With a Villager tub something like the Heath Ceramics diamond pattern would look so much better than boring old follow-the-herd subway tile. I know they're $$$$ but theres probably something similar that's cheaper that would pick up on the slightly hexagonal shape of the cast-iron tub and lend elegance to the whole room:

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Alternating colors by row, column, or diagonal using two, three, or four related colors looks great with this shape as well.

I guess that's a matter of opinion ...

This is going to be a pre-war / early 19th century style bathroom with soapstone countertop, etc. The pop will be in areas that are more easily changed down the road.

Any other thoughts on the tile color?

Here is a link that might be useful: A.O. subway tile

And the other option...

Here is a link that might be useful: Daltile subway tile

It will be pretty impossible to exactly match whites, but if you look at the Daltile website, some of the whites in their Semi-Gloss and Rittenhouse Square lines have a "K" prefix which means that they correspond to Kohler colors.
There may be "K" prefixes in the Matte tile as well, I don't remember.
Honestly though, the texture and depth of the glaze on a cast iron is not the same as on ceramic tile and is not the same as on a vitreous china toilet. They will be slightly different and they will be in different planes from each other mostly. I have a pretty high color discernment when those sorts of tests come up, but the variations of white that I had between Daltile Rittenhouse Square, American Standard Americast, Toto vitreous china, and Daltile color through porcelain were discernible but it didn't bother me at all that they were not a perfect match.

Ah, the frustration of not having everything in front of you.

Thoughts on using the matte finish so it doesn't look like the tile is intended to match the glossy fixtures if/when the colors don't match?

I like the matte finish of the black Merola hex (see link) to maybe use on the floor and that got me thinking.

I've kept my soapstone countertop 'rough'. I only sanded it to about 60 grit and will probably not oil, so I think the matte finishes will work well with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Merola black hex

I am not super experienced but finishing our first Reno. We used the Merola hex tile in black and white and it is pretty glossy. You might want to see it in person before deciding. (If you have a floor and decor you can buy a single sheet for less than the box stores)

Using a dark grout will also separate the whites, so "matching" becomes even less crucial, I prefer the purer or cooler non matching whites to something that skews yellow. Have you considered using a black liner below the bullnose row?

jennifw - it appears that the Merola hex comes in a few different styles. Maybe yours might be the glossy style vs. the matte?

palimpsest - I agree on liking the cooler whites over the yellow whites. So that would steer me towards the Daltile I believe. Where are you referring to a bullnose row? The tile in the shower will go to the ceiling. There will be portions of two walls that have tile only to the height of the soapstone shelf behind the sink/vanity. I'm going to use soapstone for a low shelf at the 'dry' end of the tub and for corner shelves on the 'wet' end. I thought about using thin black tiles to tie the shelf in and run 360 degrees around the room with it.

What caps off the tile where it does not go to the ceiling and how are the vertical edges finished where the tile height drops from ceiling height to shelf height?

And here's my "soapstone" countertop against the white tile. (I put soapstone in quotes because my contractor found a remnant for me and given how it behaves I'm pretty sure I ended up with some thing else, maybe pietra cardosa.)

Got to love those soapstone counters :) Ben_jamin, your counter will be awesome.

Fortunately I can make the vertical transitions either at a corner and where the window meets the vaulted/shed ceiling. So I'll have a bullnose just on the horizontal. I was asking because wasn't sure the thought behind the bullnose and contrasting tile. CRL's pics show exactly that and it looks good. I like how the gray tile matches the gray grout and the gray stone. I'm going to call my local Daltile supplier and see if they have matching bullnose/corner pieces for their Rittenhouse line.

crl - that looks like a Kohler Ladena sink - I'm going with the same one. I think mine is the larger one.

another question - I'd like the dark grout prominent like the picture I've attached. In order to achieve that using the tiles I've been discussing (the Daltile or A.O.), which have only a 1/16" grout width built in, do I need just a dark grout to match or am I going to have to go with a wider grout line (by adding spacers)? Ideally I'd like to just use the 1/16" width to make my life easier. Does anyone have pictures of that combo? Its difficult to tell the width when I'm looking online otherwise.

I'm also contemplating adding a mosaic to really drag in the NYC subway look. Something like the attached but somehow personal to our family. I'd probably put it down low so it doesn't dominate the room

enduring - thanks. Funny you should post - you're one of the examples I followed.

No, you don't need wider grout lines to achieve the look you want.

Just curious which tile you chose and how it turned out? I am struggling to figure out which tile to use without using the Dal Kohler white!
Thanks ;)

How did it all turn out? I am at a pivotal point in my reno. Do I keep the subway tile or take it out? I still have to compare the tile to the sample board as it may be off from what I initially chose, but they don't match the Kohler villager tub white. Wasn't something I thought about unfortunately. It hasn't been grouted yet, so I'm wondering if grout will help distract from the color difference.

Hmm the tub and floor read kind of yellow undertones to me. And the walls seem cooler. Just some thoughts:

Are you having any more materials in the space? It's possible a different shade of paint might marry the finishes better. Also how close to finished are you? If you are close maybe see how it all works together.

