He was staring down at the checkerboard pattern on the linoleum floor, as if it were a code he was trying to crack.

NEWYORKER: Temporary

To hide LED lighting and an array of speakers in Mr. Bay's theater, Mr. Cooper is using a recurring pattern of large curved wooden forms that extend from floor to ceiling.

WSJ: Private Screening Rooms: The Best Seat in the House

But the chairs were still trimmed with chipping red paint, and the floor tile seemed, as ever, to fall just short of exhibiting a regular pattern.

NEWYORKER: The Region of Unlikeness

He found his answer by looking up, deciding to extend the ceiling's subtle, white-on-white pattern down two walls to the soffit level on one side and nearly down to the floor on the other.

WSJ: The Height of Charm | Anatomy Lesson