:

Ice Grey, to match the crackle, (2) I think

Waterfall, (1)

Galaxy (1)

Navy (4) I think

Saw this and thought of your post https://www.wallsandfloors.co.uk/range/delft-tiles

What gorgeous tiles!! I love localeater's link. I think plain large format marble tiles would be worth considering- though I am aware it could be too much pattern- but somehow I think because the pattern is natural it would be more neutral- if that makes any sense at all.

I think in retrospect the wording of my original post was not the best. I only meant that DH and I have an unpleasant association to subway tiles that we cannot shake off; I was not making a judgement of taste. I mean, look at the tile I like -- how can I judge other people's taste? :) Unfortunately, it does not appear I can edit my post any longer.

LisaD82, I do like that layout. I will consider it.

Palimpsest, thanks for the links. I really want that sample in my hands asap, because I saw the crackling as being brownish yellow, not gray. That's why you don't decide anything without samples...

Localeater, that is a lovely link! Too bad they are in the UK, but they have some interesting inspiration. For example, this I rather like (without the flowery edging):

On the other hand, this look may be too much for me:

Thanks all! I knew you would set my mind to work. Keep the examples coming!

Abby, thanks! I do know what you mean. We tiled our Florida room with slate-looking quartzite tiles, as there was nothing in porcelain that didn't look cold and impersonal over such a large area. Blew our budget to smithereens at the time, but we still agree it was the right decision. (Odd that tile was the only place we blew our budget during that bout of house refreshment. I sense something similar in our future. Good thing the bathroom is so small).

For marble, I guess it depends how much gray is in the sample (see above post -- I thought the crackling is brownish). I need my sample!!! :)

I think a solid blue would be fabulous (something along the lines of the Galaxy Pal suggested). I like 4x4s better than 6x6s, but that's a personal preference.

I'd be tempted to these on the wall and something else on the floor. Either way, something blue. For more color options, check out Fireclay (free samples). They do trim pieces which you'll be wanting.

But...I'd probably keep the tile you already have unless it were completely shot. =)

Fireclay Tile:

https://www.fireclaytile.com/tile/colors/?color=blue&group=blues&size=tile-field-6-x-6

(you can obviously choose any size. and any color. I just put a filter on blue and 6 by 6..but they have tons of colors)

Ann Sacks Stoneware Elements Tile( the prices for squares will be around 30 sq.f..mention you work with a contractor, and you get 30% off. No, I don't think they need the name of your contractor. And-the pictures don't do justice):

http://www.annsacks.com/products/tile-stone-mosaic/stoneware-elements-field-tile-made-by-ann-sacks#/stoneware-elements-square-field

Also was combing through this SomerTile products..there were good colors but the tiles were huge, very modern..now I saw these, they are 4 by 4..I like them in Sand, and in both blue options

https://www.houzz.com/products/somertile-aspect-ceramic-floor-and-wall-tile-sand-prvw-vr~46759881

https://www.houzz.com/products/4x4-aspect-ceramic-floor-wall-tiles-set-of-22-sapphire-prvw-vr~46759894

https://www.houzz.com/products/4x4-aspect-ceramic-floor-wall-tiles-set-of-22-sea-blue-prvw-vr~46759890

these are porcelain though, not ceramics..don't know whether it is important..?

I used the Waterfall color in Keystones Porcelain 2x2:

Lys, I understood what you meant about the association of subway tile with public urinals and it didn't come across as judgmental (at least to me). :-) I think your original choice is lovely and with so many good suggestions above, you should be prepared to get a couple dozen samples to see what works best with it.

I think I would pick out one of the blues in the tile and go with that. Second choice would be crackle -- the tile without the design.

Wow, lots of options! (happy dance). According to the Fireclay Tile site, the crackling is called 'crazing'. I could have a crazed bathroom!

April, I didn't see those, thanks. But I wasn't thinking square at the time, which really feels like the right starting point. The crackling on the original tile looks to me the same color as the brown spots in this one:

[https://www.houzz.com/products/4x4-aspect-ceramic-floor-wall-tiles-set-of-22-sapphire-prvw-vr~46759894[(https://www.houzz.com/products/4x4-aspect-ceramic-floor-wall-tiles-set-of-22-sapphire-prvw-vr~46759894) (the sand one)

It has blue around too, so it maybe it's meant to be a match. But I would rather go with a full blue tile myself.

Lisa, thanks. I know there are a lot of subway tile lovers on this forum and I wouldn't want to offend. It's like everybody suggesting a name for your baby girl, but you knew a girl with that name in elementary school that kept pulling your braids :)

Palimpsest, that corner tilework is amazing! I can't stop staring at it.

(My husband and me, we're both originally from Eastern Europe, he also has quite a hard time with subway tiles)) Me myself I'm pretty fine with them..but I do have light aversion to slate..))

Funny, April! There is something for everybody. In my defense, it has a lot of mica sparklies in it, it's not flat like slate. It's this one (but it's ok if you still dislike it :)):

https://www.tileshop.com/product/indian+green+mica+16+x+16+in.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&from=fn

We needed something that was primarily gray tone but had some brown tones in it to go with the oak floors (there is a step up, but they still meet). Talk about an impossible task! But we were very pleased with the result.

