Checkerboard tile patterns a historic house remodel in Spain by Viruta Lab

If you think checkerboard tile is just for retro diners and chess-obsessed uncles,
Casa Cabanyal in Valencia, Spain, is here to change your mind. In this historic house
remodel, design studio Viruta Lab wrapped a 1940s fisherman’s home in blue-and-white
checks, turning a modest family legacy into a modern Mediterranean showpiece. The result
is part seaside postcard, part optical illusion, and 100% proof that checkerboard tile
patterns are having a very stylish moment.

This project has been making the rounds on design sites for good reason: it shows how
a strong tile pattern can unify a whole house, highlight original architecture, and
still feel cozy and livable. In this deep dive, we’ll walk through what Viruta Lab
actually did, why checkerboard tile works so well in historic homes, and how you can
borrow these ideas for your own remodelwhether you live in a Spanish fishing village
or a small city apartment.

Meet Casa Cabanyal and Viruta Lab

Casa Cabanyal sits in El Cabanyal, Valencia’s historic maritime neighborhood, known
for narrow streets, colorful facades, and a long relationship with the sea. The house
itself is compactaround 80–85 square metersbuilt in 1946 as a simple two-story
residence for a fisherman and his family. Like many modest urban homes, it had been
closed up for years, suffering from damp, outdated finishes, and a general feeling of
forgotten potential.

Enter Viruta Lab, a Valencia-based architecture and interior design studio led by
María Daroz and David Puerta. Their mission was two-fold:

• Honor the family story. The house belonged to the grandparents of
  the current owner, and even details like the grandfather hanging his fishing net on
  the facade are part of the emotional fabric of the place.
• Give the house a clear, contemporary identity. Rather than hiding
  the building’s age, they wanted to elevate its historic character and connect it
  visually to the nearby sea.

Their solution: keep the soul, clean up the structure, and lay down a bold visual
throughlinethose unforgettable checkerboard tilesso every room feels like part of a
coherent story.

Why Checkerboard Tile Patterns Work So Well Here

A classic pattern with Mediterranean roots

Checkerboard tile is not a new idea. It has shown up in European palaces, Victorian
entry halls, and midcentury kitchens. In Spain and across the Mediterranean, colorful
tiles have long been used to cool interiors, protect surfaces, and decorate facades.
Blue and white in particular are associated with sea, sky, and salty air.

In Casa Cabanyal, the blue-and-white checkerboard isn’t just trendy; it’s a smart nod
to local tile traditions. By using a crisp, graphic pattern in a simple color palette,
Viruta Lab bridges old and new: the pattern feels familiar, but the way it’s usedon
floors, climbing up walls, threading through roomsfeels fresh and contemporary.

Order, rhythm, and just enough drama

Checkerboard tile patterns create instant rhythm. The alternating squares naturally
guide your eye and your feet, making narrow passages and small rooms feel more
intentional. In a compact historic house that might otherwise read as a jumble of
spaces, the grid-like pattern:

• Unifies the plan: The same tile appears in the entry, kitchen, and circulation areas, linking spaces without knocking down every wall.
• Adds a sense of flow: The checks lead you from the front door to the inner rooms like a playful path.
• Balances old textures: The graphic tile contrasts beautifully with worn brick, restored moldings, and original structural elements.

The color choice is key. A marine-inspired blue paired with white is punchy enough to
be memorable but soft enough for everyday living. Instead of harsh black-and-white,
the slightly softer tones keep the house from feeling like a chessboard exploded.

Inside the Historic House Remodel in Spain by Viruta Lab

The entry: first impression, full pattern

Open the front door, and the checkerboard tile greets you immediately. In the entry,
the blue-and-white pattern lays down a strong base that says, “Yes, this house is
small, but it has serious personality.” The floor is durable enough for sandy shoes
and salty air, which is essential in a coastal district.

Here, Viruta Lab kept the walls largely white and allowed the existing brick and
structural details to speak. That contrastminimalist walls, strong flooringprevents
the checkered pattern from becoming overwhelming. It also makes the entry feel bright,
even though many historic urban houses have modest natural light at the front.

