Update from Black and White: Patterned Cork Kitchen FloorCountry Living

Update from Black and White: Patterned Cork Kitchen Floor
Country Living

We love the classic look of black and white, diamond-patterned kitchen floors. They're very 1950s diner but can look clean and modern, too. Well, this is an eco-friendly riff on that idea, with sustainable cork laid out in contrasting shades.

This space is part of a before-and-after story over at Country Living, a really beautiful renovation of a dated kitchen that the owners did themselves.

• See the slideshow: Do-it-Yourself Dream Kitchen

We've been in a kitchen with cork floors before, and walking on them is definitely different than walking on hard stone, wood, or linoleum. The cork has some give and cushion, almost like rubber (read more about rubber floors in the kitchen here). We imagine it to be much easier on the legs if you're standing up cooking for hours at a time.

The earthy brown color is also a nice contrast to all of the icy blue and white details in this kitchen. The cork tiles, which the homeowners laid themselves, are from Expanko.

Does anyone have cork flooring in the kitchen? Is it more comfortable?

(Images: Keith Scott Morton for Country Living)

Comments (4)

my grandparents installed cork in their kitchen and love it. its easy to clean, muffles the sound of the washing machine and is a little bit easier on their legs. i think its absolutely beautiful.

posted by missmae on August 17th 2009 at 1:32pm
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I have cork in my kitchen. It is really nice to walk and stand on and easy to keep clean. In any space where there's a possibility of major water spills you have to have it professionally sealed or it will warp and stain. (I didn't, and it definitely needs to be replaced at some point.)

Also, it can be scratched fairly easily, so don't drag heavy furniture across it, and large dogs can be a problem. (As can my cats, who decided that random corners were awesome scratching posts.)

And in the hallways at work someone (cough cough - me) wearing pointy heels put a marvelous pattern of punctures in the cork tiles. (Not on purpose, and it never happened on my home cork floors.)

posted by morfydd on August 18th 2009 at 3:56am
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Is it hard to clean? Do you vacuum it?

posted by libbyhunt on August 18th 2009 at 10:57am
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Thanks for posting this! I really like the counter against the window with the stools under it, it's the perfect solution for my galley kitchen and I never would have thought of it!

posted by achefsdaughter on August 18th 2009 at 3:04pm
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