As the seasons change, our homes remain important havens.

We crave their shelter and warmth as the frosts and chilly rains arrive outside; they offer refuge from summer’s intense summer months and give our families beautiful places to gather for winter celebrations.

We want to make design choices that will grow and evolve over the changing seasons and years that follow, making wood flooring the perfect choice.

Now is the ideal time to look forward to the wood flooring design trends of 2023.

With a focus on sustainability, expert craftsmanship and long-lasting beauty, 2023 promises to be an exciting year.

Here are some emerging trends and those which we expect to see far more of as we head into 2023 and beyond.

1. Using bespoke patterns and colours

Gone are the days when flooring colour and pattern choices were limited to what was in stock.

By choosing an expert company to supply and install natural wood floors, bespoke designs can be created using intricate patterns, unique patinas and colours to match any request, creating a truly personalised and individual look for your space.

2. Creating cohesive spaces

Using a bespoke craftsperson for your project allows the same wood for flooring as for other accent pieces, complementing and drawing together the whole project.

With individually hand-crafted mouldings, stairs, kitchen countertops and doors, natural and long-lasting beauty can be brought to every aspect of your home.

3. Celebrating craftsmanship

2023 will see a reprisal of traditional, slow-production methods, which can be admired in every aspect of your flooring: from colour to finish to flow.

Choosing traditionally crafted floors, stairs and cabinetry for your space will sustain and celebrate the artisan producers and help your space stand out from those that use mass-produced, off-the-shelf fittings with a disposable feel.

Instead, carefully crafted, bespoke pieces will bring a depth of character and life into your home, which will last for generations.

4. Sustainability and Circular Economy

Using sustainable and up-cycled materials has never been more critical as we all try to preserve our Earth’s precious materials.

Reclaiming and expertly recrafting old and antique wood which would otherwise never be truly appreciated, is where we started, and it will always remain our passion.

Where new wood floor products are the best choice for a project, it will be increasingly important to choose companies with re-planting programmes.

5. Wellness and Biophilia

Wood is a living and breathing material.

Using wood throughout our homes can satisfy the innate biophilic tendency in humans to seek connections with nature.

In the same way that a walk in the woods is re-energising and grounding, wood flooring in our homes boosts our wellness and helps us to slow down, taking time to breathe more deeply.

6. Slow design

It takes an expert eye to see the treasure held within each piece of wood, and time is needed to reveal the magic within.

Each piece of wood being treated concerning uncovering the strength and beauty it holds is a slow process.

Since our inception, slow production and wellness have been our passions. In 2023, we expect more people to develop an understanding of and love for the benefits of wood flooring products which are designed and created slowly with love, care and attention to the minutest detail.

7. Specialist Installers

There is more awareness that choosing the right installer is as important as choosing the right flooring.

At The Reclaimed Flooring Company, many floors are finished once installed.

Now more than ever, there is increased demand for specialist installers who can work on your specific design brief.

We are proud to be one of only a tiny number of companies in the UK that offer this level of service.

Similarly, trending designs such as herringbone flooring, whether using new or old wood, need an expert eye in planning and an expert hand to lay to ensure the right aesthetic is achieved for your space.

8. Character Grading

Prime grading used to be the most popular. Still, more customers are now choosing character-graded planks, which will have more knots and traditional wooden characteristics like visual cracks, more texture, grain, and sapwood, offering a more “natural” face.

Combined with our bespoke colour services and expert installation, our wood’s deep patinas and glorious aesthetics will help create a feeling that your floor has always been part of your home.

9. Herringbone in Kitchens

As 2022 progresses, we are seeing increased demand for Herringbone floorings in Kitchens and Living Rooms and expect this trend to continue into 2023.

Our reclaimed, new and engineered herringbone blocks are hand-crafted in our Cheshire workshop by experts, always using slow design and slow production methods, which lead to the slow living we all crave in our homes.

10. Natural colours

It is no surprise that as we all embrace more sustainable ways of living, demand for natural colours with depth and varied patina is also increasing.

We want our spaces to feel as natural as possible, incorporating our natural biophilia into our homes.

Because of this, natural things aren’t just more aesthetically pleasing and better for us.

11. Proper maintenance

Nowadays, there is more awareness about after-care routines for wood floors, and we are delighted by this.

Proper aftercare adds more depth and colour variation to your floor and ensures its longevity.

The ageing of new wood floors can be helped with appropriate aftercare, including oils that enrich its patina and careful, expert sanding to ensure a smooth and hard-wearing surface.

A properly cared-for wood floor evolves with time, becoming a deeply ingrained part of what makes your home so unique.

13. Oak, oak and more oak

Unsurprisingly, oak remains the preferred species for wood flooring, and we believe it is simply the best option.

With its broad, long planks, rich, beautiful patina and the history that breaths out of each piece of expertly crafted wood, oak flooring is the natural choice for bringing warmth and luxury into your space.

