The checkerboard floor is having a renaissance – here are our favourite design ideas
The checkerboard floor has a long and distinguished history in interior design, from ancient Egyptian temples to Masonic lodges, via vast numbers of Victorian hallways, French country houses and 1950s American diners. Usually in black and white or red and white, the versatility of this kind of floor means it can work well in almost any kind of space. While you might have some unfortunate mental pictures of dingy vinyl checkerboard tiles peeling at the edges in old kitchens and bathrooms, we're here to tell you to rethink! The traditional pattern is still alive and well, and we've also gathered some strikingly modern takes on the classic style.
Paul Massey1/15In the kitchen of Bridie Hall's north London house, cheery red and white Marmoleum floor tiles arranged in a chequerboard pattern contrast with traditional cabinets with olive-green paintwork in a gloss finish. Built around the existing navy Aga, Bridie describes this look as ‘typical Ben Pentreath country-house style’.
Kensington Leverne2/15A marble checkerboard floor is a distinct upgrade from the usual lino. In the London house of Nomad development head Jack Simpson, he has used a design in the hallway that was inspired by the floor in the lift of the Cipriani hotel in Venice.
Chris Horwood3/15A stone checkerboard floor and a graceful staircase equally add grandeur in the hallway of this Mayfair flat by Salvesen Graham.
Dean Hearne4/15The striking simplicity of checkerboard tiles means that they can still be paired with other, more highly patterned designs. In the bathroom of designer Meta Coleman's house in Utah, she has used blue and white checkerboard tiles on the floor combined with a more elaborate green and white design.
Simon Brown5/15Max Rollitt was charged with adding character to this London flat, which had been unsympathetically modernised by a property developer. In place of the previous Ikea kitchen, Rollitt installed custom cabinets and freestanding furniture atop an unusual blue and white checkerboard floor.
Milo Brown6/15A checkerboard floor is an ideal choice for a utility room. In this Holland Park house, Lonika Chande has combined a cheerful red and white version with cabinetry painted in ‘Yellow-Pink’ by Little Greene and a sky-blue Formica worktop.
Simon Brown7/15Black and white flooring in oversize checks unites the the kitchen and conservatory in Butter Wakefield's west London house. 'I blame the floor,' she says laughing. 'That's where it all started.' She is referring to the palette of green, black and white that runs throughout much of the house, but comes to the fore in the kitchen and conservatory, where there is a cornucopia of lettuceware plates and monochromatic fabrics.
Greg Funnell8/15The checkerboard pattern is a particularly prominent feature of French country interiors; here at Mimi Thorisson's country house in Burgundy the kitchen features an expanse of red and white tiles.
9/15A checkerboard floor is equally stylish in a city flat; here in the art dealer and PAD co-founder Patrick Perrin's flat in St Germain, a traditional black and white pattern is the backdrop for stainless steel appliances.
Greg Funnell10/15The bathroom of Mimi Thorisson's home in the Médoc has the original nineteenth-century checkerboard floor tiles. The walls are tiled with square white tiles, edged in a black trim and the traditional sink has exposed copper pipes.
Michael Sinclair11/15In this highly contemporary, art-filled house designed by Shalini Misra, the hallway features a modern take on the checkerboard floor in the shape of cube tiles.
Rachel Whiting12/15Beata Heuman has also made use of the cube pattern, which achieves a similar effect to the checkerboard floor, in this theatrical, brightly coloured house in London. This is actually a paint effect mimicking three types of stone arranged in a traditional geometric pattern that plays with perspective.
Owen Gale13/15Although you might think about ripping out old floors in bathrooms, this bathroom in Terry Ellis' London house demonstrates how liveable traditional checkerboard tiles can be. Paired with art-filled walls and a patterned blind, the tiles make for a comfortable, individual space.
Paul Massey14/15In the main bathroom of this refurbished disused chapel in Somerset, black and white floor tiles are similarly contrasted with a patterned curtain, in this case a bird print fabric curtain that covers the gothic-style pointed window.
Simon Upton15/15A checkerboard floor is the perfect basis for a traditional bathroom: in this space the curves of a black and white roll-top bath are an excellent foil for the graphic pattern on the floor.
