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Well, if that is a basilica, it must be different types of marble.

However, the effect is common enough with true linoleum.

Check out Marmoleum and other manufacturers.

Try Globus Cork: http://www.corkfloor.com/pics.html

They may have a similar design.

If just the pattern alone can scratch your itch (i.e. not actual tile), there is a similar wallpaper from Ferm Living.
http://www.fermlivingshop.us/wallpaper/squares_black.html

That is a very high-end effect, with square and rhombus marble laid with no visible grout lines. Gorgeous. Not sure it's possible to make this happen without serious custom work.

However, one might achieve a look that references this floor using square linoleum tiles (no grout), cutting the white and light gray tiles into two right triangles and reassembling two triangles into a rhombus shape.

You'd lose that luxe effect of the veining that goes across the long tiles, though.

That is a dreamy floor. I wish you good luck.

I would try linoleum but it honestly wouldn't be too hard to achieve. all you need is three colors of tiles in the same size square. Imagine the trapezoid shapes as two triangles, each made from cutting another square tile in two diagonally. Print the picture out and draw a gride on it based on the sides of the squares and you will see it pop out at you -- the darkest tiles go in wholed, and each of the other squares is a light triangle plus a dark triangle. While there might be seems, you would still get the effect with not much more labor than putting down normal square tiles.

*seams. d'oh.

It's linoleum or vinyl tile -- probably something like a 6x6 square in black and parallelograms of white and gray.

I would go to Home Depot and see if you can find the tiles pre-cut like this; otherwise it will be very boring and time-consuming to cut them yourself.

I think the photo is taken at a severe slant to emphasize the depth of field, and that there are actually only the two tile sizes/shapes. However, if you think that's not the case and you want large squares at one end of your space and small squares at the other, in order to create a false depth-of-field effect, that's a very custom job as you'll be dealing with countless sizes and lots of fitting issues. Good luck with it!

this could be a fun pattern to try with FLOR tiles too!

The 3D effect is created using three different shades of stone. You can do the same with tile, linoleum, wood etc.. So it's not a 3 colored tile but rather 3 tiles in 3 colors.

If money is not an object a company like walker zanger will actually do custom work in their factory and ship the tiles ready to install. I've used them before and their custom tile is great but very expensive. That being said you would still need an extraordinarily good tile setter to set them. In my neck of the woods I couldn't see this look being achieved in marble for less than 60-80 a square foot.

I could swear I've seen sheet good (vinyl or lino, I think) in this very pattern. Or maybe it was a swanky high end wallpaper...?

Hi All.

I asked the original question. Thanks for the suggestions folks! Keep them coming.

The photo above is from a basilica in Rome. It uses larger parallelograms in marble. I’d guess each of the tiles is over a square foot.

I saw something similar (would you believe it) in a bar in Minneapolis. That floor was done with small ceramic tiles. I hope it was a premade mosaic pattern, or someone spent a lot of time cutting tiles. I’d guess the tiles were 1-1.5 square inches.

I’ve been obsessing about that ceramic tile floor for almost a year. I think something similar would look amazing in a small bathroom in my house.

I’m a fairly accomplished DIY tiler (with my own tile saw), but I think cutting that many parallelograms is beyond me. Does anyone know of any mosaic tiles in this type of pattern? Or heck, I can glue the tiles to a mesh backing. Does anyone know of tiles that come in small parallelograms?

Thanks!
Siobhan

the NYU main library has something to this effect -( but more brilliant ) in some kind of stone . and when one looks at the floor from the 2nd floor it is a kaledioscope of many different patterns

http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/stencilphotos/photo0098.htm

I've seen the pattern in encaustic tile, but in square tiles:

http://www.salvo.co.uk/kent/flagstones-floortiles/forsale.html#20942

doesn't this pattern only work when you have a vast expanse of floor that you intend to keep bare?

This photo (sorry it is such a bad shot) shows the effect with much smaller tiles in a much smaller space!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34633536@N05/3221152506/

I don't think I could handle that floor. It's very busy, and I, a bear with very little brain, tend to trip on non existant things, like this pattern.

Go to the library and check out the quilting section.
You'll be able to find templates and color ideas for the 3D effect.

When I went to NYU they said the pattern on the floor was meant to keep students from jumping into the drop of the seven story atrium...as it looked like spikes from above. Probably not true, but macabre none the less.

I don't know of any floor tiles in the parallelograms- though it could be done with forbo marmoleum. I'm doing a more simple pattern with fritztile terrazzo squares based on a pattern I actually found on the forbo site.

Terrazzo tiles might be an alternative to linoleum, ceramic, or solid stone.

I can't help you but I LURVE it!!!

On first glance I saw Q*bert tiles. On the next glance, squares on grey and white stripes. Oh how dreamy!!!
Good luck and please share if you ever make it happen!

It is a variation of the "tumbling blocks" quilt pattern. If you find a way to get the templates cut in tile, be really careful when you put them together. I made a little quilt in this pattern and it's easy to lose the 3-D effect by losing track of the arrangement of the medium and light (in this example) pieces.

We used commercial vinyl floor tiles (available at the big box for less than a dollar a square foot) in three colors to create a "card trick" pattern on our kitchen floor. It was a ton of labor, but inexpensive. You must cut incredibly carefully to get the tiles to fit as closely as possible, though if you were able to use grout you could be less careful. I also learned the hard way that the diagonal measure of a 1 foot square tile is not 12". Yes I know anyone who has taken geometry should know better. This necessitated cutting the 1 foot squares into 6" squares before being able to use the vinyl tile cutter diagonally.

I agree that using forbo would be the easiest, but I would go with a sheet for the stripes and a tile for the squares. Several forbo lines have both sheet goods and tiles.

The pattern is just a series of stripes with squares inlaid, but the inlaid pattern shifts between rows. The stripes would have to equal half the diagonal of the square.

You can find this pattern on encaustic tiles.
There's a company that still produces these tills here in Portugal (it's an art that is disappearing, at least on Europe) - I think they even sell their tiles on America.
Here's a link to the tile you want http://www.artevida.net/mosaicos/index.php?p=p_44&sName=Caixas

I've done card trick design in tile ( look it up on quilting website), this pattern is way easier. I could do this pattern in tile ( ceramic, porcelain, slate, marble etc.). I've been pushing the limits when it comes to tile design for over a decade. If you want to hire this floor done, I'm your guy... No doubt in my mind. I seek out these type of projects. I am a glutton for punishment. As far as the comment about "60 to 80", ( I'm assuming sq. ft. ), get real. It won't cost near that. Just ask me how I know.

You can check out cork flooring pros to find more matching patterns and styles; they have a nice list of vendors.