As oak flooring is hard-wearing, it is perfect for high-traffic zones, and its colour can be adjusted for your space as it works excellently with hard wax oils.

14. Antique Wood Flooring

We are delighted that there is more awareness of Antique Wood and appreciation of the craft, age and provenance of antique and reclaimed wood flooring.

Although it is already an established trend, as we move into 2023, we expect this trend, which embraces all of the other anticipated design directions of the coming year, to gather more momentum.

Using this precious resource in your space encourages a sense of wellness and slow living while remaining a sound ecological and stunningly beautiful, highly versatile choice.

In this fast-paced world, so much can feel disposable and dispensable.

While it can be easy to understand the desire to make changes quickly, we believe in a different way of making things better, and it seems the rest of the world is catching on too.

Deconstruction, or unbuilding, is a new idea with old roots.

It involves the careful and intricate dismantling of old buildings and architectural projects, reclaiming, restoring and preserving valuable materials which would otherwise go to waste.

Unbuilding slowly

Deconstruction techniques preserve the precious materials found in buildings which no longer serve their purpose.

Unbuilding disregards the fast-paced and heavily polluting methods often used in the constant pursuit of building bigger and faster, instead choosing to carefully work through the old buildings for those rare hidden gems which can be reclaimed, reused and restored to their former beauty.

This aligns perfectly with our belief in a slower, calmer, more measured process.

A way which supports a slower way of living in spaces which encourage well-being.

Downsides of demolition

Because our island nation has a finite amount of space and ever-increasing demand for ‘more’, the properties that occupy premium land are often bulldozed or torn apart to make way for their successors.

It can heartbreaking to see buildings being demolished along with all of the history and stories they held, just to be rebuilt even bigger, ever more quickly, and with even less care a few months later.

Little attention is paid to the materials contained within and the pollution caused by these demolitions, as speed is valued over all else.

This perpetual cycle of demolition of buildings and adding of new materials is simply unsustainable, as is the carbon footprint which is created by the process.

It is not just the demolition itself which is unsustainable; the building of new properties creates demand for more and more new materials to be sourced, which will, in turn, be demolished.

The cycle continues.

There is more to consider.

Demolition increases air and noise pollution and can seriously affect the quality of life of residents in and around these projects.

A more caring approach

To prevent waste, collaborative design practices across Europe are investing time in exploring the life cycle of our material environment and salvaging and reusing materials.

Companies and collectives, including Enviromate, Opalis, Rotor and Materiuum, are dedicating time and skills to this delicate work that most companies are unwilling to do.

They are working to carefully remove and reclaim materials from architectural projects, taking them apart rather than demolishing them.

This process takes time, skill and patience, much like the processes we dedicate to our beautiful materials.

A new life for reclaimed materials

Demand for reclaimed materials is so high that sourced materials are often reserved even before the removal process has begun.

As we do at the Reclaimed Flooring Company, Roto and its subsidiary Rotor Deconstruction will give each intricate removal the time it needs, often revealing natural treasures.

Some of these treasures can be found listed on Opalis, another innovation of Rotor.

 

 

They have created an online map of the salvage industry which is helping to develop an industry-wide understanding of the reuse of specific materials, hopefully securing deconstruction’s place as a high-end, realistic alternative to demolition.

Rotor Deconstruction is a cooperative that organises the reuse of construction materials.

They dismantle, process, and trade salvaged building components.

Materiuum’s tagline, ‘For the continuum of materials’, speaks of the company’s core value, that preserving natural materials is critical.

Both companies invest time not only in the removal of materials but in studying and consulting on the increasing opportunities enabled by reclaiming and preserving materials.

We long to see a world where deconstructing is the norm rather than the exception, but until we do, we will keep doing what we do.

Carefully, lovingly and slowly restoring our earth’s precious materials, revealing the well-worn beauty that has developed in them over the years.

When treated with this much respect and skill, our reclaimed hardwood floors will continue to breathe new life and stories of their previous lives into stunning, sympathetically renovated homes.

Our interior design choices always say something about us.

Every choice we make in our homes speaks to the people we invite into our space about the things we care about.

Using antique flooring alongside natural materials whispers about our attention to detail.

Combining exquisite antique and reclaimed wood with stone, marble, or ceramics evokes feelings of calm, sophistication and synchronicity with the outside world.

These materials are timeless for a good reason; they are classy, beautiful and sophisticated.

Whatever design choices we make in our homes, antique wood and natural materials give a perfect starting point, whatever our style.

Antique wood breathes a sense of life into a space which cannot be replicated. The warmth and history of antique and reclaimed flooring add a deep sensibility to a space, evoking feelings of calm and well-being.

We are not the only ones who adore this aesthetic.

Here are some of our favourite designers who create spectacularly breathtaking visuals using blends of natural materials and antique wood flooring.

Axel Vervoordt

Author, artist and designer Axel Vervoodt lives and breathes aesthetics.

