The V4 Q&A Series – Issue 1 – Engineered Wood Flooring for New Homeowners
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Warm Your Space With Natural Flooring This Winter
As the temperatures outdoors continue to drop, you need to foster a cosier environment indoors, and natural floors such as those made from wood or cork are the perfect way to achieve this. Their inherent warmth underfoot contrasts sharply with the stark weather outside, while their earthy tones bring a sense of warmth and softness to your indoor spaces. The Essence of Hygge in Home Comfort Hygge, a concept originating from Denmark, represents the essence of comfort and contentment in life's simple pleasures. It is the warm glow of candlelight, the soft addition of a woollen throw, and the feeling of a hot drink on a cold day. This concept extends through to interior design as well, translating into spaces that are warm, peaceful, and inviting. Natural flooring plays a pivotal role in this philosophy, and the organic textures and tones of our engineered wood and cork floors lay the groundwork for a Hygge-inspired home. Bring In Warmth With Engineered Wood Floors Engineered wood flooring exhibits the depth of natural grain patterns and a variety of hues, ranging from light golden ambers to deeper browns. From a practical standpoint, engineered wood's multiple layers enhance both its stability and its insulation capabilities. The core of the flooring acts as a natural barrier, retaining heat and maintaining a comfortable underfoot experience even when the winter chill sets in. Unlike stone or tile, which can be cold to the touch, engineered wood holds warmth, helping to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce the reliance on artificial heating. This natural insulation contributes to a snug environment. Achieve Optimal Comfort With Cork Flooring Cork’s cushioned feel is derived from its unique cellular structure, which provides a gentle give with every step. Beyond this tactile aspect, cork flooring is a natural insulator of both heat and sound. The warmth it retains contributes significantly to the overall thermal comfort of a space, and its acoustic properties make for a quieter home environment. An Almost-Wood Alternative Laminate flooring emerges as a practical alternative for those seeking the aesthetic warmth of wood or cork without the associated costs. Modern laminate can convincingly replicate the appearance of natural materials, providing a room with the inviting allure of a traditional wooden floor or the organic charm of cork. But laminate's advantages extend beyond its visual appeal. It is also a viable contender in areas of high traffic, offering durability and resistance to wear and tear that natural materials may not withstand as well over time. The ease of maintenance is another selling point, with a simple sweep or mop keeping it looking fresh and inviting for longer. Some Practical Tips for Warming Up Your Space To complement these warm floors, incorporate plush rugs in complementary colours that add layers of comfort. Consider soft lighting to create a gentle glow that enhances the natural beauty of the wood and cork textures in the room, before introducing accessories like thick throws, cushioned seating, and heavy-weight curtains in rich, earthy tones. For a touch of elegance and added warmth, you could also integrate brass or copper accents into light fixtures and decorative elements. By carefully selecting a cohesive palette and textures, you can create a harmonious space that radiates warmth throughout even the coldest months. Wintertime Flooring Installations Before laying down engineered wood or cork flooring, it’s crucial to allow the material to acclimatise to your home's environment. Store the flooring inside the room where it will be installed, in its original packaging, for at least 48 hours. This step prevents expansion or contraction post-installation due to temperature fluctuations. Increased indoor heating during winter can cause subfloors to dry out and contract, so check for any gaps or uneven areas that could affect the flooring's stability before installing. It is also advisable to check the indoor humidity level, as this will help you maintain optimal conditions for both the subfloor and the new flooring. Choose Floors That Outlast the Seasons We invite you to explore our range of hardwood and cork floors today, with plenty of free samples available to preview. Their exceptional quality and thermal capabilities prime them for any weather, keeping your home temperate all year round. TRY OUR FLOORING FOR FREE
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V4 Cube Awards 2024
Find out who won the 2024 Cube Awards, hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen This September we hosted our annual V4 Cube Awards, bringing together our brilliant network of flooring experts, designers, architects and homeowners, to mark the end of summer by celebrating the very best in flooring and design. This year’s awards saw the return of TV presenter and interior designer, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who hosted the ceremony and was joined on stage by this year’s sponsors, Mapei, Bjelin and Rubio Monocoat to present our winners with their iconic Cube Awards and prizes. Held at our Surrey Design Centre in Woking, guests were greeted by music from the live jazz band and handcrafted cocktails from The Bar Tailors, before enjoying a tasty bite of wood-fired pizza by the brilliant Leather and Willow. New this year, our V4 Garden display, complete with Bramble Crest garden furniture offers the perfect place to relax and enjoy the late summer evenings whilst browsing the brilliant selection of Millboard decking and cladding available at V4. This year’s ceremony featured three highly anticipated categories: Best Home Design, Best Commercial Design, and Best Retail Design, with each category celebrating 10 standout projects. From cosy home designs to impressive commercial spaces, the shortlisted installations truly demonstrated