It's a Kohler white tub, and everything looked white until the wall tile went in. Now it has, like you say, yellow undertones. The wall tile is the last piece of the puzzle we had been waiting 1.5 months for. It's not grouted yet, so I'm going to see if there is a grout that will help a bit. I was going to go with a light gray, but may need to shift gears a bit.

For a small bath that I am doing, I was too was trying to match up a porcelain subway tile that co-ordinates with Kohler 'white' and found one at Home Depot which IMO matches very well as it reads a very soft warm white when comparing it to most other whites. Unfortunately I live in Canada so am not sure if the code number is the same in the U.S.A. but here it is: It is Daltile 3"x 6" #7305 7597 6065 09/12/14 12:17 L10 . (FTR, I have tried it up against several Kohler sinks/toilets/tubs displays and it seems to be the one.) That said, I am actually on the hunt for a 4" x 12" tile which I would prefer, but to date have had no luck. Also shall mention, IF you do live in the States from what I have read Daltile actually carries a 3" x 6" subway tile that begins with the letter K (Rittenhouse) which should match. (Sorry I do not have the actual number but a web search may help you out.) Hopefully this information will assist some one.

Footnote: It also goes exceptionally well with Daltile 1" hexagon mosaic marble tiles (12" x 12' mesh sheet) which consist of a mixture of whites some of which may have a bit of a slight gold/yellow undertone and also includes various shades of gray with white veins. Source for both tiles is: Home Depot as of this date.

I had all our tile taken down. I've been waiting forever to do this reno and decided that I wasn't going to settle for something I was not happy with. We picked out a new tile that is 4x12 size by American Olean, color is Ice White. Will hopefully be installed later this week and I will take a photo when it's finally done!

@Allison: Re your tile dilemma; the colour of grout you choose will also have a bearing on what it will look like and its a reason why you might want to consider doing a sample board first. When working with white tile, I have found that even using a light silver grout will transform a white. Also remember, once the grout dries it usually will be lighter in colour.

Very true. We will be doing a light/medium gray grout with our tile. There was no helping the previous tile, it was far too off and gave the bathroom a yellow look compared to it which is absolutely not what I was going for!

mrsben, try Olympia tile. I'm also in Canada and they have tons of subways in different sizes in different whites and cheap. Several local tile places where I am carry Olympia so I imagine you could find them where you are.

Here are two photos of our newly finished surround! Tub : Kohler Villager ,Tile: American Olean Ice White ,Grout: Color is Silverado ,Fixtures: Delta Ashlyn

Those are 4x12 tiles?

Allison S

I am going with 4x16" White Tile. The sampled tile doesn't have it's name on it. Wish it did.

I have a Toto Color Chip - Cotton. Which looks "off-white"

To me it's going to Clash.

So now I am thinking Kohler.

Kohler will not send me a color chip nor a catalog. (Cheap-os)

How pleased are you with the matching whites?

Is it noticeable?

I will not be pleased if it doesn't blend correctly.

2christene

I've been pretty happy with ours. There's a little color difference from one to the other, but I think the grey grout helps also to disguise that. You can see in the photos above (the closest one to this post, not the one further up, I had that tile ripped out, ha) , the tub has a very slight "buttery" undertone to it compared to the wall tile. With the shower curtain and other accessories up it really doesn't bother me at all.

Pretty much any home store will have some sort of Kohler fixture (toilet, tub, sink) so you could bring your tile sample with and compare there.

Amazing how tricky white can be!

Thanks Allison S

I will bring the tile to the fixture store, it's just lighting difference compared to inside your own home. Everything looks better under their lights... lol.

Glad your happy with the final results, that's what matters.

I made a new post about White tub matching White tiles.

I hope you don't mind, I used your before pic to show people what I was talking about.

Your bathroom is exactly what I'm trying to achieve. Clean, crisp, not busy.

Just getting to this thread and wondered if anyone had any experience with the Manhattan White MN 10 subway tile? How white is it? I ask because I will be ordering the Kohler Villager tub and my local tile retailer doesn't carry Daltile. They carry this Manhattan Tile. I can buy the Daltile Rittenhouse Artic White from the Local Home Depot but I like the service I get from the local tile retailer. Case in point. I've been on hold for the Home Depot for several minutes and they just hung up on me. Sigh.

Carol Ader, can your tile supplier give you a sample piece? Many of the home stores carry Kohler, so you could bring it with to compare.

Today I did just that. I picked up a sample tile and went to our local Ferguson and this tile happens to be a great match with Kohler. Interesting in that the sales rep at Ferguson said that the white from Kohler is pretty much the same white as all the other bath manufacturers use. I didn't realize that. I'm also going to try to get a sample of the Daltile K101-441P (K for Kohler because it's made for Kohler). Appreciate the feedback Allison.

The Kohler white is not the same white as other mfg--depending on the brand... It can come off much more gray/chalky IMO...but there are so many variables in how "white" is perceived because every room had different set of light values--from the amount of daylight, the latitude you are in, the other colors inside the room for reflective values... Color is really LIGHT trapped in a fixed medium...