Absolutely Floored

In every sense of the word I’m, floored. I came home yesterday and opened the door to herringbone, looking way prettier than I ever imagined. I felt like doing cartwheels...

I knew it would make a difference but had no idea how much - until now. Without question these are now an absolute MUST-HAVE for all my renovations, and if you are considering where to spend your budget – I say put it here.

The wood looks great without a finish, almost tempting me to leave it light, but a medium walnut oil wax finish was my showroom pick, so I’m sticking to plan. The color is just enough that you don’t miss out on the pattern or the rustic character of the wood. My contractors have always used poly, so the oil wax is all new to me, but they insisted on it in the shop, so here I go… Supposedly when the floor needs a touch up you can add more wax without sanding and it’s also great for touching up scratches – sounds perfect.

I chose straight herringbone and skipped any borders or thresholds between rooms to visually make the space look larger and keep the pattern uninterrupted. It worked, but one of my favorite parts is seeing the transition from room to room. Looking into the next room you see the design from a different angle and it takes on a more of a zig zagy look. I absolutely Love it.

Seeing is believing. I was so excited last night that I rang my friend on twelve to come down for a look. Seeing her face I knew immediately she will have it too...

If you want to see the power of great floors, visit the Paul Smith Store in Soho for inspiration. Every room has a different style and finish – each one transformative and unique. The Paris apartment shown here is Erin Fetherston’s apartment featured in Domino a long time ago. I remember loving this article. Hers are original chevron patterned floors which differ ever so slightly from herringbone in how they are laid – just amazing.