The checkerboard floor pattern can be created with bolder colors for a modern update. Getty Images. Choosing the color and size of squares “Black and white is definitely the most widely-used ...

Whether stamped on the vinyl floor of a 1950s diner, tessellating down a Victorian hallway, or stencilled atop a Mini Cooper, the simple checkerboard pattern has always made an impact.

The tentmaker Guido Toschi brings color and pattern to a 12th-century citadel once occupied by his five great-aunts. On the second-floor landing of Guido Toschi and Massimo Rausa’s home outside ...