The Building of Us, Surrey

Shore Drift Oak is a brushed herringbone floor complete with an invisible natural lacquer that helps maintain the aesthetic of a raw untreated oak whilst offering a hardwearing and protective wear layer. When discussing their inspiration for the floor, Carly explains:

“I knew I wanted the flooring to add warm tones to the space to balance the black accents around the house. The natural grain and tones of the wood flooring are beautiful. We choose the herringbone style to add a bit of extra interest and texture to the space. And when asked why they chose Shore Drift Oak in particular, Carly said The tone is perfect, I wanted the floor to add warmth to the rooms without it being too yellow or orange”

The design goal was to create a timeless neutral space with lots of light and a layout that flowed well with family life”, and their renovation achieved just that. With the downstairs floor fully complete with ZB204 herringbone, the design flows effortlessly from one room to another offering a beautiful open space to enjoy family time. And when it comes to the furnishings, Carly explains the house is still a working progress interior wise, with lots of finishing touches and furniture decisions to still be made, and key pieces to be found. I mainly get inspiration from other Instagram accounts and Pinterest”. One of the most eye-catching rooms in the house is the fantastic kitchen design. Complete with stunning dark units from Crouch designs that perfectly contrast the Tikkurila paint and Shore Drift Oak herringbone flooring. The couple wanted to create a light space with statement accents, which is beautifully achieved with the contrasting details throughout the home, Carly explains:

“It was a bold choice to go with black but with so much light flooding in we knew it wouldn’t make the space dark and made more of a feature out these areas and we are so pleased we braved it!”

with this light coming from some of the family’s favourite features in the kitchen diner –  the 10-metre sliding doors and 3 skylights. At the centre of the family’s kitchen is the large kitchen island that offers a social hub to the family kitchen, as Carly goes on to explain:

“We wanted to go for floor-to-ceiling units around the majority of the kitchen to really showcase the high ceilings, and also to create the secret door to the laundry room so we didn’t have to break up the units with a doorway, which meant we needed a large surface space in the middle of the kitchen for food prep and we personally love a hob set in the island so you can be social whilst cooking and not have your back to everyone”

Although their project had its challenges, including unexpected delays due to Covid-19, the result is a beautiful, modern family home filled with a fantastic amount of light and warmth. When asked if the floors have lived up to their expectations, Carly replied Above and beyond! I will often say look how gorgeous this floor is to my other half; we have already said we will use it again in future homes and projects”, and stating that they clean so well, the floor is really durable and easy to wipe clean”. You can keep up to date with Carly and Grant’s interior design story, head to their Instagram account by clicking here. Architects: Studio Reach Architecture Interior Designers: Crouch Design Photography: Simon Carruthers