A far cry from the young influencers of our Instagram generation, this 75-year-old Belgian founded and runs Axel-vervoordt.com, a renowned art gallery, arts and antique trading organisation, with an interior design department for worldwide customers.

Vervoordt’s signature is deep, cool earth tones, simple shapes, and natural light used to create spaces which feel so pure they can almost be heard breathing.

Axel’s deep love for the wabi-sabi is evident in his love of reclaimed materials and his philosophy of embracing the simplicity and serenity which comes with his materials, having been allowed the time to age over hundreds of years.

Because of his carefully selected products, a need for slow living unfurls as soon as you step into his spaces, making you breathe deeper and completely unwind.

Rose Uniacke

Victoria Beckham’s interior designer, Rose Uniacke, runs a contemporary, luxury interior design company in the UK.

Uniacke’s blend of rich earth tones, geometric shapes and maximalist furnishing of spaces create a welcoming and indulgent rooms.

The generous proportions of the pieces Uniacke selects are complemented wonderfully by light walls, antique wood floors and carefully curated, smooth ceramics.

Drapery is used extravagantly and is highlighted by deep, soft sofas piled with plush cushions.

Rose Iniake’s use of softly textured natural walls, flooring from The Reclaimed Flooring Company, and sumptuous fabrics makes the temptation to run a hand across every surface almost impossible to resist.

Linda Boronkay

Linda Boronkay runs her self-named design company, specialising in high-end interior architectural design.

Linda Boronkay uses antique wood floors as the grounding for her decadent styling.

Pieces are intricate, heavily patterned and beautifully crafted.

These pieces are used generously in rooms with natural coloured but often deeply textured walls.

Wall spaces are broken up by colossal furniture made from wood.

The tones from her wooden floors and furniture are picked up in the richness of the wall coverings and are almost always accented by a touch of greenery.

We had the pleasure of supplying our Antique French Oak for her Soho House Greek Street project.

Emma Kirby

Following in the footsteps of her property-developing mother, Emma Kirby design helps clients with every aspect of interior design.

With work entirely built around natural materials, Kirby doesn’t only use Reclaimed Flooring Company’s wood floors but also walls and ceilings featuring this gorgeous, natural material.

A feeling of wellness and calm is impossible to avoid when surrounded by such an abundance of nature.

Making features of exposed wooden structures, beams, and rustic furniture is central to her ethos.

Her blend of traditional and contemporary pieces gives a timelessly comforting feel to the spaces she creates.

Murude Katipoglu

The refined and eclectic spaces designed at Murude Katipoglu’s studio, Design Stories, are stylish, serene and luxurious.

Spaces designed by Katipoglu’s company are clean and spacious, with pale walls and rich antique wood floors to provide a subtle nod to the luxury her clients expect.

The finishes are complemented perfectly by pieces from Design Stories’s collection.

In deep natural raw materials, accessories and occasional pieces are handmade and available in marble, ceramic and raw-edged wood.

Conclusion

The works of these wonderfully talented designers show how the combination of natural materials and antique wooden floors can work with innumerable stylistic choices.

Whatever your preferred style is, antique wood is so versatile, timeless and beautiful that it provides a perfect backdrop to your home.

An expertly fitted reclaimed wood floor will add a warmly luxurious finish to any space.

There is no question that English oak is one of the most appealing hardwood flooring options we can choose from.

Used for centuries in the most opulent and extravagant homes, English oak is in huge demand.

The warm, comforting smell, beautifully distinctive natural grain pattern, and incredible durability of its trademark long wide planks make it the perfect addition to add a touch of luxury to any home.

English oak trees’ slow growth and long life make their wood rich in character and texture.

With the wood’s signature scent, uniform grain, and long straight trunks, English oak is in high demand, but it takes a long time for the trees to reach maturity.

Slow, natural growth creates breathtaking beauty: our wood has rich, deep patina and wide, long planks. Few expert craftspeople use this gorgeous product, contributing to English oak’s desirability as wood flooring. We are proud to be one of a tiny handful of companies with the time and expertise to masterfully source and fit this rare and sought-after English oak flooring.

Where does English oak come from?

English oak is native only to England and has been wild-grown over centuries. Because England is so small, English oak is much rarer than its European counterpart and, therefore, harder to source.

Its rarity, the scarcity of experts in using this exceptional product and the high demand for the product from other industries make the use of English oak as wood flooring even rarer.

 

Why is English oak so desirable?

The wood from English oak trees is straight, strong and beautiful, making it a desirable product for use in wood flooring.

The straight, broad trunks are ideally shaped for use in sawmills and can produce wonderfully wide long planks.

Along with its gloriously deep patina, the stability and flexibility of English oak make it a gorgeous product to use in the most beautiful homes.

What is English oak used for?

Because of English oak’s long straight trunks and its exceptional durability, it tolerates weathering, resanding and refinishing, making it the perfect choice for the most elegant dining spaces, members’ clubs and the most elegant homes and sympathetic renovations.

