This Retro '50s Flooring Belongs In Modern Kitchens

They say that everything old is new again, and we've often found this to be the case when it comes to kitchen designs. Who could have predicted, for instance, that the '80s neon lighting trend would find its way to modern cooking spaces, or that curtains under the sink would be having a capital-M Moment? Our current design obsession, however, reaches a bit further back in history and hearkens to '50s-inspired diner décor ideas: checkerboard flooring. In the middle of the last century, this was often seen in high-contrast black and white as part of an ephemeral aesthetic trend that also included pops of bright color (especially Coca-Cola red) and stainless steel countertops. It all evoked a bustling eatery with a blaring jukebox and a waitress named Barb with a lacy apron and a sassy attitude.

Hear us out, however: checkerboard so deserves a comeback. If you think beyond mere black and white, this timeless pattern — which actually dates back to ancient eras and places as diverse as ancient Greece, imperial Japan, and medieval India — is endlessly versatile, visually arresting, and an ideal template for showcasing your personal style. We like it on dish towels and backsplashes for sure, but, in our humble opinion, there's no place that makes as much of a statement with checkerboard as flooring. It's bold, yet classic; it's attention-grabbing, yet with a bit of tweaking, it can suit most décor styles.

In its classic harlequin iteration, checkerboard floors look exquisite with the best white paints for kitchen cabinets, causing the floor to stand out as the statement feature of your kitchen. This doesn't mean, however, that you can't tame checkerboard's innate boldness to suit the vibes of your kitchen. Alternating gray and white veined marble tiles, for instance, helps you to skip right over the unserious kitsch of the diner aesthetic and land squarely in the lap of luxury. Introducing color to your checkerboard pattern keeps the eclectic sensibilities of checkerboard while going all-in on your chosen hue. We especially love a brown checkerboard moment that leans into the currently fashionable farmhouse look while matching all your blonde wood accents.

Speaking of wood, the combination of wood and checkerboard is absolutely classic. Wooden cabinets with harlequin checkerboard, or a wooden slat floor with checkerboard tile inlay? Sign us up! We've seen checkerboard go Scandinavian with flat cabinets and IKEA-esque furnishings, Mediterranean with upcycled bronze hardware and hanging copper pots, zany with a contrasting pattern on the backsplash and vibrant colors on the cabinets, or even '30s Art Deco with a Depression-era palette and retro appliances. The possibilities are endless, and they beg for you to take checkerboard out for your own spin.