90’s kitchen is renovated using Smoked Oak Parquet to add a contemporary warmth
Located in the heart of Surrey, Caroline Wilson and her husband Paul set out to complete an extensive kitchen refurbishment in their 1903’s home. With the aim to modernise their previous kitchen design, that had been installed in the late 1990’s, the project saw a replacement of the internal and external walls, a new Velux roof adding an abundance of light and a brand-new kitchen unit design, finished with rewiring and replumbing. Not only did these changes improve the efficiency of the north-facing room, but it also maximised the space, perfect for catering multiple functions.
When it came to choosing the floor, Caroline and Paul visited our Surrey Design Centre where they were greeted by our showroom manager Jon, who guided them through the journey of choosing a new floor. When describing her experience, Caroline recalls “[The] staff are so knowledgeable and practical with their guidance. We were really impressed by the scale of the retail-facing showroom, particularly bearing in mind V4’s wholesale proposition. The huge pull-out doors were so helpful in comparing colours and styles at scale. And the different floor surfaces illustrated the floor finish after wear; so made it realistic to visualise the different options in the domestic environment.”
“We did not expect to able to make a decision on the floor following our first visit to your showroom. But, we didn’t need to visit any other flooring showrooms and confirmed our selection to our builder as soon as we got home after our first visit.”
Following a successful visit to the Design Centre, the couple chose Smoked Oak herringbone, from our Deco Parquet collection. With a rustic top layer, this beautiful floor has been smoked to enrich the natural tones of the European oak, offering rich tonal variety, perfect for adding warmth to any design. With blocks 90mm by 400mm in size, the parquet style weaves around the kitchen, brilliant for creating a seamless design around the island, and into the open spaces surrounding, and thanks to it’s engineered construction, is the perfect pair for underfloor heating, which Caroline explains was important…
“We wanted underfloor heating and our builder recommended wood rather than tiles owing to the year-round warmth underfoot. We are so pleased with this decision; the sensory feeling underfoot is delightful; we relish walking barefoot on the oiled oak. And the underfloor heating works so well with this flooring. We love the colour; it underpins the familial feel of our home. Our 1-year niece can happily practice walking and falling on the floor without risk of injury!”
Caroline explains one of the reasons they chose Smoked Oak in a parquet style was “to showcase the natural oak colour variances in the flooring in a timeless style and provide a contrast to the solid dark oa kitchen cabinets”. The dark oak shaker style cabinets offer the perfect balance between a traditional and contemporary style, whist the white marble work tops contrast the oak, adding a great deal of light to the room. The eclectic design ties together perfectly, to create a warm and inviting home design, as Caroline explains…
“Our house is homely and comfortable; it is our sanctuary. My sister describes it as her retreat. The furniture reflects a range of periods – from Victorian through Shaker-style kitchen cabinets, Crittal-style windows to contemporary Danish sofas. The kitchen and floor refurbishment have been designed in accordance with the ethos of the rest of the house…It’s difficult to choose just one element of the floor design…we love the colour, the sensory feel, the warmth and the herringbone structure. In fact, when it was first laid, I wanted to cancel the rest of the kitchen order so that we could just enjoy looking at the floor!”
Using a collection of different materials, including our European Oak, Caroline and Paul were able to achieve their design goal of modernising the kitchen, and can now enjoy their new space for entertaining.
When asking how they have found the flooring since moving in, they said: “We love it and have since recommended V4 and engineered smoked oak laid in herringbone to several friends also working on house/kitchen refurbs”.
Featured Flooring
Smoked Oak
Smoked Oak herringbone is stored in a smoke filled chamber that ages the timber. This process darkens the grain to a rich honey tone, complemented with areas of darker oak and occasional streaks of blonde sap wood. The blocks are then brushed and sealed with cured clear oil which accentuates their warm hue, whilst maintaining the tactile surface in all its natural beauty.