The qualities that make English oak such a luxurious flooring choice are its distinctively long, broad planks, a look that simply cannot be matched by other products.

A tribute to the strength and beauty of English oak is its use in producing the highest quality outdoor furniture, frames for houses and outdoor buildings such as summer houses.

Using English oak as flooring is the epitome of understated elegance.

Why is English oak so rare as flooring?

English oak trees are incredibly long-living, and it takes many decades for the trees to reach maturity.

This long life secures its position as one of the most robust oaks. Its dense grain and deep patina take time to develop, and we believe in waiting for only products of the highest quality.

As children, we are taught that we can age a tree by counting its rings, and it’s this exact process that helps us understand why mature English oak is so rare to find in use as wood flooring.

Sapwood and heartwood

Living trees have several layers of wood beneath their trunks.

The two layers that help us understand the English oak’s rarity are sapwood and heartwood.

Sapwood is the youngest part of the wood, the part of the tree that is living and growing. Sapwood is the part of the trunk closest to the bark, and the English oak is typically 25 rings deep.

Moving inwards from the sapwood, we find the heartwood of the oak. This heartwood has increased tannins, which make the English oak’s inner, no longer living rings so strong. These tannins also give the wood of the English oak its distinctive warm, rich colour.

Why growing oak is a slow process

Growing English oak for long enough to produce a heartwood thick enough for use in flooring is not a process that can be hurried.

It is the long life of English oak trees that makes the process of growing wood for use in flooring so slow.

Within the 25 rings of sapwood, we find between 5 and 50 rings of outer heartwood before reaching the inner heartwood, which can easily be over 100 rings deep.

It is this depth which creates the stunning width of English oak floorboards.

Considering that these trees, which are only grown in England, are up to 200 years old, we can understand why using English oak as wood flooring is so rare.

Few sellers and craftspeople are willing or able to dedicate the time needed to deal with this quality product, choosing instead more commercial, fast-grown trees, which leads to a compromise in density and, therefore, quality.

Rose Uniacke is one of 2019’s top 100 Designers and Architects in the world according to Architectural Digest (AD), while the Sunday Times refer to her as “queen of the serene.” No one could ever dispute the fact that Rose Uniacke is a celebrated member of London’s design royalty; such is her high profile. It was Uniacke, after all, who was chosen to design ‘Beckingham Palace’ in London’s Holland Park when the celebrity couple and their four kids moved to an English townhouse a couple of years ago).

Praised by AD for her “leanly furnished, spirit-nourishing spaces [that] typically feature a compelling mix of unfinished floorboards, pale hand-plastered walls, vintage Scandinavian furniture, and a scattering of evocative antiques”, Uniacke’s ‘go to’ materials are undisputedly reclaimed flooring and antiques.

This made her a natural fit for the design of the new Jo Malone headquarters in Central London, where the brief was to create “a fresh, light, airy interior, both tranquil and uplifting.” We reckon she’s certainly achieved that here:

Having in the past studied furniture restoration, gilding and painting before becoming interested in antiques and working as a dealer, it was clear that interior design was always going to be the next choice for the ambitious and talented Rose. Today, as a result of her past, you will find her interiors beautifully consist of modern and contemporary themes aided by fine furniture and classic antiques of yesteryear (or rather ‘last century’).

Her large corner design studio and showroom in Pimlico is just a stroll away from the V & A.  As you would expect it boasts a clean uncluttered look with tall windows, white walls and bare untreated floorboards. It comes across as soothing, airy and calm. There the public can browse and purchase exquisite home accessories – both modern and antique – including stunning, high-quality fabrics.

And indeed in 2013 Uniacke was bestowed with the Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award (a celebratory occasion often referred to as the ‘Oscars of the interior design world).

Martin himself described the designer as a “remarkable talent” Her interiors, he added, “hummed with atmosphere with every corner an essay in balance, restraint and exquisite quality.”

The following are some of Uniacke’s past stunning interiors. In them you see her love for reclaimed wooden floors and which. Alongside white walls, she uses as a stunning neutral base on which to create her opulent rooms and transformative décor:

The arches, grand stairway and reclaimed boards of the following image give a classic Georgian period feel to this beautifully soothing, neutral room:

Neutral reclaimed flooring, white painted walls and antique panelling all features beautifully alongside a mid-century desk and chairs in the following two rooms. The plant adds some subtle colour:

The dark wood panelled flooring and dark artwork gives an elegant feel to this room, contrasting with the neutral décor. Again Uniacke has added an element of living greenery with the pot plant:

For more interiors, tips and ideas on using reclaimed flooring in your interiors project then take a look at our Reclaimed Flooring Company website today.

Thanks partly to the growing interest in contemporary, transitional and mid-century modern styles, one particular type of classic custom flooring have expanded—herringbone parquet.

As the name suggests, herringbone is a flooring type that resembles a herring’s fishbone.

