Herringbone Pattern: 7 Ways to Use Herringbone in Your Décor

Herringbone is a geometric zigzag pattern resembling the bones of the herring fish. The pattern features repeating right-angled rectangles set at forty-five-degree angles to each other. Every rectangle meets another rectangle at a perpendicular, ninety-degree angle, and each pair is slightly offset from the pairs immediately above and below, which form “L” shapes. This gives the pattern an illusion of overlapping. Typical uses of the herringbone design include textiles, floor tiling, and other interior design projects.

You might confuse the herringbone pattern with the chevron pattern due to their nearly identical appearance; however, there is a major difference. Herringbone uses perfect rectangles, meaning all four corners of the shape are right angles (ninety degrees). In contrast, chevron uses parallelograms—that is, two corners use angles less than ninety degrees, and two corners use angles greater than ninety degrees. As a result, chevron’s shapes form a point and a straight line as the pattern stacks; meanwhile, herringbone’s center point zigzags as the pattern stacks.

Herringbone’s geometric zigzag pattern has many potential applications in home décor. Here are seven ways you might work herringbone into your next DIY home improvement project:

1. 1. Cover a dining table. Use a herringbone wood pattern to accentuate mid-century modern bedroom furniture, or use reclaimed barn wood to build a stylish, country-chic dining table featuring the pattern.
2. 2. Create an accent wall. Create a dramatic contrast between paint colors in your living room by using painter’s tape or wall stencils to apply a herringbone pattern to one wall.
3. 3. Elect for wood floors. A herringbone wood floor capitalizes on the materials’ natural aesthetic by using interlocking planks to create a visually interesting pattern. Additionally, wood flooring can provide your home’s interior with rustic charm and long-lasting functionality.
4. 4. Install mosaic tile. Use bold colors or a single color to create a herringbone mosaic tile design on your bathroom floor or a unique tile backsplash behind the bathroom sink. Shower floor tile and shower wall tile layout can take considerable time and attention to detail, so plan your work accordingly or consult a professional. At the very least, use spacers to achieve a consistent tile installation from your first tile to your last.
5. 5. Lay down floor tile. Although people have been using herringbone tile patterns since at least Ancient Roman times, contemporary homeowners and designers have found creative ways to implement the design in modern homes. For example, you could remodel your entryway with a herringbone floor tile that seamlessly blends with your patterned floor. Alternatively, you might use a herringbone pattern to demarcate where your walk-in shower tile begins and other bathroom tile ends.
   
6. 6. Make over a headboard. Designing a herringbone-patterned headboard can be a cost-effective and easy way to make over your old bed frame. Stick to just one color of wood or paint, or consider using different wood tones or stains to create interesting clashes of color in your design.
7. 7. Update a kitchen backsplash. A herringbone backsplash tile can add visual complexity and texture to your kitchen space. This intricate design makes for an interesting border around bright subway tile and complements neutral-colored grout or countertops with limited color variation. Refrain from installing herringbone patterns near multicolored butcher-block patterns or heavily veined marble countertops since the combination can appear busy or overwhelming.
   

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