Are Metro tiles in the kitchen still in, or have I missed a new tile style?

[SquinkiesRule]

We are finishing up out house ready to sell, and we have one bath and kitchen left to do. All very 80's here.
So Dh wants to get new counters and splash backs, I suggested Metro tiles in a light colour and white counter tops, the cupboards are nice, quaker style in maple. Floor will be new neutral tiles.
So are Metro tiles a good choice, or is there something else young families are after?

[wowfudge]

Get worktops and an upstanding and leave it at that, maybe a glass splashback behind the hob.

[wowfudge]

Upstand, not upstanding!

[Bearbehind]

I hate metro tiles- whether they are in or out- and I'm pretty sure Im not alone.

White counter tops is a brave choice too- it would scream high maintenance at me.

If you are doing it to sell I'd going for something more neutral and less love it or loathe it.

[SquinkiesRule]

What is an upstand? any links.
So White cries high maintenance. Back to the drawing board.
Is it possible to make it all too neutral?
The carpets will be a sort of oatmeal all through the house, the hall/entry tiles are a sort of grey and neutral mix and the upstairs en suite is now all neutral creamy wall and floor tiles with a white suite, and pale bedroom with one wall wallpapered with a light pattern in rest are off white and pale yellow. Kids rooms are off white. Still the family bath to do, same floor as the hall entry, white suite and white tiles with a vertical strip of colour pattern tiles at each end of the bath. Living room hasn't had the wallpaper stripped off yet, so not sure how good the walls are.

[Cuttheraisins]

I think that metro tiles have been in fashion for many years now - maybe 10 years and in my opinion they are on the way out, so when doing the kitchen we choose square tiles (the uneven, hand-made rustic style) but we fixed them to the wall in brick. Let me see if I can take a picture. We've had lots of compliments for it. For countertop, don't go for a plain white but maybe a light coloured natural stone effect. If buyers like strong colours they can always paint a wall.

[HereIAm20]

We are having white(ish) quartz worktop with an upstand (uts called Canadian white , white with a pale grey fleck. We have white marble countertops in the bathroom and it is far less work than our old dark granite worktops ever were in the kitchen at our last place. The dark tends to show every crumb and splash whereas the white doesn't.

Cabinetry is white too except for the island which is dark grey. We are having wood effect floor tiles.

As you are doing it up to sell I think that the option you are chosing sounds about right for the market. White metro tiles can be very cheap (if you don't go for Fired Earth etc) and you can jazz them up by having grey grout. It would be cheaper to have just an upstand which is like a border around the bottom of the wall in the same material as the countertop but you'd still need something behind the hob and the glass panels can be quite cheap too if just doing that small an area.

[Cuttheraisins]

Trying a photo

[MuddhaOfSuburbia]

I'm interested in this too

want to have a bash at tiling myself- have never tried but last lot of builders cost us ££££s with tiling and took WEEKS (unsealed metro tiles ugh ugh)- but what tiles?

also at the time, glass splashbacks were a bit rare and I couldn't really find anything that didn't seem an awful faff. Jic my tiling attempts go tits up I'd love any info on splashbacks

[MuddhaOfSuburbia]

ooh they're CUTE raisins

[whataboutbob]

I have metro tiles which I laid down myself, but do keep hearing they are on the way out. Raisins your splashback looks great.

[Cuttheraisins]

I ordered some very expensive samples from fired earth and went in a local cheap tiles shop and asked them if they did something similar. At fired earth they sold for over £150 per square metre and local shop came to under £30 a square metre...

[SquinkiesRule]

raisins I like those tiles, the colour and the way they are put in.
We had upstands at our last house (built in 1993 and never changed it) I had no idea thats what it was called. the cooker was on an island thing so no tiles behind it. I didn't like the upstands as the kids tended to splash thing on the walls above when learning to cook. usually mixing up brownies
I think Dh might like those square tiles done like bricks. He does all the tiling, he's a genius at all this kind of fix up stuff thankfully.

[MuddhaOfSuburbia]

loads of stuff from fired earth is on tons of tiles iirc

you can get a m2 for about the price of one of fired earth's samples

the cheeky gets

[Cuttheraisins]

I know this is not by the book, but I still have two boxes of the blue tiles in the garage if anyone wants them I will sell them cheap! I live in east London.

[lalalonglegs]

I love metro tiles. I always use them in the flats I do up - I don't care if they're on the way out, they look great. So there.

[TiggeryBear]

We've just done the kitchen in our 1st home, we've got metro tiles & I love them.

[SquinkiesRule]

I'm still torn, I think a nice pale colour is going to be it. Either a bluey green or sagey green or something like that. In either squares or metro in a brick pattern.
You watch I'll go to the big discount tile shop and find something completely different. Still time, we are apparently now doing the family bath next. men

[jumpinghoops]

Raisins, could you PM me with where you are, how many you have and how much you'd like for them? I may be interested.

[Tubbyinthehottub]

I love metro tiles. If you want to avoid a potentially dated look why not go for the bigger flat ones rather than bevelled edges. Or do them straight instead of brick bond (although I personally love them looking like little bricks)

[NancyDecca]

- we had metro tiles in the first kitchen we did properly 20 years ago. Then again in the next. This time I have just gone for glass splashback (more for cleaning grout purposes rather than aesthetic reasons ). I think if they are on their way out it is a slow train departing. I personally think they are quite classic but I do realise some people don't like them.
I do like Raisin's tiles, though.

[PoorHarryHaddow]

I have batik grey patchwork tiles from topps tiles and I LOVE THEM!

This is a google image result, the real ones are downstairs and I cba to go and take a real picture