The style of flooring is achieved by weaving smaller rectangular blocks in a repeated zig-zag pattern to create a uniform and instantly striking mosaic design.

The intricate lines of this stunning pattern introduce symmetry and balance while evoking an air of elegance and grandiosity in any interior space.

While the upfront costs are expensive, the design of a herringbone floor will endure throughout the years.

Is Herringbone Floor Out of Style?

Herringbone wood flooring has been around for centuries, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing, making it a brilliant choice for residential, commercial and hospitality floor covering.

The earliest examples in a flooring context can be traced back to upscaled settings such as classical churches, stately homes and grand museums and galleries.

The authentic, timeless appeal of herringbone flooring plays a magnificent role in adding a feeling of luxury and refinement to today’s modern design without overwhelming or taking away from other elements around it.

Why Choose Herringbone Flooring?

Laying wood parquet flooring demands a bit of work and craftsmanship, each piece lending itself distinctively to a space.

Care and precision are of utmost importance when planning your herringbone floor to achieve a refined finish.

Thanks to the modern “click” system that doesn’t require any glue or adhesive, the installation has become relatively straightforward and more convenient.

If you genuinely want to set your interior space apart, below are just a few reasons to opt for this timeless wood flooring style.

1. The enduring beauty of herringbone

The sophisticated appeal and textural interest of herringbone wood flooring blend seamlessly with both classic and modern spaces.

Many often see its strong connotation of historical design as the height of understated luxury, as it was initially installed in notable buildings.

Herringbone parquet flooring is a fantastic opportunity to introduce a distinct style statement that isn’t easily achievable with other types of floor covering.

Because it complements interior themes steeped in history and sits nicely alongside current influences, its inherently timeless nature is a flooring choice that will stand the test of time even as trends change.

Does herringbone flooring make a room look smaller?

Not at all… herringbone flooring is what smaller or narrower spaces need.

Because the eye is drawn to the zig-zag movement’s uniformity, this flooring style is a fantastic space enhancer as it makes smaller, darker rooms seem lighter, brighter and, more importantly, more prominent.

Similarly, the captivating beauty of this floor pattern also unfolds in large rooms.

For instance, they look equally fabulous in a large foyer that leads into a great room—allowing you to take in their striking allure as soon as you step in.

The appeal of herringbone flooring is that it doesn’t have to cover the entire floor.

If it appears overly busy, you can place it in the centre of a big room or accentuate the authenticity of a small area like an entryway.

2. A host of wood colours and finishes

Herringbone wood flooring can be installed in several different colours and finishes, bringing out its intricate pattern’s beauty.

The finish of your flooring can also be made more or less apparent depending on how it is installed.

Lighter-toned wood with minimal graining can be used to create a more natural appearance.

Choose a mid-toned wood with a lot of character that will show through once the floor has been laid if you desire a bolder, more statement-making appearance.

3. Long-lasting, durable and easy to care

Having your wood boards in a herringbone pattern is exceptionally long-lasting.

A high-quality herringbone wood floor that has been appropriately installed feels more stable and, with proper care, can last for decades.

Moreover, having robust floors that are forever in style assures high resale value.

Herringbone parquet flooring maintenance doesn’t have to be expensive and is something you can manage on your own to ensure the floors last as long as possible.

Use circular motions to buff high-quality wood oil into the grain.

For high-traffic areas, this can be done once every six months.

4. Great flexibility in design options

Herringbone parquet flooring offers many design options, each providing a distinctive look that quickly finds its place in various interior aesthetics.

While familiar with traditional solid wood planks, modern advances have enabled this particular flooring type’s timeless beauty, elegance, and warmth with the added benefits of engineered wood boards.

Solid wood floors in a herringbone pattern can be sanded and refined numerous times, while engineered boards offer a more robust structure with an increased ability to withstand temperature changes.

Conclusion

Renowned for strength and durability, herringbone wood flooring offers enduring beauty and a robust design statement that makes it ideal for almost any room.

The flooring’s distinguished pattern is a terrific space enhancer and can be customised to complement every type of taste and personality.

Used in 16th-century buildings to add interesting symmetrical patterns, this timeless finish has fallen back in favour today.

It is one of the most recognised parquet floorings that lends itself effortlessly to modern residential and commercial spaces across the UK and many other parts of the world.

Mixing old and new styles from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Norway, the Scandinavian design combines a blend of textures and soft hues to make modern décor feel warm, cosy and inviting. It seeks to combine functionality with simple form without sacrificing beauty.

Because of the long periods of winter in Nordic countries, the interiors are typically painted white to counter the cold, dark days and nights and help keep spaces bright.

Colours are introduced sparingly and subtly to maintain a sense of cohesion, uniformity, and brightness throughout the room.

In keeping with the natural and timeless aesthetic of the Scandinavian design, wood flooring is a quintessential element that forms the foundation of the whole space.

However, this simplistic style typically emphasizes using pale, light-coloured woods—oak, pine, and fir—to facilitate an open and clean atmosphere.

