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Chess marble floor in interior design

Jan , 5
Chess marble floor in interior design

The chess marble floor is a timeless design that has accompanied us since ancient times. Nowadays, it is still a widely used resource in interior design for both classic and contemporary environments.

The first references to this type of floor come from the ancient Egypt. It is a design that has always been charged with strong symbolism and mystery.  Also known as “chessboard” it represents the universal duality: good and evil, light and dark, the Apollonian and the Dionysian, the yin and the yang. In short, opposing and complementary forces that are perfectly expressed by this chromatic dualism.

It is not surprising that these floors were used in the rooms of the Masonic lodges representing the floor of the Temple of Solomon. On this floor, the ceremonies of initiation of the apprentices were carried out, who debated in that dual internal struggle aspiring to find the inner balance.

The world of Art has not been alien to this iconographic element, and there are many artists who throughout history have represented them in their paintings seeking their symbolic strength with one intention or another.

Muchacha con copa de vino, Vermeer - Girl with a glass of wine, Vermeer.
Muchacha con copa de vino, Vermeer - Girl with a glass of wine, Vermeer.

This work by Johannes Vermeer (1632 – 1675) is an example of the above. A representation of a typical space with its chess floor through which it develops an intimate but very metaphorical scene and where this chromatic duality provides great expressive strength.

"La metamorfosis de Narciso", de Salvador Dalí.

“The metamorphosis by Narciso” by Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989) is another outstanding example. Centuries later this iconographic resource appears again in another historical-artistic context but with the same symbolic and intellectual charge. It is presented as yet another tool that enhances the paranoid-critical method, one of the high points of the surrealism, where the game of double images was the fruit of the artist’s fascination with hallucinations and deliriums.

So it is not surprising that this kind of powerful resource is still present in many of our everyday interiors.

TINO Natural Stone has participated in numerous projects in which the marble chess floor is part of the project concept.

In addition to their attractive chromatic alternation, this type of flooring exerts great magnetism, not only because of its symbolic load but also because of its layout and the different existing textures. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Chess floor of the hotel Cala Millor Park

Hipotels Calla Millor Park -Suelo ajedrezado de mármol - Marble Chess floor

This beautiful Balearic hotel presents a hall with armchairs and tables for guests. It is a diaphanous space, and the designer has used the chess marble floor to delimit the rest area of the passageway.

The materials used are Marquina Black marble and Crema Bianco marble in a polished finish.

Chessed marble floors in Villa Padierna Termas de Carratraca

Blanco Perlino White - Negro Marquina Black - Carratraca - suelo ajedrezado de mármol - Marble chess floor

This five-star luxury hotel complex is surrounded by nature and focused on health and wellness. Its exquisite decoration conveys comfort at all times through sinuous shapes and organic motifs.

In the upper image, we see a corridor with a white vaulted ceiling, a ceramic plinth typical of the area at medium height and, as a colophon, a chess floor in marble. The materials used for the pavement are Perlino White and Marquina Black in a honed finish.

Blanco Macael White - Negro Marquina Black - Carratraca - suelo ajedrezado de mármol - Marble chess floor

We go into one of the hotel rooms and again find a chess floor. This time the stones used are Macael White and Ebano Black. The slightly aged finish with rounded edges complements the decoration of the room, in which curved shapes are used.

Chessed marble floor of the Hotel Ercilla Bilbao

The images below are two of the bathrooms of the Ercilla Bilbao Hotel. In one room the black marble predominates and in the other the white marble. However, the concept of chess floor carpeting works in both rooms.

Hotel Ercilla Bilbao - suelo ajedrezado de mármol - Chess marble floor
Hotel Ercilla Bilbao - suelo ajedrezado de mármol - Chess marble floor 2

The layout in the form of a board is again used by the designer to delimit spaces.

Black and white floor of the Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Marbella

Escaleras de mármol - Villa Padierna - Marble stairs

The exclusive Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Marbella also boasts marble chess floors. A Tuscan palace inspires the complex, and a paving board fits this style like a glove.

The materials used by TINO Natural Stone were Marquina Black and Perlino White in FORUM finish.

Chess marble floors in warm colors

Although this type of flooring usually alternates between black and white, it is possible to make other combinations with milder contrasts. Here are a few examples:

baño-villa-padierna-palace-hotel

We stay at the Villa Padierna Palace in Marbella. In one of its bathrooms, we see how the black is replaced by the toasted color of the Travertine Olivillo.

Suelo ajedrezado de mármol Travertino Classico y Blanco Perlino - Chess marble floor with Travertine Classic and Perlino White

The subtle tonal game takes place between Travertine Classic and Perlino White. One of the entrances to the house from the garden presents this composition of soft tones in DOMUS finish. The board this time is located in the central welcome area.

Suelo ajedrezado Beatriz Hotel - Rojo Alicante Red - Crema Parador - Chess marble floor

Finally, we show a part of the hall of the Beatriz Palace Hotel in Fuengirola. In this case, it has been chosen to combine the Crema Parador marble with the Alicante Red and again, to use the carpets to delimit spaces.

Interested in applying a chess marble floor to your project? Contact us.