When do you plan to sell your house? Do you think you will get tired of it before that time? That's something only you can know. I like the floor; I'm not a fan of subway tile, but that's just my own personal preference. What does look dated now is the horizontal stripe that people used to put in their shower/tub surrounds.

I don't think handmade looking tile is common enough to associate it with a particular time and be "dated"/

Thank you! Not planning to sell for several years, so makes sense to go with what we like for now. It's so hard to stay on top of what's dated v. updated!

The world is full of dated things that their owners purchased because they thought they were timeless. It is a rare thing that never becomes dated. The subway shape will probably become dated faster than handmade will, though.

Who is going to see your bathroom tile to tell you "oh, Margaret, that tile has to go, it's so dated."

I saw that same tile recently and was drawn to it, I love it. And I like the idea of the fun tile in a niche. I definitely do not think that tile is going to be dated any time soon. You know those skinny, long tiles that people use to "accent" a shower or backsplash? Just don't do that and you're fine. ;)

Classic designs and motifs are just that: classic. Subway tile is classic. Mediterranean and Moroccan motifs are classic. As long as you keep the design clean and simple, you should be good for a long, long time. Personally, I'm a fan of more handcrafted looking tile, whether that texture is in the tile body or the glazing. And it can work with both traditional and modern styles.

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Thank you all! My reply function isn't letting me reply individually, but I appreciate your thoughts.

Dated is often a euphemism people use for things they don't like. They don't use it for older things that they still like. Of course a lot of people who use the word only like current things, they don't have a particular consistent taste.

Subway tile was out, out, out, for pretty much the 2nd half of the last century. Yes, it's classic, yes it's been around for more than a century, but that didn't stop pretty much everyone in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s from thinking that it was dated. That was my point. Because a lot of people only like current things and don't have particularly consistent taste ;-)

I used a handmade-look subway tile in the bathroom of my last house. It was in a smaller format than the one you are looking at, I forget now what the size was. I thought it looked great, and it suited the antique house.

Saypoint, that's lovely! Is there an arch in the ceiling, or is that just the angle of the photo?

one note: a handmade look tile with a contrast grout can look 'messy' to some viewers; there have been disappointed dilemmas in the past. make sure you understand what your choice will look like when the grout lines appear 'uneven'. especially if your walls are also uneven.

"dated" does not equal "ugly". dated simply means a knowing eye will be able to guess what year/s a renovation was done. dated doesnt have to be pejorative at all.

my 2 over 2 windows and porch brackets are very much dated.... my house screams "1870", as that's when it was built. if it screamed "1970" i'd have to redo it to sell, some would say. anything left long enough, dated becomes antique and its all ok.

I think people use "dated" as a pejorative. You don't hear of an old style of interior or of architecture referred to as dated if it is an older style that's appreciated. That usually gets called "period" or "original" or "untouched" or "time-capsule". So in my opinion, I think people do use dated as a pejorative, meaning they don't like it.

oh, i know they DO, i was just meaning they shouldnt. i wasnt clear. they should say 'out of style' tho, if thats what they mean.

And almost anything that people think of as "period", "original", "untouched", or "time capsule" (or even "classic") first had to pass through a 50 year period where everyone thought it was dated.

I think it is very hard to avoid dated, and impossible to be really fashionable or on-trend now and not be dated later. People who pick things they genuinely like tend to continue to like it after it becomes "dated", people who pick things only because they are trendy tend to dislike it after it becomes "dated."

Margaret, thanks, yes the ceiling is arched.

Oh geez...get what YOU like because YOU are the one living there and looking at it every day. Even if it IS glass pebble shaped mosaic strip in the shower. :) Just sayin'.

I love handmade tile.

I usually can't find the same feel in the tile that just looks handmade. Authenticity and quality of craft is what makes handmade appealing.