Lys, have you looked at the Somer Tile website? Somertile.com

Lys

The tile is Daltile Keystones and its the only reasonably priced tile that has all the cove and corner cove pieces to accomplish this sort of thing. The entire bathroom was planned around this.

I did this in a second bath where the shower is all full tiles fully coved in the corners and the only cut tiles are at the ceiling line.

In a third bath we are using 4-1/4" tile and using the base cove tiles vertically to get the same result although there is a key trim piece they do not make that we will need to compensate for in a couple spots.

Thanks, Pal! There is more to learn about tile than I thought. I'm glad to know you can do that.

Localeater, that website needs serious improvement. Only way to get something is to wade through a list of all tiles, and then I get distracted. I mean, there is this:

BTW, the main reason I was having a hard time with matches is that I like modern bathrooms, and I always thought I would do one when I get the opportunity. But this is not what this house wants. On the other hand, I don't want green and yellow either, so we'll have to compromise :) The strawberry tile was the first decent starting point I had, and all your suggestions have been very helpful.

I'd go with white square tiles, same color as the background, and then add blue towels or blue wall paint.

Or maybe go with a slightly more streamlined floor tile.

I like cement-look tiles, but it's such a small area, I think it may look a little odd. I do like the white tile and blue paint thing -- the pictures above have a bit too much white, and I'm still psychoanalyzing myself why I don't think the black and white look would work for my bathroom. Too elegant, maybe? :)

But I did find this on the Daltile site, which I like. The tile color in the picture is supposed to be an off-white. Looks quite white to me here.

For a bathroom floor, you want non-slip tiles.

Daltile's "Veranda" line has some nice muted grey-blues that would look great on the floor with the crackled stuff as lavatory backsplash, shower trim, etc.

http://products.daltile.com/series.cfm?series=130&item=5911

My favorite color is blue, but I wouldn't go with blue wall tiles but stay with white and add color with the wall paint or perhaps even the vanity. Much easier to change in the future.

I can see both sides here. On one hand, I wouldn't want to stick future buyers with another green/yellow combo, and other people might be more picky than us when it comes to bathrooms. For resale, neutral is king. And it also can be very clean looking and classy, and you can redecorate according to mood. With all their tile offerings, the Daltile inspiration page was practically showing only neutral tiles, so one can guess what's more popular from that alone.

On the other hand, I had an all-white bathroom in my previous rental and it really was painfully bland. You need some whimsy, like the floors or wallpaper in the pictures above, to make one feel at home. And whimsy of all kinds is dating real fast. And if it's not color that's dated, it's tile shape and size and material. And for me personally, I think that if I have to design a bathroom, I would rather it be a quirky more colorful one. It's just more fun, and it's going to be a long slow process from full design to completion so fun is essential.

I do have the original white tiles in the kitchen backsplash, which I love and plan to keep. Cute accent tile, no? The accent tiles have different veggies.

I think, though, that if you go with the blue strawberry tile, that is already sticking someone with their version of the green and yellow bathroom. It already makes a "non-neutral" statement. It's going to turn off the beige porcelain stone look or white look people anyway, so my feeling is if you are going to do it, you might as well do it.

(I on the other hand would bypass a house with a beige porcelain stone look Anything unless it was old enough for me to demolish without feeling guilty)

I think whole resale thing has been overemphasized on television. I know plenty of people who buy houses with tile or granite they don't love and just live with it or try to work with it. I am not sure my sister could even pick out the granite in her kitchen in a photo lineup. Granite was a selling point for low maintenance but she didn't pay that much attention to what it looked like, really.

In the past I sold an apartment with a pink ceiling, and an apartment with pale blue kitchen cabinets and a black room and the pink ceiling stayed until the second owner after me, and the black room and blue cabinets are still in the other one.

I agree that it's not a good start to plan a room and already think of future reversals of what you haven't even started implementing yet. However, Lys didn't discard white tiles (just subway tiles) and asked for something simple, which is why I posted relatively plain bathroom (several of them European, BTW).

White tiles are simple and highlight the blue/white patterned floor, OP can add color with the wall paint if she desires, and as an added bonus, should she want to change the bathroom in the future, she can use a much wider range of colors (plus wallpaper) than if she goes with (dark) blue tiles. Not to mention that dark blue tiles are a bear to keep shiny. Hadn't even thought of resale.

Sorry for bringing that resale red herring. I'm not really worried about it -- I figure my 50's kitchen, which I don't intend to change, and the lack of a master bathroom, which we may or may not tackle, would be bigger issues. That being said, blue and white may not be neutral but it's not green and yellow, or pictures of the Greek sea and white buildings would not be so popular. I do think there is a middle ground. And the other bathroom is all beige porcelain, which really ought to be enough neutral for anybody. And sadly it's not old enough for me to demolish without feeling guilty.

I will indeed consider the concept of white non-subway tiles with some blue accent, also because it's a small space and I don't want it to feel closed in. I think bringing back the window will allow for darker tile, but I won't know what looks better until I at least collect a bunch of samples. I didn't know dark blue tiles are hard to keep shiny, good to know.