Subway

• Rectangular tiles laid in a brick-like pattern are referred to as subway style. Create a subway style mosaic with colored glass tiles. While you can find rectangular tiles in sheets which go together in a seamless fashion, you can also look for a varied assortment in a wide range of colors for a random mosaic. Or look for white subway tiles and randomly add feature tiles with modern or traditional designs. Moroccan, Greek, Italian and other old-world tiles are ideal for this type of mosaic.
  
  

Glass Tiles

• Glass tiles are a good choice for modern mosaic backsplashes. Like the rectangular tiles, mosaics come in sheets. One idea is to create a rectangular mosaic with sheets of glass tiles cut into thirds. Design a pattern with the cut sheets of mosaic tiles and larger rectangular glass tiles in a contrasting or complementary color. For watery teal and blue glass mosaics, choose a lime green rectangular tile to add variation to the backsplash. Create a pattern with two rows of rectangular tiles and a single row of the cut mosaic sheet.
  
  

Stone

• Choose a combination of rectangular stone tiles to create a stone mosaic. One idea is to use larger rectangles of stone to separate areas of the mosaic. Choose decorative pieces to create a smaller mosaic to cut down on costs. Frame the mosaic area with a less expensive larger stone tile. The larger stones also cost less to install as they have fewer grout lines than their smaller counterparts. Another idea is to create a mosaic with different colors of oversize rectangular slate tiles. Slate comes in a range of hues, including purple, gray, green, brown, charcoal and others.
  
  

Alternatives

• Use plain white ceramic tiles in a mixture of rectangular and square shapes to create a mosaic original to your home. Cover an assortment of the tiles with decoupage glue and a pattern or image that speaks to you. One idea is to cover tiles with a graphic print such as damask, gingham, botanical prints, polka dots or colorful stripes. If you don't want to commit to the decoupage process, look for tile vinyls and affix them to random tiles to create a non-permanent mosaic. When you tire of the look or move, peel the vinyls off of the tiles.