If you want to add a bold design element to your space, don’t forget to look down. The classic combo of black and white makes a big impact on the floor, whether you go for a simple checkerboard or a more intricate motif. We’ve combed through the AD archives to find spaces that are enhanced by black-and-white floors, from kitchens to baths to entryways. These eye-catching patterns add beauty to a room while allowing other elements, such as art or rich materials, to shine. Peruse these stylish spaces to find easy ways to amp up the drama from the ground up. Because when it comes to floors, sometimes things are as simple as black and white.
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The kitchen of a Manhattan duplex decorated by Steven Gambrel features pendant lights from the designer’s own line for the Urban Electric Co. The cabinetry is by Gambrel and Arcologica, the wall tile is by Urban Archaeology, the hood is by RangeCraft, and the range is by Viking.
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The entrance hall of fashion executives Dave DeMattei and Patrick Wade’s Beverly Hills home features a painted wood floor. The room is outfitted with a Charles Edwards lantern, an antique marble-top wrought-iron table from Guinevere, and a George Smith settee.
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At a Miles Redd–designed house in Houston , Vaughan lanterns and an Iksel Decorative Arts wallpaper ornament the gallery.
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The tiles in the bath of designers Richard Lambertson and John Truex’s Manhattan home are by Nemo Tile Co., and the towels are by Restoration Hardware. The art includes a photograph by Machiel Botman, at top, and a Guzman portrait of Lambertson.
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A graphic black-and-white floor accents the elegant gallery of a New York apartment by designer Michael S. Smith.
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The kitchen of acclaimed adman Peter Rogers’s New Orleans home is equipped with a Thermador range and hood and furnished with a table by Lars Bolander.
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Marble tile from Paris Ceramics lines the entrance area of a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, residence by architect Bobby McAlpine and interior designer Ray Booth; the portrait is 17th century.
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Architect Andrew Skurman and decorator Suzanne Tucker transformed this San Francisco apartment in a neoclassical style reflective of its Beaux Arts building. Paved with Belgian marble, the home’s foyer makes a dramatic statement; the George III mirrors and demilune tables are all from Kentshire Galleries.
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Iconic photographs of New York greet visitors in the foyer of this historic Manhattan apartment , which was renovated and furnished by Shelton, Mindel & Associates; the plasterwork ceiling and the picture lights were designed by the firm
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Architect Mark Ferguson devised the marble-and-granite kitchen floor in this New York penthouse decorated by Pamplemousse Design. LEM piston stools from Design Within Reach provide seating at the granite counter, the twin dishwashers are by Miele, and the ceiling is painted with high-gloss Benjamin Moore Decorators White.
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At a Manhattan apartment renovated by architect Peter Pennoyer and designer Victoria Hagan, the kitchen is outfitted with a Viking range, Sub-Zero refrigerator drawers, a Miele dishwasher, and Caesarstone countertops.
In the same apartment, a ceiling fixture by Jean Karajian Collection hangs in the rear hall that leads to the dining room and kitchen; the artwork is by John Kirby, and the floors were stenciled by Pennoyer.
In Carla Fendi’s apartment in Rome , IKEA metal chairs are pulled up to a counter in the kitchen, which is paved with Sicis tiles.
The master bath of a London home transformed by Philip Vergeylen is outfitted with a Nicholas Haslam Ltd. vanity, medicine cabinet, and floor tiles, and a Castello tub; the sink and tub fittings are by Drummonds.
A guest bath of a Manhattan home designed by Delphine Krakoff is sheathed in Bisazza tile; the sink is by Kohler, and the shower and sink fittings are by Waterworks.
Black-and-white floor tiles by Clé provide a graphic welcome at the Manhattan duplex apartment of Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber; the interiors were designed by the firm Ashe + Leandro.
The kitchen in the same home features pendant lights by the Lamp Goods, a Wolf microwave, Lostine stools, and a checkerboard concrete-tile floor; Ashe + Leandro designed the cabinetry and hood.