This Is the Surprisingly “Ancient” History of the Checkerboard Pattern

If you’ve been paying attention to design trends over the last couple of years, then you’ve probably noticed one familiar style has reemerged with a vengeance: the checkerboard pattern. While you may associate this old-meets-new motif with everything from kitchen and dining room floors to picnic blankets and area rugs, it turns out that the origins of the checkerboard pattern reach much further back than that.

Here’s everything you need to know about the history of the checkerboard pattern, plus why it’s made a comeback and ways to incorporate it into your home decor.

“The classic checkerboard pattern of white squares interspersed with black or gray squares is ancient and traverses multiple cultures,” says architect and designer Nicholas Potts. “It shows up in Indian chessboards, Islamic mosaics, and keffiyehs, Greek and Roman tiles, and textiles across the globe.”

Potts notes that the checkerboard pattern is a prolific design that can be spotted everywhere from an imperial villa in Japan to a 1950s-style diner in American suburbia. “Its universality makes it, dare I say, a neutral,” he continues. “Since it has no immediate tie to a specific style, and is also about the easiest thing to make out of simple materials, it’s a go-to regardless of budget or aesthetic.” 

While there are many reasons to be drawn to checkerboard, Potts thinks that designers and home decor enthusiasts continue to champion this look because of its versatility. “Checkerboard can be used wherever there’s a need for a punch of pattern,” he says. “It is also wonderfully scalable, and depending on the size, you can create a checkerboard with huge pieces to appear very impactful, or you can use smaller ones that appear to blur together.”

That flexible quality allows you to play with scale and color any way you see fit, making it possible for your checkerboard pattern to complement nearly every style. “I don’t think there’s necessarily anything that has to be avoided next to a checkerboard: It can work on its own as a statement in an otherwise stripped-down context or alternately as a background element in a maximalist space,” Potts says. “But it doesn’t exactly play well with other, similar patterns like gingham or plaid, particularly if the scale is the same.”

If you need inspiration for ways to incorporate this timeless look into your home, here are five checkerboard designs to consider — from small touches like textiles to eye-catching tile ideas.