Well, here’s a lead photo that breaks all the rules. But we made it to illustrate the benefits of working with an architect when you are planning a big renovation or key changes to your home. We recently looked at the final results of Diana’s kitchen project. Today, a spotlight on just the floor tile pattern options that her architect qkArchitecture put together for her. With these 10 linoleum floor tile designs in hand, Diana then worked with her contractor Pittsburgh Remodeling Company to tweak the original concepts and make the final selection. We love it!
Hi Pam:
Yes, I really grappled with the color and pattern of the kitchen floor! I had help from Quintin, the architect, preparing those electronic mockups. I think I settled on the colors first. And, it wasn’t easy to pick the colors; I also had a respectable interior designer recommend the black/white/gray color scheme and that was very tempting to me too. The interior designer felt that the black/white/gray floor would have provided a very neutral palette yet also have a retro feel. Ultimately, I felt the black/white/gray was a bit too 1940s for the overall style of the house (which was 1960s).
After I picked the colors, I still wasn’t keen on the mockups with respect to the pattern (those are the ones you see in your graphic). So, I asked the contractor (Pittsburgh Remodeling Company) to help me come up with a pattern and one of their internal designers came out to our kitchen, and made a hand drawn/colored mockup with three different patterns. Both my husband and I liked the plaid pattern. I think it was the combination of the large and small tiles on the diagonal that appealed to us most and it evoked something from the 1960s (but was also going to be unique).
We knew that whatever we went with; it had to mesh well with the hall and family room because after the walls were opened up those rooms would open up into each other (as opposed to before, when the kitchen was very well cut off from the adjacent space).
Stout Flooring installed the Marmoleum. As an aside, it isn’t easy finding a Marmoleum installer. There aren’t many of them around. The other big flooring company near us did not install Marmoleum.
Warm regards,
Diana
Individual designs of possible floor tile patterns from qkArchitecture, along with the Marmoleum colors:
Viewing tip: Click any image and it should double in size on your screen. Click anywhere outside the photo or hit Escape to return to the story.
Again: The benefits of working with an architect — especially if you are highly visual, are intent on having everything come out just so, and spending a lot of dough re mi.
Thanks again, Diana, qkArchitecture, Pittsburgh Remodeling Company and Stout Flooring for the great work — and to Diana and qkArchitecture for sharing this project with us!
Rebecca Schwem says
Pam, I am a plaid freak and want to copy your floor. Your floor with the green tones is the one. The standard plaid. I see a soft green, a white but not sure of the other color. Is it a gray? Gray with a hint of green? Maybe a moss? Maybe even a pale gray? Thanks so much.
Pam Kueber says
Rebecca, I think you mean Diane’s floor. You can see the color in each palette on a laptop or desktop computer by (1) wait for page to load fully then (2) click on the pattern mockup and the image will enlarge so that you can read the colors — the colors are identified. Hit ESC to get back to the story.
Lonnie says
I have a photo of the vintage vinyl flooring that is about to be replaced in my kitchen and I don’t know who manufactured it. Although its no longer being manufactured, could I email the photo to you and get your help in finding something similar?
pam kueber says
Lonnie, we actively research flooring alternatives. See all our stories in Kitchen Help / Flooring here https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/flooring/