Hardwood Floors October/November 2017

DESIGNER INSIGHTS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Hardwood Floors Through the Lens of 2018 (Continued)

inspirations. Wanderlust in wood trends can be best seen in the European-style dramatic widths, lengths, and thicknesses, which, once seen, are next to impossible to trade down to the merely mundane formats or faux wood ooring. Hence you’ll nd what I call the “monstro-scale” wood planks shown at international shows and expos. It is possible to bring these looks home, a ordably and from domestic sources, if you’re willing to do some research into their origins. Besides gray-based neutrals, there are some seriously exciting ingredients to consider for 2018 hardwood ooring. For example, technology and history are colliding in the eld in a way that is allowing an introduction and in ux of oors that are continuing to be wider and longer than the narrow strip orange-red pre nished engineered oors of 20 years ago. For 2018, look to see more options of these larger formats to accentuate the wide-open spaces of homes. As we’ve witnessed the right-sizing of homes’ square footage during the past decade, homes with open layouts have also become one of the top ve must-haves, along with hardwood oors, for those in the market for a new home. Open layouts are nice until the homeowner tries to transition his or her ooring type from space to space unless, of course, it’s hardwood oors, which ow seamlessly from the front door to the back. What makes wide and long hardwood oors the most- desired format is the fact that they essentially expand the spaces visually by reducing the number of joints, end-to-end and side-to-side. With larger boards, the human eye can see more of the beautiful part of the hardwood, which is the wood grain and its natural appeal as a living material. Whether the ooring is dark or light, heavily scraped, cracked, or smooth and re ned, the wood’s beauty lies in its ever-growing value over centuries. Amajor and important hardwood trend to expect more of in 2018 is intricate parquetry installations, such as herringbone. In recent trips touring castles and chateaus in both England and France, there was an abundance of centuries’ old interiors with herringbone hardwood oors, which o er an appealing “look of richness” to American consumers due to the fact that they add air and panache to an otherwise simple installation.

Photos courtesy of Emily Morrow Finkell.

As the economy continues to grow, and the housing market expands, we also know that homeowners are turning to trade professionals for their expertise. Many times professionals, whether it’s installers, or designers who work with installers, will put their “signature touch” on projects, se ing them apart so to speak, by doing what is di cult and outside the norm. Herringbone hardwood oors are not easy to make, nor are they easy to install, but the e ect is quite grand. It would not do the trend justice to describe it merely as parquet, but it is important to raise awareness that parquet, or wood veneer pa erns, are now gaining popularity. To give the trend a generalized label, perhaps the best description is “geometrical pa erns in wood,” such as herringbone, squares, triangles, and more.

ese o er an expensive look and one relatively easy to install because they go down very much like tile, adding instant class and richness to interiors. Parquetry also utilizes smaller pieces of wood, which might otherwise be wasted. Overall, the best summarization for 2018 is that there will be a continuing re nement and expansion of harder-to-achieve hardwood visuals, which essentially includes layers of multistep hand-touched e ects, parquetry and sawn, cracked or crackled visuals in chalky-ma e nishes of warm grays, neutral- whites, and dri wood or barnwood grays, just reinvented to feel fresh and new. Be assured though, like our desire for authenticity, the most sought-a er ooring will still be hardwood oors, with a careful layering of subtle-hued hand-kno ed and tu ed rugs.

Emily Morrow Finkell is CEO of EF Floors & Design in Dalton, Georgia. She can be reached at emily@ emilymorrowhome.com.

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