Top three Victorian floor tile designs

Cornwall

The first tile design in our selection is "Cornwall". It remains one of the most versatile in our collection. Favoured for hallways, it is often seen in a classic black and white colourway, yet it lends itself readily to more nuanced palettes.

Cornwall is chosen for both period and contemporary settings, adapting comfortably to a wide range of styles. Through our design consultancy, we work with our clients to refine the pattern, proportion and colours so that it sits naturally within each project.

We particularly enjoy seeing the full colour palette explored in more expressive ways. This can lead to combinations that feel both vibrant and expressive.

In a hallway project for the artist Anna Klimentchenko, a more playful approach was taken. Pastel tones were introduced through the smaller 35 mm tiles, with subtle tonal shifts across the larger elements that define the pattern's structure.

The Cornwall design also translates well beyond flooring, as seen here as a bar-front feature within a restaurant setting.

Stevenson

Next in our selection is the "Stevenson" design, a more detailed and visually dense pattern. Its compact tessellation creates greater opportunity to explore colour and contrast, and to emphasise different shapes and groups of tiles within the layout.

This popular geometric tile pattern is favoured for its 'star and box' arrangement and strong diagonal flow. Its balanced geometry permits efficient sheet assembly, supporting a more streamlined installation, a service we have developed for Victorian floor tile installation.

Browse our Stevenson designs to be inspired by over thirty different variations. Each one shows how changes in colour, contrast, scale, and border treatment can enrich a setting, lighten the scheme, or define a theme.

For those wanting to explore colour in more detail, our tile colour collection and samples provide a useful starting point. Designs such as Stevenson can be approached much like a tartan, enabling numerous variations in shade and arrangement.

This geometric tile pattern was widely used during the Victorian period and continues to make for an impressive display. It works well when paired with a home’s original features, while also offering the flexibility to carry a more contemporary colour theme.

In the next example, the introduction of soft yellow tones adds warmth to an otherwise cool palette of greys, contributing depth and balance to the overall scheme.

Classic

It is perhaps no surprise that the "Classic" chequerboard ranks among our top three. This iconic geometric pattern is simple, bold and instantly recognisable. The classic black and white colour combination is a safe, formal option that suits nearly all settings.

Used widely during the Victorian era across hallways, pathways, and porches, the chequerboard is a familiar choice for a heritage look. It is a confident foundation of pattern, where variation can be introduced in border details, tile size, proportions, and colour choices.

With 32 colours in the Winckelmans palette, the Classic 50 chequerboard pattern can be adapted through combinations such as Australian Green and Pink to create a more contemporary feel.

In exterior settings, the chequerboard is especially effective when combined with traditional materials. Here, a small London front garden is transformed with a black and white Victorian tile pattern supplied as bespoke sheeted tiles. Paired with York stone steps and a daisy grate for cellar ventilation, the result is a faithful response to a practical and well-resolved heritage pathway and entrance.