the versatility and beauty that wood flooring can bring to any design. Above all, each project showcased the creativity and craftsmanship of our incredible network of flooring experts, as Laurence went on to discuss… "The V4 Cube awards have quickly become THE highlight of my Autumn schedule, I love celebrating a British industry that’s going from strength to strength where design quality and craftsmanship come together with such vigour and spend the evening partying hard with each other”. The awards kicked off with Best Home Design, which was sponsored by Rubio Monocoat. In joint third place, we had Melanie Sinclaire and Emma Morris! Melanie transformed her open plan kitchen area with our Natureffect Laminate floors to create a warm and inviting, scandinavian inspired design. Whilst Emma Morris paired our Rustic Oak plank with muted green shaker style units to create a timeless family kitchen. In second place, we had Caroline and Paul Wilson, who after a visit to the Surrey Design Centre chose Smoked Oak herringbone from our Deco Parquet collection to transform their 90’s kitchen, blending contemporary warmth with rustic design. And in first place, we had Emma Snow! Emma and her partner used Barleycorn Oak flooring from our brand new Natureffect Mineral Core collection to create a design that offered the aesthetic of real wood, whilst being both hardwearing and easy to care for. Next Laurence presented the Commerical design category, which was sponsored by Mapei. Celebrating the hard work of our talented network of interior designers, architects, and flooring contractors. The shortlisted design highlighted the vast array of project types, from residential developments to restaurant and office designs, each expertly complete with a V4 flooring solution, guaranteed by our commercial warranty. In third place, we had interior designers, Slightly Quirky who transformed their client’s London home with a complete ground floor reconfiguration, before creating a seamless design with our Smoked Oak herringbone to add a modern elegance. In second place was Bridge Flooring, who were presented with their silver cube award for their extraordinary work on the brand new Coppa Club restaurant in Cardiff. Complete with Tannery Brown plank and parquet from our Deco collections, the restaurant design was both contemporary and sympathetic to the building’s iconic heritage. There could however only be one winner, and the commercial first-place cube award was presented to New Homes Flooring, for their breathtaking development project, complete with Misty Grey herringbone from our Tundra collection, greeting a light and airy modern home design. The final award of the evening, presented by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen was Best Retail Project. Sponsored by Bjelin, this award celebrated the success of our approved V4 stockists and their brilliant residential projects featuring our V4 engineered oak flooring solutions. In third place, we had Tile & Floor who beautifully installed our Tannery Brown herringbone from the Deco Parquet collection in this Grade II listed Georgian house in Wiltshire. With distressed detail on the floor, Tannery Brown was the perfect choice to blend modern design with the traditional style. In second place, we had Wellington Flooring with their 500-year-old Surrey home project. Complete with over 100 square metres of Kingswood, one of our hand-finished plank floors from the Heritage collection, the flooring beautifully mirrors the home’s history. The final award of the night was our first-place retail design winner, and this was presented to Moonwalk Flooring. The winning project features Shore Drift Oak from our Deco Parquet collection, which was expertly installed by the team at Moonwalk Flooring throughout the ground floor, offering a clean and bright Scandinavian-inspired design. When discussing the celebration on the night, host Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen went on to say “I think it is incredibly important to celebrate what is going on in the design industry, because it is absolutely extraordinary. We are really beginning to encourage people to start creating spaces that absolutely reflect their personality and look how happy they are as a result”. The TV presenter then went on to speak to the audience, which included flooring and design experts, saying… “We all should be extremely proud of where this industry is going. People are beginning to understand how special a floor like this is, and they are understanding this because of you lot. You are showing them, you are inspiring them, you are telling them how you can do things differently, and you are giving them choice.” Laurence also shared with our guests his journey in redesigning his stunning 17th-century family home, where he personally selected our Black Walnut parquet for its rich tones and timeless elegance. Keep your eyes peeled for the full design story coming soon, as we sit down for Laurence to discuss all things sustainability and design! What’s more, you will also be able to dive even further into these award-winning designs, as we bring the final installations to life with our exclusive case studies, coming soon! In the meantime, why not start your flooring journey today by browsing our collections and ordering your very own free samples – you could even be next year’s Home Design Cube Award winner… From the team at V4, we would like to thank everyone who joined us at the Cube Awards, our sponsors, Mapei, Bjelin and Rubio Monocoat, and of course our fantastic host Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen for making it such a fantastic evening!
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V4 Cube Awards 2024
Voting has now closed Voting for the V4 Cube Awards has now closed. The winners of our Home Design, Retail Design and Commercial Design Awards will be announced at the Cube Awards in September. Keep an eye on our Instagram to find out if your favourites won an award!
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