Then of course it means most options are out of my budget:)

But then I'm a "tile freak". I'm into tiles so it makes me very picky. And you might be just normal, calm person who wants such and such tiles. (I'm for example don't care about appliances, like, at all. I'm sure you care about tiles much more than I care about appliances. Everybody cares about different things to a different extent. )

"It's so hard to stay on top of what's dated v. updated!"-yes..so my advice would be "don't":) Oh, read books and magazines of course and good blogs etc..it's interesting and can be very pleasing to eye and helps exposure and expanding one's knowledge..but don't drive yourself crazy with the whole dated/outdated thing.

so I'm with missenigma and others who said it's more a question of whether it suits your house, its style, its character..and you.

I'd need to understand the plan of your shower and draw a bit, play with it, to see how and where I can use your chosen accent with subway so it looks good. Maybe it'd be easy or I might decide I need to choose another shape, not subway, or ..

Now, the (fairly simple) key to predict what'll be "in" (besides reading high end shelter magazines-then you'll know minimum couple years before it comes to the masses)-follow what's appearing on Craigslist))

If there's a lot of similar stuff appearing-it means a generation of our grandparents/great-grandparents, well, slowly leaves this world.

At some point somebody will see the beauty of it (if it's indeed beautiful) and will re-introduce it, but in a new context. Then if that somebody will introduce it well enough-it'd get copied. Then it'd get copied allover

I for example am very happy I always loved mcm -long before knowing it's called mcm..and scored almost all of my vintage purchases before it appeared everywhere again, and became much more expensive second hand.

Tiles are different from furniture of course. But it's pretty predictable that people are drawn to something they already had, at some point, but lost..and then they re-discover it again

Or they're drawn to a distinct look, feel, and concept consistently, whatever it is. that makes deep sense to them for this reason or other, and if it works in their home well enough, they're set, because they know what they want.

Good crafstmanship and design that's considerate and is sensitive to a house will always stay relatable and appealing..especially seeing how scarce and expensive good labor gets...

if slight lippage bothers you, don't go with too pronounced a grout, I agree with ninigret..not with handmade subway..

(yes with handmade elaborate shapes since there you don't want to loose the shape itself.

and it can be yes for straight, machine cut tiles, depending on the look you want.)

Short answer: no more dated than regular old white tile.

The so-called "classic" early 2000s white kitchen is really just a fantasy interpretation of the early 1900s bungaloid kitchen and while it can be an attractive and beloved place in one's home, Im afraid as a style it is destined to be considered "dated" at some future date - as is the fate of any style that is faddishly overdone - esp. if used in houses where not architecturally relevant or appropriate.

My mom thought her 1950s early American was "classic" too! Actually she still has a few pieces that were well made and were antique at the time she bought them but most of it was relegated to the trash bin of history some time ago. Her style was terribly incongruous with the 1950 ranch house we lived in at the time, but she loved it and even me, architectural snob that I am, have fond memories of it. THats the most important thing I think - creating a home you love, for the people you love - dont lose sight of that.

In other words, follow your bliss, do what you love - what other people may or may not think 20 yrs from now is not important.

Subway tile is probably the most classic look you can go for without it being "dated", the floor tiles to me are a bit too busy, I would go with 12" x 12" or 24" x 24" a dark grey.

I think, technically if it's the sort of thing you worry about rectangular tile vs. square tile is inappropriate in the bathroom of any house built between 1940 and the mid 1990s. Subway tile was really not available during that period.

Thanks, everyone. I wish our house had some kind of definable style/era, but it's a pretty standard one-story ranch (80s) with some elements of the Florida cracker style (Y-shaped beams on the front porch). We live in Florida, and we use a lot of bright colors. We're going for kind of an "island-y cottage" vibe.

This is from Floor & Decor and caught my eye when I was last there & I think your white can work also, but not that blue tile. It looks dated already.

Thank you, Beverly, I love that! I could spend hours playing in Floor and Decor.

I would like to echo what another poster here said...so many dilemmas with people hating what they look like after install due to the "imperfections" that define a handmade look.

Look at lots of photos here and elsewhere on the net...know what you're getting into.

