Sharon and Rich love nothing more than hosting family and friends and wanted a durable herringbone wood floor for their new kitchen diner. They compared sample after sample until they found a floor that ticked all their boxes – our Painswick Olive Engineered Oak.
Why did you choose Luxury Flooring?
I’m not kidding when I say we looked at tonnes of flooring. Tonnes and tonnes! Luxury Flooring offered free samples which enabled us to get a really good feel for not only the colour, but texture and quality. The price was fantastic for such a huge space and more importantly, it was available straight away because we are a bit last minute here!
What was most important to you when designing your room?
It was so important to us that the flooring not only looked good but was practical as well. It’s a high-traffic area and being the kitchen/diner it needs to hold up to the occasional spillage. We are quite relaxed and love to host, so it definitely didn’t want to be anything that wasn’t going to stand up to a good party!
What’s your story?
The flooring needed to bring some element of softness to the space. I was looking for that rustic injection that the kitchen would have lacked without. The beautiful grain in the wood breaks up the hard lines of the kitchen. Using herringbone is a nod to the period of our home and also acts as an arrow by drawing your eye to our wonderful view out the back. We knocked down a wall to create a kitchen diner and took the door off the pantry, so it was non-negotiable that we would have the same flooring throughout the space as we didn’t want them to feel separate.
What does your home situation look like?
Although there are only two of us here, it’s a full-house policy with regular gatherings with family and friends. 100% shoes-on kind of rules! I can’t bear to be precious over anything which is why the flooring works so well for us. It’s low maintenance with high visual impact. Can’t ask for more from a floor.
How do you prepare your home before hosting?
I love an excuse to go all out on flowers and candles. Nothing stiff and rigid, cosy and chilled is more our scene. Rich is an exceptional cook, so he’ll knock something up, no one ever goes hungry here and I’m pretty certain our drinks cabinet could cater for most thirsts.
Which rooms do you use for hosting?
When we host it is 100% of the time centred around food which is why we chose to take a wall down to create a kitchen diner. We managed to find a bargain 10-seater table and nothing gives me more joy than when it’s full and the sound of laughter, music and the chinking of glasses fills the room.
What qualities were you looking for in your new flooring?
It was absolutely necessary that the flooring could withstand being in a kitchen. You could argue that there are more practical options, such as tiles, but we really wanted to unite the space as a whole. Tiles just didn’t appeal to us as we weren’t able to have underfloor heating. As Rich was laying the flooring himself, it needed to be fairly straightforward, he did an amazing job.
Have you ever had a ‘panic moment’ with your floor while entertaining? If so, how did you handle it?
We had a ‘panic’ moment when we fitted the kitchen, for sure. We dragged the fridge-freezer across the room thinking we had protectors on the bottom of it. They came off mid-way and the floor was scratched. Luckily, we managed to lightly hand sand it out. I’m the world’s clumsiest person so I’m pretty certain it’s got a tough life ahead!
What advice would you give to someone looking to transform their floor?
Really drill down into how you will use the space. In my opinion, a home is to be lived in, so don’t buy something you’re too frightened to move on. Luckily, there are so many good options for practical and pretty flooring.
Once you’ve narrowed down your search, consider asking for a few sample boards of the same flooring so you can lay it out. This really helped us make our final decision, and sometimes there are variations in pattern, colour etc.
Consider the furniture you are putting on it. For example, use protective pads on chairs to avoid scratching and consider whether your furniture will clash. We have a lot of wooden furniture, so it was important to find flooring that was harmonious with our existing furniture.
How has your new floor improved your home?
The flooring was a huge transformation! It helped connect the space together whilst retaining a rustic feel. It also feels so much warmer! The tones of the wood help. We love it so much we plan to run the same floor in our hallway to really create a flow.
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