Flooring in the spirit of the 1950s
Chessboard flooring is very often implemented today in public and in private interiors. Design of chessboard flooring is retro and attractive and to get this kind of flooring you do not have to be fully authentic. Today, the flooring technology has prospered a lot so that you can choose any type of material and get the wanted design. Depending on your needs, you can choose ceramic tiles in two different colours and install them in geometric shape of the chessboard.
Flooring in the spirit of the 1950s
The 1950s, the decade of the consumer society, brought some innovations when it comes to interior design. The houses used to be smaller than the ones before the World War II so that the furniture had to be small and mobile (for example sofas and ironing boards are the common products of the 1950s). Two popular types of the interior are: typically American style, with the furniture of neon colours and flashy details in the style of the jukebox restaurants; and the other is little more refined, designed furniture embedded with designed textile in clear colours. Today, both styles are common and your task in only to choose the better one and “spice up” your interior.
Modern technology and product availability offer the possibility to have an influence on our interior in an easy and economical way. The style of the 1950s can be easily copied and the most familiar detail from that period is the floor – a recognizable chessboard, combining black and white. These floors were very frequent in the 1950s. Fitted into a contemporary home, this design will look clean, elegant, chic and a bit retro.
Also, during the 1950s, “new” materials were popular, such as PVC, fiberglass, aluminium, vinyl… Patterns which were used most often were animal prints, neon nuances and abstract, geometrical shapes. For contemporary needs of an average man, all these designs and colours together on one place could be repellent. However, you will not make a mistake if you carefully choose the details and combine them discreetly into your home décor.
kitchen in the spirit of the fifties
Those years were not just famous for its flashy and colourful style, but also for its well-known designers: marriage (and designer) couple Eames, Arne Jacobsen (who designed the famous “Egg” chair) and at the end, the famous Spanish artist Salvador Dali, whose “Love Sofa” has definitely marked this period. If you are inspired by their extraordinary designing solutions or you own similar pieces, bare in mind that the chessboard flooring will emphasize them in a nice and dramatic way. Dali himself had chessboard flooring in several rooms of his own villa.
If you just love the pop art of the 1950, together with the flooring, there are countless details and tiny motifs which will bring the right atmosphere. To make the 1950s authentic, pay attention to some of these advice:
- big refrigerators and jukebox machines are an adorable detail, if you are brave enough,
- metal bar chairs with the seat coloured in garish colours or any other eccentric design of the chairs,
- charming details such as an ashtray shaped as painter’s palette, Cadillac toys, martini and cocktail glasses as well as some old radios will all bring the spirit of the 1950s into your home and that for a small amount of money.
Sculptures and bowls made of Murano glass were popular back then and they are also today.
checkerboard tiles
As mentioned before, in the 1950s, people used linoleum, vinyl and PVC and these materials were used for many purposes, not just for flooring. Today these materials are widely used, especially in the private interiors. The flooring made of these materials has many advantages. They are very chip, easily cleaned and they are humidity resistant. Also, vinyl and linoleum is a flexible material which can be easily manipulated. With the advancement of technology, the production of these materials is improved so that they have become more durable and resistant than they used to be in the 1950s.
Chess board flooring is applied today in public and in private interiors. Design of this flooring is attractive and retro and to get this kind of flooring, you do not have to be completely authentic. The flooring technology has reached unthinkable borders which enables you to choose almost any material and get the design you want. Depending on your needs, you can choose the ceramic tiles in two colours and install them in the geometrical shape of the chess board. Ceramic tiles have long life, they are resistant and easily maintained, while linoleum and vinyl have attractive colours and they are flexible, but they are not as durable. It all comes to your needs and your taste.
Chess board is a minimalistic and geometrical flooring which matches everything. If you choose it, it is good to place it in the kitchen and bathroom and the other floors should be covered in some warm flooring with the similar design.
A black and white combination of the chess board will look great if a certain detail is added. It can be something in a hot colour, for example a sofa, curtains, flower pots in geometrical shapes, etc. The combination of two nuances of the same colour is very good on this type of flooring. The combination of two complementary colours will give an avant garde appearance which you can soften with the furniture in light colours. When it comes to chess board flooring, you can make experiments with flat shapes and use either cubiform or rhomboidal design of the flooring.
floor chessboard style
Taking into consideration the average home, the chess board flooring would be ideal in the kitchen, bathroom, basement, pantry, basically in any room which is considered to be damp. Depending on the material you choose, this design can be fitted into any space – from minimalistic to bohemian and baroque.
You would be surprised how the change of the flooring can influence the entire interior. If you are satisfied with the existing condition of the kitchen elements, the change of the flooring (or its design) will breathe new life into old things or emphasize them in an unexpected way.
The style of the 1950s can be applied in many ways – from the colourful kitsch to elegant modernism, however both of these extremes have their charm and what connects them is the elegant flooring with the geometrical design. Whether you want to completely copy the style of the 1950s or to breathe in new life to the rooms, the chess board flooring has always been a hit, during the 1950s as well as today.