Characteristics of Scandinavian Style Flooring

The Nordic concept of hygge is what distinguishes Scandinavian design from many other interior aesthetics. That is, to create an environment that delights in feelings of cosiness, contentment, and well-being while enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Therefore, all design elements must be used in unison to apply the art of “Hygge” and create a comforting essence devoid of clutter—no more, no less.

Fast becoming the new classic, the concept of Hygge and Scandinavian design have found their way into every aspect of our home. Flooring is an excellent way to achieve this, as it grounds and reinforces your design concept. Natural wood complements any interior and is therefore excellent for the Scandi approach.

And because Scandinavian living embraces open-plan, wood floors are a beautiful element that perfectly ties the open spaces together. Floorboards in a herringbone pattern are ideal for L-shaped or odd-shaped rooms, whereas planks running across the room will help lengthen the space.

Best Wood Species for Scandinavian Flooring

Let’s dive into the question: what wood is used in Scandinavian flooring? One must also consider why wood is a necessary choice for Scandinavian design.

Using timber for floors and furniture is influenced by cultural context and inherent qualities. First of all, natural materials are incredibly regarded in Scandinavian culture. This long-standing artistic predilection encouraged a culture where naturally-designed homes became commonplace.

Additionally, the pale woods and predominantly white walls are vital in allaying the effects of the dark winter months. By optimizing materials and colours in their natural surroundings, Scandinavians could create a design that served both an aesthetic and a practical purpose. And since sustainability plays a leading role in their way of life, wood flooring used in their homes is sourced ethically and sustainably.

Generally speaking, light-coloured floors made from natural wood—oak, pine, and fir— give the interior an atmosphere of spaciousness and serenity. These woods are treated with a white-colour finish with a solid natural feel to better fit into the scheme of things.

Aside from their natural appeal, the advantage of these woods is their robustness. The use of wide wooden planks with a consistent appearance helps accent the pure, unfussy, scaled-down look of this design aesthetic with a dramatic effect that highlights impeccable craftsmanship and understated elegance.

What Type of Wood Flooring Should You Choose?

What then makes the best flooring for Scandinavian design? In the end, the type of flooring you decide on will depend on the overall style of your home.

Pale wood tones feel “raw” and “organic” whilst bringing a strong sense of nature indoors. Better still, the lighter the shade of your wood flooring, the more visually open and bright the room feels.

For this reason, consider investing in the whitest of wood, sustainably sourced, if you wish to reap the benefits of Scandinavian design. Paired with light walls and the right furnishings, the overall scheme is anything but chilly.

Scandinavian Style White Oak Flooring

It’s easy to understand why white oak floors are a cornerstone of the Scandi appeal once you see what gorgeous changes they bring to a space. The light-coloured oak flooring helps the room feel open and clean whilst highlighting its architectural features and quality craftsmanship.

If oak floors are adequately cared for with a subtle white oil finish or a white matt varnish, it produces a lovely palette of white-grey tones that quickly win the hearts of designers and homeowners alike.

Pale oak flooring’s timeless appeal naturally complements Scandinavian design’s minimalist look, adding just the right touch of character, warmth and sophistication. Wide oak floorboards provide a visual expanse and fit in wonderfully with the Scandinavian vibe.

Conclusion

Wood floors are a necessity for interior design with a distinctly Scandinavian flair. When it comes to the floor style you choose, you’ll appreciate the warmth and charm lighter and paler woods add to a space, mainly if it features a minimalistic design.

If you are looking to embrace Scandinavian design throughout your home, white oak and other closed grain woods in wider plank style and matte finish are an excellent pick in terms of durability and style.

A vast revolution is currently taking place in design and architecture: in addition to practical and aesthetically pleasing elements, the emphasis on sustainability and the circular economy is becoming increasingly significant.

In the past, the environmental impact of buildings has predominantly been discussed in terms of energy use. And yet, when building with the environment in mind, we consider all greenhouse gas emissions throughout the structure’s life—including the carbon footprint of the construction materials used.

New architectural solutions often result from placing sustainability as a defining element of the project. Cost-effective construction, the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the building’s life cycle, and designs that promote well-being, a healthy lifestyle and high productivity are all characteristics of sustainable architecture.

An architect’s responsibilities include both design and construction.

But instead of constructing new buildings with new, high-end materials and products purely for aesthetic appeal, architects can modify and restore existing buildings using recycled materials. And yes, this is also possible with new structures.

The most efficient use of resources is achieved in a circular economy.

This implies that materials are reused, preventing the creation of waste that would otherwise be disposed of in a landfill.

Doing this reduces the use of raw materials, waste, toxins, and energy consumption. Additionally, it positively affects the environment in terms of pollution and biodiversity.

Sustainable material: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

An architect’s fundamental expertise is in analysing and resolving spatial-aesthetic and functional challenges. Knowledge can be creatively applied to resolve difficulties that are also related to sustainability, for instance, by considering the product’s energy efficiency and durability when choosing materials.

