37 Kitchen Floor Tile Ideas From Timeless to Trend-Forward

Choosing or changing the flooring in your kitchen is one of the most consequential design decisions that you can make. Colorful or patterned tiles can create an edgy modern look or function as a focal point. A traditional tile floor can create a timeless foundation for the rest of your kitchen that won’t go out of style and can fall back and let other elements like kitchen backsplash tiles to shine.

Decorative floor tile can give a small kitchen presence or add personality to a minimalist space. Depending on your kitchen layout, you might install decorative tile to create a sense of definition in a galley-style, U-shaped, or open-plan kitchen.

Take a look at these kitchens in a range of sizes and styles that utilize floor tiles in both classic and unexpected ways to add style, personality, and functionality to the busiest room in the house.

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Choose Classic Checkerboard

You can't go wrong with classic black-and-white marble checkerboard flooring. This English Victorian villa kitchen from deVOL Kitchens has marble floor tiles from Floors of Stone that have a tumbled edge that gives them the look of reclaimed stone and adds a timeless feel that will never go out of style.

Add Moroccan Style

In this crisp and modern Paris kitchen from Space Factory, black-and-white Moroccan-style floor tile in a star pattern stands up to the cabinetry and central island painted in bold International Klein Blue.

Try Traditional Terracotta

Terracotta is a tried-and-true kitchen floor tiling option for those who appreciate the traditional and timeless and gravitate toward earthy finishes and Tuscan-style design. This classic English kitchen from deVOL Kitchens uses Terracotta Tiles from Floors of Stone. The deep rust of the floor tiles is contrasted with shades of white on the walls and cabinetry for a classic high-contrast look.

Go Big With Graphics

This bold Boston Victorian home remodel from NYC-based Michelle Gerson Interiors tells a dramatic story in graphic strokes of black and white, from the zigzag floor tiling to the black painted wall-to-wall cabinetry outlined in bright white.

Embrace Flower Power

This all-white kitchen from Hamsa Home gets a shot of feel-good flower power energy with a patterned tile floor in vibrant shades of blue.

Tip

Kitchen floor tiles can echo the cabinet or wall color for a tonal look. But you can also add contrast in a neutral kitchen by introducing one or more colors with patterned tile.

Add Graphic Style

Architect Mona Ying Reeves at San Mateo, California-based Re:modern remodeled a San Bruno 1920’s Spanish bungalow, transforming the dated and dark interior into a modern space with coastal vibes. In the kitchen, Clé Tile flooring in a black-and-white pattern adds a graphic touch and a royal blue range and hood add a pop of color.

Lighten the Mood

Penny tiles can be used on their own or laid out in any pattern that you like. This daisy chain kitchen floor from Blakes London defines the kitchen in an open-plan space. The cheerful pattern is rendered in shades of white and green to echo the palette of the kitchen, adding a lighthearted note to the elegant design.

Cut the Corners

Striking floor tile helps to define this small L-shaped kitchen tucked into the corner of a small open plan living, dining, and kitchen area in a one-bedroom apartment in Paris designed by Neva Interior Design. The colorful, graphic patch of tile visually separates the area from the rest of the space and helps to cut the long linear shape of the room. A large abstract geometric pattern in shades of white, black, and blue is a perfect link between the room's white walls and navy cabinetry, and makes the design feel custom and memorable.

Have Fun With Pattern

The graphic black-and-white tile in this kitchen from Caroline Andréoni Interior Design has a loopy pattern that looks like fish scales, roof tiles, or whatever you see in the ink blot of a floor design. The tile adds a lively touch and some curves to the kitchen's strict lines and dark wood cabinetry, and doesn't compete with the glossy textured white backsplash tiles.

Try a Retro Color Pairing

This contemporary wet bar from Jean Liu Design has an updated take on a retro pink and black color palette that is contrasted with cool stainless steel appliances.

Create a Zigzag Border

In this striking English kitchen from Blakes London, red-and-white tile flooring in a large abstract geometric pattern defines the kitchen space. Open to the rest of the home, the tile is inlaid with the adjoining wood floor in a clean zigzag edge that contrasts with the freeform nature of the tile, and creates a virtual separation between rooms.

Lay Some Bricks

The thin brick tile floor in this kitchen renovation from We Are True Home is inspired by classic European flooring. The brick tiling and adds a note of color and texture thanks to the herringbone pattern and variation of white and terracotta tones.

Use Pastel Penny Tiles

To define the kitchen area in this small Paris studio from Neva Interior Design, a penny tile floor features both white and peachy colored tiles that are a nod to the copper of an actual penny, and complements the sage green cabinetry.

Add a Witty Touch

Laying the small-scale tiles in a random pattern that spills into the adjoining hardwood floors like a handful of dropped pennies adds a witty detail to this Paris studio kitchen floor tiling from Neva Interior Design.

Make It Timeless

This ground floor English kitchen from deVOL Kitchens is open to the outside, with a classic diamond-shaped kitchen floor that fits the classic and timeless design and allows the color accents in shades of green to shine.

Add Subtle Texture

A subtle terrazzo floor in neutral colors adds a hint of texture and a tonal shift from the rest of the space in this eat-in kitchen Parisian kitchen from Caroline Andréoni Interior Design. Terrazzo is a versatile material that comes in a number of colors and patterns, so you can go as bold and colorful or subtle and timeless as you'd like.

Define the Pantry

Many people choose to run hardwood floors throughout the kitchen to provide a seamless look with the rest of an open-plan home. In this Orange County, CA remodel from Mindy Gayer Design Co., patterned floor tile creates definition and a decorative element in a pantry just off the kitchen.

