Checkerboard tile layouts... the secrets to success!
Checkerboard tile layouts have been loved and promoted by the Baked Tiles design team for a little while, but, according to Homes and Garden magazine, this classic interior trend is also exciting interior design loving celebrities this season. Beloved by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as interior designers Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus to name a few, checkerboard floors and walls are popping up in the most stylish homes this year.
Where do you start?
Understand the look you wish to create. The simple checkboard layout can work in so many differing settings, having a clear understanding of the style you wish to embrace will help you select the right tile.
Confident traditional style.
You can add a real punch to a traditional style kitchen with the use of a classic checkerboard design. Here a monochrome scheme is united by the black and white floor. The wall tiles are kept simple, with the use of a traditional Metro simlar to our shoreditch range, ensuring the room design doesn't get overly complicated.
Encoustic style tiles, marble or stone effect floor tiles would all work really well in this setting.
Rustic Country
The same classic black and white checkerboard floor can work beautifully when combined with rustic painted furniture and more organic elements like this beautiful terracotta splash back.
Our Marrakesh Brick tiles will offer the same rustic quality to a scheme.
A lighter touch
The use of a taupe and white tiled floor offers a fesh alternative to the popular black and white. Use it to add personality to a smaller space.
Dramatic effect!
A large scale black and white tile can add real drama to a setting. Here, a combination of traditional and contemporray elements combine to create a signature style in Kris Jenners' home.
Design tips
Checkboard layouts look fabulous laid full floor, skirting to skirting and generally this will make a room look as large as it can when clad in this tile design. But in larger spaces the use of borders can help zone the space, adding visual interest and intimacy.
Scale
The general rule of thumb is the larger the space, the larger the tile should be when creating this style of design. That said don't over look smaller options when combining with border detailing.
It's all in the detail!
Please be aware - not all tiles advertised as the same size,arethe same size!! Tiles are subject to an acceptable tollerance in size (unless the tile is rectifed), so a tile from one supplier advertised as 20cm might be 198mm, or 202mm from another. As a result, we do not recommend combining tiles from different collections. Also, note that unless tiles are monocalibre like our 1860 Range, they are likely to be from a different batch - be aware that this can lead to your tiler may have to make up for the difference within the joint spacing. It sounds strange but it won't effect the finished look of the beautiful floor.
