Our Blog
A compilation of features and advice to provide greater insight into our unique products and inspiration for your projects

 

Parquet flooring was first seen in Britain in C17th and marked the beginning of a lasting trend for wood flooring to be at the centre of stylish interior design. Unlike plank flooring, parquet flooring is made from many small pieces of timber laid in attractive geometric patterns. If you'd like to know more about this beautiful and increasingly popular type of wood flooring, read on...

Parquet flooring offers huge scope for creativity. Although it is most commonly made using rectangular blocks, parquet floors can also be made using chevrons, squares, and other shapes. More subtle designs play on the way that the elements laid in different directions show off the timber and catch the light. More complex designs also use borders, tramlines and a mixture of colours to create eye catching features. 

The most common design for parquet flooring is undoubtedly Herringbone, where rectangular blocks are laid at 45 degrees to one another. Timelessly classic, herringbone parquet floors are very versatile and fit well into many styles of interior but as you can see from the image above can also be used to create quite striking designs. Other classic patterns include Basketweave which creates a more retro style parquet floor and Brickwork which creates a simpler, more contemporary feel.

All parquet floors can be fitted with our without a border. Borders are created either with planks or with the parquet blocks themselves and can be as subtle or eye catching as you want. Borders always create an attractive design feature but it is worth considering whether they will be visible when the furniture is back in a room and also that they will almost certainly make installation more complex and more expensive.

Traditional parquet flooring is sanded and sealed after fitting to create the ‘icerink’ smooth look that is the hallmark of their formal style. Although this is can be a bit disruptive there is no other way to create this undeniably elegant finish. In rooms such as hallways and receptions without furniture around the edges tramlines and borders in contrasting timber are a great way to create sophisticated design details. 

More modern parquet flooring such as our Nuances Collection uses pre-finished parquet blocks that are easier and cheaper to fit and offer a wider choice of colours and textures. These typically have a small micro bevel to accommodate imperfections in the subfloor in the absence of sanding so the individual blocks are more clearly defined but the result is still sleek and relatively formal. Mixing more than one colour can be a great way to design with this style of parquet floor, especially in commercial spaces. Choosing a block with a textured surface can create a more relaxed feel.

If you love the idea of parquet flooring but are worried about it being too formal our Vintage Parquet flooring could be the solution you have been looking for. With gently worn edges and a soft surface patina these beautiful parquet floors strike just the right balance between informality and elegance, perfect for country style interiors, less formal period interiors or as a subtle architectural detail in more modern spaces. They are wonderfully versatile and utterly timeless, and between our Original Vintage Parquet flooring, our Pullman Vintage Parquet flooring and our Painted & Distressed Vintage Parquet flooring, there are over 20 fabulous shades to choose from and something to suit most interior styles.

For more advice on how you can design with parquet flooring or for advice on individual projects, please contact any of our showrooms.