The kitchen: checkerboard as a hardworking backdrop

In the kitchen, the tile continues underfoot and, in some areas, up the wall. Rather
than introducing a dozen finishes, the designers rely on:

• Checkerboard tile for visual structure
• Painted wood cabinetry in simple silhouettes
• Built-in storage that fits the small footprint
• A limited palette of blues, whites, and natural materials (like esparto or wood)

The result is a space that feels calm but characterful. Everything from breakfast
crumbs to olive oil splashes sits on top of a pattern that hides minor mess while
still reading clean. For people who cook every day, this is the sweet spot: a floor
that looks design-forward without demanding constant perfection.

The living areas: pattern meets patina

As you move deeper into the house, the checkerboard continues but shares the stage
with exposed brickwork, vintage door frames, and restored trim. Instead of covering
everything in glossy new finishes, Viruta Lab let the structure breathe. The tiles
look almost like a new rug rolled into a room that’s been loved for decades.

This mix of pattern and patina is what keeps Casa Cabanyal from feeling like a theme
park. The checks give it energy; the old walls give it depth. For homeowners planning
their own remodel, this is a useful lesson: you don’t have to choose between
preserving history and making a bold design statementyou can do both, as long as
your material choices are intentional.

Baths and stairways: small spaces, big moves

In smaller spaces, like bathrooms and transitional corners, checkerboard tile shines.
Viruta Lab uses it to:

• Wrap the floor and partial walls, making tight rooms feel cohesive rather than busy.
• Visually widen narrow passages by running the pattern straight through.
• Highlight vertical movement, like stairs, with a graphic base that leads you upward.

These areas prove that you don’t need a large footprint to justify a strong pattern.
In fact, small spaces can handle bold tile surprisingly well, especially when the
color palette stays restrained.

What This Spanish Remodel Can Teach Your Own Home

1. Use one strong tile to tie everything together

One of the smartest moves Viruta Lab made was choosing a single checkerboard tile and
repeating it across key zones. Instead of different floors in every room, the house
feels like one continuous experience. You can use the same strategy in your own home:

• Repeat a checkerboard tile from entry to kitchen for smooth transitions.
• Use the same pattern on different levels for continuity in multi-story homes.
• Combine a consistent floor with more flexible wall colors and furniture styles.

This approach is especially useful if your home is small. A unified floor reads as one
big “canvas,” making rooms feel larger and more connected.

2. Play with scale and orientation

Checkerboard tile doesn’t have to mean giant squares. You can adjust:

• Tile size: Larger squares feel more modern and calm; smaller squares feel more traditional and detailed.
• Orientation: Straight grid for a clean look, or rotated 45 degrees for a more dynamic diagonal effect.
• Contrast level: High-contrast colors for drama; softer tones for a quieter, more lived-in feel.

Casa Cabanyal leans into a straight, readable grid with a medium-sized tile that fits
the proportions of the roomsbig enough to be graphic, small enough to feel appropriate
for a compact house.

3. Pair pattern with texture, not more pattern

Notice what you don’t see in this remodel: competing patterns. Instead of
mixing checkerboard tile with wild wallpaper, busy countertops, and intricate fabrics,
the designers let the checks carry most of the visual weight. Everything else stays
relatively simple:

• White or soft-toned walls
• Natural wood details
• Simple, built-in furniture
• Accent textiles in solid or subtly textured fabrics

If you’re dreaming of checkerboard tile in your own home, take this as permission to
keep your other finishes calm. Balance is what makes the pattern feel high-end rather
than chaotic.

4. Let color tell the story

Blue and white was an intentional choice here: it echoes the nearby sea and the
district’s maritime identity. When you choose colors for a checkerboard floor or wall,
think about what story you want to tell:

• Black and white: Classic, dramatic, a bit formal.
• Earthy terracotta and cream: Warm, rustic, perfect for Mediterranean or farmhouse vibes.
• Soft green and white: Fresh, botanical, ideal for kitchens or sunrooms.
• Blue and white: Coastal, crisp, and timelessjust like Casa Cabanyal.

In a historic house, tying your tile colors to local landscape or history helps
pattern feel rooted instead of random.