Product manufacturers must deliver materials that ensure longevity and contribute to the excellent architectural quality of the building—whilst at the same time demonstrating that these products have a minimal negative impact on the environment. Few other building materials, for example, can match timber’s quality and life cycle.

One of the major factors taken into account in architecture is the aesthetic nature of a building. Wood and other bio-based materials are coveted for various uses, including buildings, facades and interior design, due to their unique qualities and innate beauty.

Utilizing recycled wood as a raw material allows manufacturers to continue using timber that would otherwise end up in a landfill without sacrificing the quality of the finished product. The basis that merges aesthetics with sustainable architecture can be summed up as the intentional use of materials and resources combined with exceptional design concepts.

Reclaim wood for aesthetic and sustainable design

Reclaimed wood aids in maximising the usage of building materials. On the other hand, sourcing new lumber for building requires resource consumption and chemical production. Using reclaimed wood results in fewer environmental toxins being released, the preservation of living trees, and the elimination of landfilling usable timber.

Improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) further underlines the value of reclaimed wood as a sustainable building material. Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) encompasses “the quality of a building’s internal environment—air quality, lighting, thermal conditions, ergonomics—about the occupant’s health.” IEQ can therefore be seen as a representation of an interior environment’s biophilia.

Many elements within a building that affect IEQ can be improved by using reclaimed timber. For instance, using reclaimed wood finished with products that have zero or low amounts of VOCs has advantages such as enhanced human productivity. As a result, human exposure to toxins will be reduced, and, in turn, health and performance will improve.

Reclaimed wood is, in a nutshell, good for the environment. Hence it is widely used by architecture and design firms worldwide, mainly when working towards achieving WELL, Living Building Challenge, or LEED certification standards. Reclaimed wood offers architects a simple way to create more environmentally sustainable designs that are aesthetically pleasing to the end user, from office floors to hotel walls. Also, it is a versatile material finish in addition to being healthy for the environment.

Conclusion

Architects and the built environment are crucial to overcoming the current climate issue. The complex issues must be solved to decarbonise the built environment and create healthier, more resilient communities within their purview and skill set. Sustainable materials with a healthy life cycle address construction quality and environmental issues.

 

For so long, “slowness” has had a negative connotation within the industrial realm—slow production often meant more expenses and less profit.

Because of this, the idea of slowness as a crucial element in the design and manufacturing of high-quality products is rather novel and uncommon.

The original idea of the slow concept has its roots in the slow food movement, founded in 1986 and evolved into an attempt to reclaim healthy eating practices and local food traditions.

Numerous slow movements have since been initiated, including those that promote slow living, slow economy, slow technology, and slow design.

As technology advances in ways that encourage overproduction and overconsumption and present a threat to the earth’s systems and workers’ quality of life, there has been a renewed focus on slow manufacturing.

If a design is a negotiation between what was and what is, the idea of slow manufacturing fits into this new world that explores what design can be. For some, slow production translates into being ecologically benign; whilst for others, it means a wholesome balance between social, cultural, human, and economic factors.

With each choice and intervention, it presents, in method, material, technique, and strategy, slow manufacturing provides the path to a better world and a more sustainable future that adheres to zero-waste or cradle-to-cradle philosophies.

What is Slow Production?

Beyond simply taking the time to create a product and being cognisant of its carbon footprint, slow manufacturing involves many other factors.

In its simplest interpretation, it describes an increased level of awareness, taking responsibility for daily actions, and the possibility for a richer spectrum of experience for the designer, the artisan, and the end-user.

It comprises, at the very least, the product’s robustness, repairability, the potential for recycling or upcycling, ability to reduce waste and efficient disposal of it.

So, instead of contributing to the overwhelming bigger-faster-immediate culture of the 21st century, slow manufacturing purposefully develops a product that consumers want to endure a lifetime or pass down for generations.

In slow production, an underlying theme is transparency.

Buyers feel a connection to the products they are buying and start to recognise the differences in quality when businesses disclose their manufacturing processes.

Because of this, transparency has become essential in assisting consumers in changing their purchasing behaviours from fast and disposal to slow and informed.

In the slow manufacturing world, simply labelling your product as “high quality” is not enough. Slow process manufacturers should be willing to educate consumers on why their product is superior or how it’s made to last for generations.

Three Guidelines to Slow Production

Much like slow design, which encourages that we design with the user and planet in mind, slow production is all about using locally sourced material, responsibly harvested and put together in ways that do not harm our environment.

To qualify as “slow,” these three points must be considered:

• Awareness of quality products that last for years over meeting ballooning consumer demand.
• Manufacturing that does now harm the planet and takes into consideration the local culture and habits.
• Responsible management that takes into account ethical practices and good treatment of the craftspeople.

Thinking About the Life Cycle of Things

Responding to the increased overproduction and overconsumption, many manufacturing companies continue to explore different approaches to integrate responsible production into their strategic plan.

