Chevron vs Herringbone Flooring: Design Pattern Guide

Chevron Flooring is a classic design where the wood blocks meet point to point, creating a continuous zigzag. The herringbone flooring design hints at a V-shaped pattern in a “broken” zigzag with oblique parallel lines. In this herringbone vs chevron discussion, we will touch on style, the history of these patterns, installation, and a few 2021 interior design ideas using both these models. 

What are the Herringbone and Chevron patterns? Well, there is no historical battle here. It’s simply a matter of taste and choice. Both these patterns go a long way back.  

What is the chevron pattern?

The Chevron pattern has its beginnings in Greek pottery, Medieval heraldry and textiles. It was a sign of rank, used on the military uniforms of the Commonwealth nations. Chevron can be recognized by its signature “V” shape.

Just like the herringbone, it is a pretty timeless symbol, probably one of the oldest in human history. In heraldry, a chevron is a geometrical shape that appears on many coats of arms. Some insignias and heraldries boast a modified chevron with a rounded base and irregular zig-zag patterns. This is called “eclate”. 

In fashion, we have coats, shirts, or trousers with chevron patterns; carpets and rugs boast this majestic, modified V shape. It is so instilled into our visual and artistic culture that we always recognize it.

What is the herringbone pattern?

The Herringbone design pattern resembles the skeleton of a herring fish, and that’s how it’s got its name. It dates back to the Ancient Roman Empire when road builders would lay bricks in a V-shape to create their intricate Roman Road Network. You can walk some of these roads even today. 

However, some Herringbone-inspired designs were also found in Egyptian jewellery dating between 750 and 600 BC. However, it was in the 16^th century that the French started using herringbone for “parquetry”. In a short time, they became very popular, and you can still walk in old mansions and apartments where the one-hundred-year-old parquet has a herringbone or chevron pattern design. 

The pattern has also spread to clothes and other types of fabric.

Chevron and Herringbone flooring in modern design

These days, the chevron and herringbone patterns are used in almost all walks of life, from the fashion industry to interior design. 

In our homes, we will mostly use it for flooring, staircases, or carpets.  Those great old floors made of hardwood herringbone are classic, timeless, and feel like home. But engineered wood floors do not disappoint either.

Light wood tones are usually the classic choice when going for herringbone and chevron flooring. These patterns are not just for your wood floors, though. 

You can go full herringbone or chevron in your bathroom as well. Get tiles installed in the chevron or herringbone pattern and make a bold statement by experimenting with different shades, colours or materials. 

You can use the chevron pattern even for your vast soaking tub in white marble. 

In the kitchen, if you are bold enough to use wood floors, go for chevron. There is a certain kind of warmth and tenderness in every kitchen with chevron wood floors. You will never understand it until you experiment with that. 

Herringbone and Chevron are also perfect for modern, industrial design, as they look marvellous in concrete-like floor tiles. 

In a sitting room, subtle furnishings, neutral colours and whitewashed walls are commonplace. 

Herringbone is also a good idea for outdoor brick courts. Remember the Roman road networks we were talking about earlier? Yeah, just like that. 

If you want to get a pattern on your floor, but you don’t want a permanent solution, you can choose a chevron-patterned area rug and add some cushions, blankets, or curtains with this design. These glamour flooring patterns are something more than only a trend; they are a true fashion statement!

Browse our collection of Engineered Chevron flooring

Herringbone vs Chevron – which one?

Well, it is not an easy choice if you don’t know much about any of them. First of all, it’s the installation process. 

To get a herringbone floor design, you must first decide what direction you want the pattern to run. Find the centre of the room, and begin from there. Lay all the wood planks at a 45-degree angle.  If you have decided to get zig zag wooden flooring in your home, you can get materials such as hardwood, laminate, tile, or luxury vinyl planks. 

The chevron flooring pattern can be laid parallel to the walls or diagonally. The chevron pattern angle is 40-60 degrees so that it creates diagonal zig zags along one axis. Usually, the chevron flooring planks have a tongue and a groove that meet with a click. However, this is just one standard method of installing wooden floors. 

As far as chevron flooring is concerned, homeowners have basically two options to choose from. The first one consists of installing solid wood flooring in the chevron design pattern.

The second option is to go for the chevron design in engineered wood flooring. Engineered wood flooring is a universal flooring solution. It can be applied in all rooms and is no different from solid wood. Still, it’s made by binding or fixing the strands, particles, fibres, veneers or boards of wood together with adhesives or other fixation methods to form composite materials.

There is no herringbone vs chevron battle. Both these design patterns are ageless, classic, and will not go out of fashion anytime soon. Although they might suffer the occasional popularity decline, you cannot go wrong with herringbone and chevron patterns. 

When it comes to choosing, it is mostly a matter of taste. For example, if you like clean-cut angles, then the chevron pattern is for you. If you prefer to walk on full floor boards, then maybe you should consider herringbone. 

What is more, Chevron can give the impression of a larger room. The zig-zag Vs create a beautiful optical illusion that makes you feel perfect in even the tiniest of spaces. Maybe that’s one way to differentiate them – for small rooms, chevron is a little better. 

Nevertheless, both these design patterns have a rich history and are engrained in our cultural backgrounds that we just cannot forget them.If you have further questions regarding these ageless designs or are looking for a piece of advice about herringbone vs chevron, feel free to contact the ESB sales team. Contact us now to request your hassle, no-obligation free samples or come down to our North London showroom for a closer look. Explore our collection of both Engineered Wood Flooring and Solid Wood Flooring available in both of these patterns.