Anna Robinson
While Australians have been in love with timber floors for a while now, it seems only reasonable that we are now looking to the next stage – parquetry and patterned timber floors.
A style of flooring that includes designs such as herringbone and chevron, parquetry is returning to favour as people discover what the French have known for centuries – parquetry has the same low-maintenance and child-proof qualities as regular timber floors, but it’s just a little bit more fancy! It’s also a style that works beautifully with older-style homes, or the ever-popular Hamptons look.
The renovation of Lisa and Andy’s SA cottage in House Rules had a Scandi-vibe, which included lots of timbers and a spectacular herringbone floor in the open plan living/kitchen/dining area.
It was a perfect match with the muted colour palette and pale pink accessories of the house’s new look. Tim and Mat even used the same flooring as a feature wall/headboard in the main bedroom, for dramatic effect.
We take it as a sign that parquetry is back! For a while, it looked as if this classic flooring style had had its day – with people choosing the simplicity of wide timber boards or even carpet. But it’s gaining in popularity again.
Why parquetry?
Parquetry specialist Ivan Kirton of We Love Parquet says that while parquetry is traditionally a European style of flooring, it’s a great fit with Australian hardwoods.
“There’s definitely been a resurgence in parquet, for sure, but it fell out of favour for a long time,” Ivan says. “I managed to just stick with it, which is why there’s not many people who are really specialised in it now.”
He says that the herringbone pattern is still number one, but chevron is great with larger spaces.
“The appearance of the floor can be drastically changed by the length and width of the block – the actual individual pieces that we put in,” he adds. “That’s where the Australian hardwoods are great. I have hardwoods on display because I felt they’ve been underrepresented in the marketplace.”
One thing Ivan has noticed is that most of his customers now opt for a matt or satin finish to their floor, eschewing the high gloss of yesteryear. “Natural looking finishes are the rage now,” says Ivan. “It’s all much more laid back. Hardly anyone goes for those hard gloss finishes anymore.”
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