Oh no! Guess I cant like that blue tile, since someone on the internet has determined that it looks "dated." Actually I could see it fitting right in to a specific 1920s cottage type setting.... has a nice antiquey look. Key word "specific". Good design = the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. If it fits in and contributes to a wonderful space - why not! If not - keep looking. That should be your bottom line - does it make your space better design wise, not does some anonymous unknown person faraway in time (or location) judge it to be "current" and not "dated".

BTW a lot of us midwesterners w more modest homes and farmer folk never had subway tile, ever. If there was indoor plumbing, beadboard or stamped tin might have been used or just painted plaster. My house had a stamped tile pattern in the plaster , not real tile, in the bathroom and in the kitchen up to a rail about 1/3 up the wall. This was typical of early 1900s houses around these parts.

Also...I very much like the blue tile you listed. But I just love blue and it's not my home :)

I don't follow any "dated" rule (if I like it, I like it, and that's what matters to me). In fact I recently started a discussion about people using the term, here, in order to sway posters to their point of view. (Disclaimer: That is just my opinion from observations on this forum. It's sad, but it's my conclusion to seeing that word so very often.)

Make sure you use an epoxy grout...the difference between that and the old stuff that you're used to is like night and day.

Good luck! Show updates!!

OK perhaps the word "dated" wasn't the correct adjective in describing the blue tile, however, those of us who have been designing since the late 60's saw this tile the first time it came around when they called it Mediterranean and it looked cheap back then too. You could have found it in every condo that was trying to look like the Playboy Clubs (BTW Penny Rounds were popular at the same time and most of that got pulled in the 80's.)

Everything in design is cyclical. What goes around comes around.

Now below there are these new tiles that are glaze/printed with new techniques that are beautiful and so much easier to keep clean. The tile above is like printing duplicates with a mimeograph machine (look it up) and the tile below is like using a laser printer. Both blue tiles, but apples and oranges.

Wow, Beverly . . . this is such a helpful visual. Thank you!

(Penny I can't find your discussion..can you give me a link?..sorry for the OT everyone..)

I totally get what Beverly is saying....however is a laser-like patterned tile the right choice to go with a "handmade" look subway tile?

ETA, Hi April! I remember your comment on that thread :) Always insightful...

Beverly raises a good point. And it made me chuckle.

We all bring our past experience and influences to the table which lead to all kinds of unexpected connotations. Recently I saw a young couple choosing a quartz counter with lots of marbleized, swirly movement. They thought it looked current, hip and modern.

To me it looked exactly like my Grandmother's linoleum (real linoleum not vinyl - that wasn't available when my grandmother did her kitchen). The linoleum was on both the floor and the counter top (complete with a metal edge). I'm sure it was very swanky back in the day.

Here's an example from Cambria similar to what the couple picked out:

Some people Oooo and Ahhhh . . . I think: That's my grandmother's swirly linoleum! But she turned out the best lemon meringue pie ever in that humble little kitchen of hers.

That tile would be pretty as a backsplash behind the sink/vanity!

Just jumping in to say I don't usually get excited over patterned tile but that blue one is really pretty. It reminds me of watercolor because of the dark blue that's throughout.

I think if you want to acknowledge the 1980s, I would use a larger square tile, 6x6 to 12 x 12 on the walls (although I would not do 12x on the walls if I used it on the floor). If you could find a 6x6 with that handmade surface that would be nice.

Those are pool tiles!!! They are made to go under the coping stone. They are NOT indoor shower tiles.

miss enigma, that made me laugh because we chose Cambria Montgomery for our kitchen countertops!

Wanna bath, thanks for the heads up. On Wayfair it says OK for shower walls? I'll look into it.

Nicole, thank you! I love Fireclay. Our style is bohemian island cottage (ha!), and that totally fits our aesthetic.

Wannabath, where are you getting that information? I don't see it...

https://www.allmodern.com/outdoor/pdp/moonlight-285-x-285-porcelain-mosaic-tile-in-diva-blue-ovs1413.html

I went with Ivy Hill Catalina White 3x6 on the walls of my bathroom remodel and I'm loving it. With the white grout and "imperfect" tile it somehow looks both classic and modern. I don't see how it could ever look "dated"!