Hardwood Floors June/July 2026

CATEGORY: Members’ Choice + Best in Circles/Curves/Bent Wood

WOOD FLOOR OF THE YEAR MEMBERS' CHOICE + BEST IN CIRCLES/CURVES/BENT WOOD: FLOOR MASTER COMPANY

Star of the Show (Continued)

Floor Master Company in Crystal Lake, Illinois, has earned both the 2026 NWFA WFOY Best in Circles/Curves/Bent Wood award and the Members’ Choice award for a floor its creator calls the Star Field Parquet, installed in his home office. The design began taking shape more than two years before installation, starting with sketches on paper that grew in complexity over time. As Matthew Szyszka, owner of Floor Master Company describes it, “The chevron symbolizes

movement and the continuous expansion of space, the universe. We have the stars, we have the universe, and then on the border, the end grain heart pine symbolizes galaxies. It’s a star field.” The room measured 11’ x 12’, requiring the pattern to be adjusted from its original square layout, and because of that, every one of the nearly 5,000 elements was installed on site individually rather than assembled as panels, giving the installer more control over the lines.

The floor is built around 18 interlocking circles that create 17 stars and 36 leaves, each leaf featuring a chevron pattern in zebrawood and wengé. All 25 center points were drawn onto the plywood with trammel points,

CATEGORY DETAILS: Entry into the Members’ Choice category is automatic. All floors entered into the contest are eligible, which includes all types of floors in all categories. Entries into the Circles/Curves/Bent Wood category include any hand-cut circular shape within a flooring system, such as circles, ovals, curves, or bent material.

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