From design method and material selection to production and ethical working conditions, slow manufacturing paves the way for a sustainable future and challenges us to reconsider our values.

After all, sustainability aims for the long-term well-being of all living things.

Individual elements could be modified, recycled, or upcycled as desired when consumer needs evolve or wear and tear takes its toll.

Rapid manufacturing is no longer a practical production method because it fails to find the right balance between the needs of the local and global environment.

Conclusion

At present, keeping up with trends and satisfying consumer expectations is a race in design and production. By its very nature, slow manufacturing strives to create products that positively promote ecologically sound lifecycles that support the health of the planet and all living things whilst upholding the qualities necessary for the finished product and a refined customer experience.

Slow production minimises waste and energy consumption, enriches the quality of the workers’ livelihood, and provides an opportunity for them to express their capabilities and skills. Exploring traditional ways of manufacturing is therefore sought to create products with an extra value that cannot be achieved through modern processes and technologies.

There is no denying the warmth and sophistication parquet offers to both residential and commercial spaces.

Whether laid in a simple or intricate design, this wood flooring style brings life to any room.

As great as parquet flooring may look, it does, however, require regular care for it to maintain its beauty and glow.

Gorgeous and clean floors aren’t hard to obtain.

Using appropriate products, cleaning the right way and taking a few protective precautions will leave your parquet with a spot and streak-free finish that allows the natural beauty of wood to shine through.

First clean after installation

After your beautiful parquet floor has been installed, it needs a thorough cleaning before it is used for the first time. Because this flooring style comes in small pieces, it is extremely delicate and requires proper attention to avoid any scratches.

The first thing to do is invest in special parquet floor products or use a cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. Depending on the wood type, some products will clean, polish and place an extra sealant that will keep your fabulous floors looking newer, longer. Non-toxic cleaning products that won’t leave behind damaging or dulling residue are your best bet.

If you have a different type of flooring that isn’t wood in other areas of your house, it’s important to note that simply using the same cleaning solution won’t work as well with your parquet floor.

Directions:

• Clear debris. Prep your floors by clearing debris, dirt or whatever other particles were brought into your property using a soft bristle broom, microfiber dust mop or a vacuum cleaner. Pay close attention to the type of vacuum you choose to use as some models have a beater bar attachment that can easily scratch the wood floor’s finish.

• Use a slightly wet Lightly wet your mop with a cleaning solution. A damp mop is especially advisable for a sealed parquet wood floor. It’s best to avoid a completely drenched mop as it can dull the finish and cause damage to your floor.

• Clean up in Working your floor in small sections at a time allows the wood to dry while you clean another area.

• Air Make sure to wipe up any standing water immediately. Leave the floor to completely dry before allowing foot traffic again to prevent spotting.

Regular cleaning

Depending on traffic and the number of kids or pets you have, you can simply establish a cleaning schedule that makes the most sense to your lifestyle. Microfiber cleaning pads or a dust mop can be used daily to get rid of dust, loose dirt and pet hair. A vacuum with a soft floor attachment can be used weekly to deal with dirt that could potentially scratch your floor.

Parquet wood flooring can be prone to dirt and grime that build up over time. In this case, a deep clean that requires a soft bristle broom or vacuum, a mop and liquid solution (ideally with a pH level of about 7) is necessary to restore their natural shine — say every one to two months (this too depends on foot traffic).

 

Ways to avoid damaged parquet wood floors

• Clean wet or sticky spills. Spills are inevitable, and it’s best to wipe them off the floor immediately with a damp clean cloth.

• Avoid using the wrong cleaning equipment. This includes anything from a broom meant for the outdoor pavement to a vacuum with a beater bar attachment. The wrong cleaning equipment can easily damage the wood finish.

• Avoid using the wrong cleaning products. Certain soap or wax-based cleaners that promise to make your floors glow can actually leave residue, especially on polyurethane. Vinegar or baking soda solutions can dull or degrade the finish of your parquet floor. Using a rough sponge or a steam cleaner can leave behind irreversible wear and tear.

• Avoid standing water when cleaning. Overly wet mops can cause even sealed parquet floors to buckle. Water is wood’s worst enemy, and over time, moisture can cause warping which eventually damages the wood.

• Avoid sliding furniture across the floor. It’s best to pick up any heavy décor items, furniture and appliances completely off the ground to avoid scratching or denting your floor. 

• Shield wood from pets. For your pets to enjoy parquet wood floor as much as you do, ensure that their feet do as little damage as possible. Make a point of trimming your dog’s nails or your cat’s claws.

Conclusion

Like any other flooring option, parquet wood floors are sceptical to dirt and damage caused by day to day activities. Dust and dirt marks are particularly frequent in high traffic areas such as the living room and kitchen.

A certain amount of care is needed to keep your flooring in good condition. With proper regular cleaning, using the right tools and products and taking a few protective precautions, your floor will retain its beauty for years to come.