Add Definition

This mini loft from Paris-based Space Factory has a small open kitchen on a slightly raised platform that accommodates pipes and wires. A soft patterned tile floor with an airy diamond-shaped pattern helps define the space, adding contrast to the white subway tile backsplash, glossy white cabinetry, and OSB kitchen island.

Use Peel and Stick

Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona used luxury vinyl peel-and-stick tiling in an oyster travertine pattern in this guest house kitchen. The tiles are an easy and cost-effective DIY install that creates the look of limestone on a budget that is softer and warmer underfoot.

The Best Peel and Stick Tiles for Easy Renovations

Play With Penny Tiles

Using a classic material like penny tile in a modern way creates a timeless interior with a sense of fun. In this Paris kitchen from Space Factory, a penny tile mosaic in a groovy hexagonal pattern adds a graphic punch to the handsome kitchen, with its matte black cabinetry, leather cabinet pulls, pale wood countertops and backsplash, and sliding atelier window door.

Update a Classic

In this black-and-white kitchen from Brady Tolbert for Emily Henderson Design, framed black-and-white art lines the walls, a large retro-style refrigerator stands proud, and modern black-and-white floor tiles add a graphic touch and a fresh take on an age-old classic.

Create an Industrial Feel

Polished concrete flooring is a hallmark of industrial style interiors everywhere. But you can replicate the look of poured concrete by using large format concrete-effect tiles with matching gray grout to create an industrial look that's easy to install, like this downtown Pittsburgh industrial loft conversion from Leanne Ford Interiors.

Add Texture

In this traditional Pittsburgh home from Leanne Ford Interiors, dark slate floor tiles add texture to the floor and contrast with the glossy marble countertops and backsplash.

Mix Industrial With Rustic

In this lodge-style home from Leanne Ford Interiors, budget- and family-friendly slate tiles were used on the spacious kitchen floor. The flooring complements the textured concrete skim coat on the walls and the natural wood decor accents, and helps define the area from the adjacent living room while maintaining a sense of openness achieved by knocking down the dividing wall.

Break Up Linear Spaces

Laying large black porcelain floor tiles in a herringbone pattern breaks up the linear lines of this small pass through kitchen from Rashida Banks for Emily Henderson Design.

Count Your Pennies

In this traditional Victorian kitchen remodel from Leanne Ford Interiors, classic white penny tile works like a charm, while a black penny tile border defines the space around a large central island. The black-and-white theme is continued throughout the airy space, with white subway tiles lined with the same black grout as the penny tile to add an industrial feel.

Create an Optical Illusion

Trippy diamond-patterned floor tile in a black-and-white pattern creates a graphic touch in this Paris kitchen from Caroline Andréoni Interior Design, creating a sense of movement. The tile helps define the kitchen area, which is designed in a galley style with a glass and metal atelier window that creates a separation from the rest of the space while letting light flow through.

Stagger Simple Tiles

In this modern minimalist California kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors, simple, neutral rectangular floor tiles in shades of gray are laid in a staggered pattern that adds some subtle texture to the floor.

Lay a Tile Rug

In this rustic canyon home from Leanne Ford Interiors, a rug-shaped patch of tile is seamlessly inlaid into the wood floors to define the cooking area from the rest of the space.

Use Large Squares

Large square tiles help create the illusion of an uninterrupted surface on the floor of this simple kitchen from If Walls Could Talk.

Choose Classic Marble

In this traditional home remodel from Leanne Ford Interiors, gray-and-white marble floors (and a matching backsplash) are a natural and classic choice that looks like it's always been there while adding a sense of quiet luxury to the design. This type of flooring functions more as a backdrop than the main event, making it a neutral foil for a vintage or patterned runner.

Choose Simple Hexagon Tile

In this simple all-white kitchen from Calimia Home, a medium-toned gray floor has a subtle pattern of hexagonal tiles that give it a hint of texture that doesn't call too much attention to itself and is classic and neutral enough to guarantee its longevity.

Play Up Contrasts

In this London kitchen from Emilie Fournet Interiors, white and pale gray floor tile in an airy star pattern is a quiet counterpoint to vibrant emerald green backsplash tiles.

Use Faux Wood Tiles

This kitchen from Gray Space Interior Design uses pale toned trompe l'oeil tiling to create the impression that the floor is covered in hardwood.

Use Contrasting Grout

Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona installed glazed porcelain wood-effect tiles in her kitchen that are an easy-to-maintain take on traditional wood flooring. Rather than going for a trompe l'oeil wood effect, she used white grout that highlights the shape of the tiles.

Lay a Tile Rug

In this striking modern French kitchen from Space Factory, inlaid terrazzo tile in a bold pattern with shades of red and pink defines the island and creates the illusion of a built-in rug.

Use Shades of Blue

Patterned floor tile in soft shades of blue keeps this kitchen from Charlie Coull Design feeling fresh and fairly neutral while adding style.

What style of tile is best for a kitchen floor?

The best style of tile for your kitchen floor depends on the style of your kitchen. Choose colorful or bold patterned tile to create a statement, or a traditional kitchen floor tile like a penny tile mosaic or a checkerboard pattern for a timeless look.

What is the best color to pick for kitchen floor tiles?

The best color for kitchen floor tile is one that you like and can live with over time. You can’t go wrong with neutral colors like black or white. Choose terracotta tiles for a rustic look, or bold, colorful patterned tiles to complement a colorful kitchen in shades of blue, red, yellow, green, or any other color that strikes your fancy.

What is the most timeless material for kitchen flooring?

The most timeless material for kitchen flooring is marble, in a solid or black-and-white checkerboard pattern. Hardwood flooring is another timeless option that will never go out of style. Other timeless options include penny tile mosaic flooring and patterned tile. Choose quality flooring in a durable material that will stand up well over time if properly maintained.

Read the original article on The Spruce.