Check. Mate. Chequerboard tiling is having a real moment in the world of interiors right now with new wave ideas to update the iconic chessboard-style look that’s been known and loved for centuries. Make yours colourful. Make it a mix of materials. And take it behind the obvious and get tessellating stars as well as squares to create chequered walls and floors you’ll love for a lifetime. Feast your eyes on the following ideas to get your head in the game.

The Newcomers

Before we dive in to the how to chequerboard and the many materials to get in the mix with, get a load of these latest check creations to land in the Ca’ Pietra collection.

Ascoli – these best-selling travertine-style tile with their tumbled edging and mottled neutral colouring to echo natural stone is now available in a 40x40cm format. Perfect for throwing into a chequerboard layout, we l-o-v-e blending the grey-toned Grigio and Beige colourways for a look that’s powder soft. Though, if grey stone isn’t your thing, know that Ascoli Beige gets on gloriously with fellow porcelain square tile, Ludlow. In Charcoal or Ecru, it’s winning combination either way. 

Kendal – revisit the classic black and white chequerboard floor with our brand new micro tile, Kendal. A small black stone tile with natural veining that tempers its depths to create a black that’s anything but harsh, it partners well with the Long Island collection in its smallest square size, another hero tile in our collection.

The How, The What, The Which, The Where

So you’ve decided you want to chequer things up, but where to begin? 

All sorts of different stones suit a chequerboard layout as do a whole host of colours so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all about plain porcelain in black and white. Marble tiles like our stately Pantheon and Nordic honed marble tiles look seriously swish in an entryway together or for a more muted marble floor, try two neutral marbles like Angora and Carrara Miscela or Linara. Limestone chequerboards like a dream too, we love the slightly aged appearance of tumbled limestone tiles like Hamlet and Lucca. You can make the contrast barely-there too if subtlety is your thing – Hamlet with the lightly seasoned Bergamo limestone tiles will do that like a dream.

While black and white porcelain floors will always, always look smart, remember that porcelain has many faces so why not tap into our Hacienda collection where you get two trends in one: chequerboard meets Ibizan finca, putting the squares on a point or keeping them linear as you please. The large format and saturated colour of the porcelain Stucco collection is a great consideration in a more modern or pared-down home – Red meets Ivory is a current favourite of ours. For extra texture though, get a load of our Rialto Terrazzo tiles, choose your partnership and lay them down with pride in a Mid-Century kitchen or modern rustic bathroom.

Chequerboard Those Walls

Hear chequerboard and does your mind go straight to floors? You’re not alone. But tiles like Maroc will make sure you don’t leave your walls out of the fun. With nine different hues to get hands-on with from rich and red Bordeaux to verdant Teal, there are endless combinations to sit side by side so that a statement chequerboard wall is yours for the taking. Do as getaway-to-know Restaries in Suffok did and put Bianco and Khaki in a room together and Beige and Bianco in another of its bathrooms: our favourite chequerboard shower walls to date.  

Tile Outside of the Box

Don’t be boxed in with your chequerboard thinking; there’s so much more to chequerboard floors than squares. A case in point? Our Menara Star Chequer tiles. These eight-pointed stone star motifs sit on a slab of beige or white stone to give rise to a whole new way of chequerboard-ing. Each star is either a pale grey or plaster pink tone, making the overall colour palette warming, neutral and nourishing – all the good stuff.