A Creative Cotswold Kitchen Extension

The addition of an extension to this pretty 1930's Cotswold home has filled it with light and made it possible to open up the previously separate kitchen into an airy open plan living space. Our Esmerelda Brushed & Burned Oak flooring was used throughout.

The goal for this project was to find a flooring solution that would would work across the whole area to keep the open plan feel. It needed to suit the original architecture of the building but not be too traditional, be durable enough to use in a busy family kitchen but warm enough to create an inviting feel in the living space and cope with underfloor heating in the extension.

Broadleaf's Esmerelda Oak flooring met all of these criteria. The subtle darkening at the edge of the boards and mellow butterscotch tones gives them an authentic feel that is instantly at home in the older part of the house and was able to add just the right note of character and warmth to the airy new extension. Esmerelda's high performance hardwax oil finish, UV cured for extra durability, is well placed to stand up to the wear and tear of a kitchen floor but also has a natural look and feel that is perfect for the living room. It can also be locally repaired if needs be without the need for disruptive sanding.

Like most of our oak floors, Esmerelda is available in a choice of formats, so dealing with the underfloor heating wasn't an issue either - traditional solid oak boards were laid in the living rooms and extension, and our Strata engineered boards were used in the kitchen  over the underfloor heating. There is no visual difference between the two and as Strata boards are made from 3 layers of oak there is no difference in feel or resonance between the two areas either. Using a single width of board kept the feel a bit more modern and streamlined.

"We are thrilled with the flooring" says its photographer owner Nick Yarsley "it ties the new and original parts of the house together beautifully and creates just the balance we were looking for between old and new. 

Images courtesy of Nick Yarsley (@nickyarlsey)