Floors are an incredibly undervalued feature of any building – from houses to ornate cathedrals. When entering a room, people generally direct their gaze to the ground – it’s a natural reaction – and the floors will be the first thing they notice. A certain few have devoted their life to creating beautiful, intricate floor designs, many which go under appreciated by those who regard floors purely for their function, not for their grandeur.

Amongst the Great Works however, you will find a few designs which are unavoidable in their artistry; some that are truly mind-blowing. Here are 5 incredibly gorgeous famous floor designs – get inspired!

St Mark’s Basilica, Venice

The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice is a masterpiece in architecture and design. Incredibly ornate and painstaking in its intricacy, it draws in millions of tourists a year. While its entire interior is covered in a patchwork of mosaics, it’s the flooring which is the most astonishing.

Image Source Thomas Schmall

Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily

The Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily is the richest source of Roman mosaics in the world. Each room is a bombardment of color and image with different scene played out through collections of countless tiles. Some depict animals, some biblical references, some scenes of hunting or leisure. They are all beautiful.

Image source Wikipedia

Wazir Khan Mosque, Pakistan

Pakistan’s Wazir Khan Mosque is revered for its extensive array of tile designs. More vibrant than other Western examples, the mosque floor is completely covered by swirling shapes and patterns in a myriad of different colors.

Amiens Cathedral, Aimens, France

Aimens Cathedral is the tallest gothic cathedral in France. In contrast to some of the more elaborate designs featured in Roman cathedrals, Aimens hold beauty in its simplicity, with straight, geometric lines covering the floors – all in black and white. These echo the labyrinth pattern in the center of the nave which can be traced all the way to the middle.

Image Source J. Evan Kreider

Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome largest Catholic Marian church in the city. The walls depict a myriad of mosaics depicting scenes from the Old Testament but it’s the floors which are the most mesmerizing. Designed in the Cosmati style, the floors are made up of small geometric tile, laid out in smooth, circular patterns.

Image source Wikipedia

These are very old examples, lain across the floors of structures that were painstakingly crafted in every aspect. Modern commercial flooring is, of course, very different. The materials and techniques used in contemporary flooring don’t allow for the same degree of intricacy as these classic examples. However, you can see the clear influence that these groundbreaking works have had in modern interior design and architecture everywhere. If you’re looking to renovate, perhaps a good place to start thinking about your floors is by looking to the past. You may be pleasantly surprised what ideas you come up with.