Zigzags and all things geometric are certainly a big influence at the moment, as you’ll have no doubt noticed from eye-crossing cushions to mind-expanding wallpaper in articles, blogs and shops. Rugs, curtains, even tiles laid in a balance-threatening skew are pretty much inevitable elements of any self-respecting modern interior.
So continuing in that direction, and if we cast our eyes downward, there is a slightly more subtle expression of chevron and pattern that has been gracing our floors for many generations. Yes, I bring you parquet, the wooden floor with a design slant.
Stockholm flat as advertised on estate agency Fantastic Frank
If you’re lucky enough to be contemplating a new wood floor, or even any sort of flooring, then give this option some serious consideration.
Let me count the ways:
Full sweep/ Victorian home has tumbled parquet featured in House to Home
In a period home, parquet delivers continuity through different rooms, with subtle textural changes around doorways and edging. Many classic Parisian apartments feature dramatic parquet flooring, while the walls and other decor are left white in contrast.
There are plenty of wood floor craftsmen who will put together the little chunks of wood in your preferred pattern. The borders around the room can be emphasised with different coloured woods, literally drawing a line around the important features:
Classy wenge borders oak herringbone/ floor by Jordan Andrews Ltd
For a less classic look, and straying more into the Scandinavian style, the wood can be left unvarnished or very lightly so. The greyer shade makes for a calm and minimalist aesthetic, even with the pattern.
Simple herringbone featured on Las Cositas Beach & Eau blog
The further you go along this route, the more peaceful the room becomes. Here below the walls are also clad in a silvery shaded wood, so that every line is subtle, and light bounces off all the surfaces.
Pale and interesting/ white washed floors and walls feature on Houzz
Alternatively, you may want to create the opposite effect, with some deep and moody darks. Imagine this scene below with a simple wood plank floor: certainly the intensity of the room would be diminished.
Dark and brooding/ Antwerp apartment from Dieter Vander Velpen on Pinterest
The introduction of pattern on any surface does impact the rest of the room: I don’t think I’d need to add a busy wallpaper if my flooring was this nicely patterned.
Whilst the blocky designs do look very ‘crafted’ — the least natural looking of all wood floors, really — it is possible to downplay this by leaving them unfinished. Look at how this flooring is left untreated in what is obviously a rather grand house, furnished with high-quality bathroom items. Almost bare and basic, but not quite.
Scruffy stately corner features sleek basinware/ featured in Greige blog
The pieces of wood are also quite large, which makes for a completely different feel from the little busy blocks which feature in the older style parquet floors.
In this bathroom, wide planks are laid in parquet style chevrons, which plays some strange tricks with perspective and scale.
A tiny bath, or large planks laid in a herringbone pattern?
Of course, there is no rule which says you need to keep to traditional wood colours or a rigid pattern. The disintegration of the classic parquet patterning looks so effective here — the red and black patches making a pixelated stain on the shop floor:
Stella McCartney in Milan, designed by Raw Edges
Parquet is not just for floors, either. Check out these gorgeous table tops made from reclaimed wood by an innovative furniture making collective from Italy:
Hexagon parquet table from Controprogetto
Close up/ wooden patchwork by Controprogetto
Recycled chic table top by Controprogetto
Which style do you lean towards? The honeyed tones of a classic installation, or the unvarnished greys of a more modern approach? With the continued development of more realistic wood-effect vinyl and ceramic/porcelain tiles, you don’t even need to commit to the real deal. But that’s a whole new blog post….
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