Practical Considerations: Living with Checkerboard Tile

Beautiful design is great, but you also have to live on these floors. Fortunately,
checkerboard tileespecially in porcelain or ceramicholds up well in real life:

• Durability: Ideal for high-traffic zones like entries, kitchens, and stairs.
• Maintenance: Medium-toned patterns hide dust and minor stains better than solid light or dark surfaces.
• Comfort: In warm climates, tile keeps interiors cooler. In colder regions, pairing tile with radiant floor heating is a game changer.

Grout color matters too. Viruta Lab uses joints that are visible but not overly stark,
helping the pattern read crisp without turning the floor into a grid of lines. For your
own project, consider a grout that’s slightly darker than your light tile and lighter
than your dark tilethis keeps the focus on the checks themselves.

500 Extra Words of Real-World Experience and Takeaways

So what is it actually like to live with checkerboard tile patterns like the ones in
this historic house remodel in Spain by Viruta Lab? While every household is different,
projects similar to Casa Cabanyal reveal some consistent themes that are helpful if
you’re considering a similar move.

First, people tend to underestimate how much a patterned floor changes their daily
mood. When you walk into a space with a strong yet ordered pattern, your brain gets a
little “visual caffeine.” The repetition and contrast catch your eye, but because the
pattern is regular, it doesn’t feel chaotic. Homeowners often report that the floor
becomes part of their morning routinestepping onto the tiles with a cup of coffee in
hand feels like a small ritual that anchors the day.

Second, checkerboard tile patterns are surprisingly forgiving of real life. In a home
near the sea or a lake, sand, salt, and damp footprints are facts of life. A solid pale
floor would show every speck; a solid dark floor would highlight every grain of salt. A
mid-contrast checkerboard does something clever: it visually averages out small bits of
mess. You still have to clean (sorry, no tile can fix that), but you won’t feel like
every crumb is screaming for attention.

Third, checkerboard tiles can actually help households stay organized. That sounds
dramatic, but think about circulation and zoning. In a small home, you might not have
the luxury of separate mudrooms, pantries, and hallways. Using a continuous checkerboard
pattern from door to kitchen creates a clear “working” path. People intuitively follow
that path, and items that belong in those circulation areasshoes, bags, grocery totestend
to gather there instead of drifting into the softer zones like living and sleeping spaces.

Aesthetically, the pattern also encourages careful editing. When the floor already makes
a statement, homeowners are more selective about furnishings. That can be a blessing.
Instead of filling rooms with lots of small, fussy decorative pieces, many people keep
their best-loved items and let the architecture and tile do the talking. In a historic
house, that approach respects the age of the building and prevents visual overload.

Of course, checkerboard tile is not a magic solution. There are a few trade-offs. Patterned
floors tend to set the tone for the whole interior, which means you have to be comfortable
committing. If you like to repaint every year in completely different colors, a fixed pattern
might require a bit more planning. Also, in very tiny spaces, extremely high-contrast black-and-white
checks can feel intense; that’s why the softer blue-and-white palette in Casa Cabanyal is such a
smart move. It shows that you can get the energy of checkerboard without feeling like you live in a
graphic design poster.

One way to “test-drive” the concept before committing to a full remodel is to start with a smaller
area: a powder room, an entry vestibule, or a kitchen nook. Live with the pattern for a year. Notice
how it affects light, mood, and how you use the space. If you fall in love with itand many people doyou
can expand the checkerboard treatment in future phases.

The biggest lesson from Casa Cabanyal is that checkerboard tile patterns are less about chasing a passing
trend and more about telling a clear story. In that historic house remodel in Spain by Viruta Lab, the story
is about the sea, family memory, and a humble building given new respect. In your home, the story might be
differentmaybe it’s about bringing a bit of European charm into a suburban kitchen, or adding personality
to a compact city apartment. Either way, when your floors and walls carry a thoughtful pattern, the house
starts to feel more like a character in your life, not just a container for your stuff.

If you approach checkerboard tile the way Viruta Lab didwith restraint in color, respect for original
architecture, and a clear design narrativeyou’re not just following a style trend. You’re creating a
backdrop you can live with for decades, one that makes everyday routines feel just a little more cinematic.