Inspirations

Trend Alert: Checkerboard Tiles

Bold checked tiles have of late been patterning every room in the house, lending a balance of order, cohesion, and punch.

Here are some standout examples in a spectrum of colors: as classic checkerboard flooring, of course, and also as wainscoting, window frames, kitchen counters, and the bottom of a splashy swimming pool.

a marine blue and white checkerboard greets visitors to casa cabanyal, a 1946  14
Above: A marine blue-and-white checkerboard greets visitors to Casa Cabanyal, a 1946 fisherman’s house in Valencia, Spain, newly updated by architects María Daroz and David Puerta of Viruta Lab. Photograph by David Zarzoso. courtesy of Viruta Lab.

madrid designers iñigo aragón and pablo lópez navarro of casa jo 15
Above: Madrid designers Iñigo Aragón and Pablo López Navarro of Casa Josephine are known for their clever applications of black and white tiles. This cement-tiled window alcove is in the their own country retreat in La Losa, Spain: tour the house in our recent feature Geometry Prize. Photograph by Pablo Zamora courtesy of Casa Josephine.

the blue and white checks continue at cabanyal house by viruta lab in valencia, 16
Above: The blue-and-white checks continue at Cabanyal house by Viruta Lab in Valencia, Spain. Photograph by David Zarzoso courtesy of Viruta Lab.