Parquet flooring is a versatile, bold, and beautiful wood flooring that uses smaller strips of wood to create a pattern and is either made from solid or engineered wood. These types of floors are very decorative and can make a statement in any room of the house. In this article, we will cover why parquet flooring is the king of all floors, why it's so popular, and what parquet flooring designs you can choose.
What Is Parquet Flooring?
Parquet flooring is the crowning glory of any interior. It dates back to the late 1600s when concrete and other hard floors were more prevalent. Used by King Louis XIV in his dazzling royal court at Versailles, parquet flooring was created by cutting small blocks of wood, usually of different types and colours, and gluing them to the floor in various shapes to create a decorative pattern.
Its popularity then spread across Europe, from intricate designs in palaces and grand public buildings to the humble herringbone in the homes of everyday folk. Come the 1930s, however, and parquet was either hidden for decades beneath its carpet contemporary or, even worse, pulled up and destroyed.
Thankfully, those that survived served as a reminder of this most decorative of flooring options, and with the trend for geometric interiors still going strong, parquet is currently experiencing a muchdeserved revival.
Over time the installation methods have become a lot simpler, making it more affordable and easier than ever for anyone to get their hands on a beautiful parquet floor. Parquet flooring became so popular because of its stunning patterns, but it hosts other benefits too, including being extremely durable, easy to clean and maintain, and versatile.
Parquet Flooring Designs
There are a few types of parquet flooring patterns, which all bring a different kind of style to your home. These include the most popular patterns Herringbone, Chevron, Oak and Dutch styles.
Herringbone Flooring
Herringbone flooring is where parquet began and is the most popular. It consists of wood fitted at a 90-degree angle to look triangular-shaped. This created a staggered look and is great for adding a classical statement look.
This style of parquet flooring can be created using either smaller planks of wood or wider ones and can be installed at different angles if you wish, as it's all down to personal choice. The traditional design offers a more structured feel to a room, or you can opt for single or double herringbone styles which offer more of an abstract design.
Chevron Flooring
Chevron parquet flooring, like Herringbone, uses triangles shapes, but is laid at a 45-degree angle which creates a V-shaped zig-zag pattern. This type of parquet flooring design creates a clean sophisticated look.
For a great parquet flooring idea, if you've got a smaller space, this style can open up the room and make it appear larger. Another great thing about Chevron flooring is that it works well with both lighter and darker tones, with light colour creating a more fashionable look and darker tones creating a warm homely feeling. And even better, it compliments any interior design trends.
Dutch Parquet Flooring
Instead of triangular patterns, Dutch flooring uses rectangles and square designs and is closer to looking like a brick wall, but on your floor. This brick parquet flooring design gives more of a traditional look.
With this parquet floor design you can choose between a square style, which is similar to a brick wall, or a brick pattern half bond style, which is a combination of the rectangle and triangle patterns. Again, you can mix and match and choose different angles to lay the wood to create different patterns.
Oak Flooring
Oak parquet flooring is another popular design, which offers a geometric pattern, dark colours, and timeless character to any room.
Geometric floorings can come in all shapes and sizes including Basket Weave, diamond, and more. The possibilities are endless. And the style and pattern can change from the thickness, width, and size of the wood used, as well as how they are cut.
All in all, the only limit to parquet flooring designs is your imagination. You can combine and make any design possible, whether you are going for a more classic look, more modern, or even a more abstract and artistic inlay design.
Parquet Flooring Colour Ideas
The colour range of parquet flooring is equally as diverse as the pattern. Alongside the traditional warm tones you'll find on-trend greys, brushed whites, rustic browns and natural honey tones.
Light and medium natural parquet flooring are the most popular colour for parquet flooring designs. These colours offer a traditional and homely feel to them. With different shades of brown or oak-coloured planks, it makes a great parquet flooring idea for a living room. Pair it with light colour schemes or bold colours to make a statement.
For a modern twist choose grey parquet flooring, this parquet flooring idea brings in the Scandinavian feel to your home and offers a cooler tone when compared to the traditional yellow hues of natural wood. Choosing a cool grey parquet flooring design also opens up the room and makes it seem bigger and brighter. Pair with bright colours to make it stand out, or balance with darker tones.
To really give your home a spacious airy feel, choose a light coloured parquet flooring design, or opt for white parquet. Alongside a modern twist, this parquet flooring idea goes great with shabby chic trends, and vintage looks or even helps to make your bolder décor pop more.
If you're a fan of the darker and cosier colours, dark parquet flooring such as black or dark brown can bring out the warm and rich tones. Whether you want a parquet flooring design for a monochrome room, or pair it with lighter or bolder colours to balance the atmosphere, it's a perfect choice.
You can also add a finishing to your chosen parquet flooring design and colour. These parquet finishes all give their own different aesthetic looks. A matt finish gives an elegant and wax-like look, a natural oil finish makes your floor look glossier and shinier, and then those without any finish at all gives the natural look.
How To Style Parquet Flooring
Choosing your pattern or colour of parquet flooring is hard and it can be difficult to know how to style around it. Luckily, parquet flooring can easily be adjusted to suit your décor. Here we give a few tips and tricks on styling parquet flooring:
- You can easily tweak the finish and colour to suit your style, just sand, varnish and paint your parquet flooring.
- When choosing a pattern, consider your room space. In smaller rooms, a pattern can make it feel smaller, so use furnishing in a minimal style. Or choose a lighter colour to open up the space. In general, parquet always works best when furniture serves as a background and not the focal point.
- When choosing a colour for your floor you also want to consider the interior design and what kind of style you want. Darker floors create a contrast for bright walls, these are best suited for larger rooms to make a statement and create a warm inviting feel. Lighter tones are great for smaller rooms or for creating a soft and airy feel and are great to pair with bold coloured décor.
Traditional Parquet Flooring Style
If you're after creating a traditional feel to your home, parquet flooring is a great place to start. Choose a herringbone pattern in golden oak or coffee colours as this creates a statement and brings a class into the room. Colour palette-wise to pair your floor with classic country tones such as oranges and greens to really create an inviting space.
Pair your golden oak parquet floor design with a rustic finish, not only will it complement wooden furniture but it will bring warmth into the room. This traditional style will not only bring colour to neutral spaces but will contrast between the light and the dark.
For a modern parquet style twist to the traditional, try choosing parquet flooring designs such as double herringbone or brick patterns, these create beautiful abstract patterns.
Contemporary Parquet Flooring Style
If you're more into the modern look, you can take this traditional floor style to not only brighten the place. Instead of a darker floor, opt for a lighter tone and choose a parquet floor in a whitewashed shade such as white or grey to capture an airy mood, and open up the room to more light as well. Opt for a pattern such as brick or Dutch to truly bring in the mix of modern and traditional.
For a darker modern style, pair bright and minimal décor with a traditional golden oak herringbone parquet design. This creates an interesting period mix and this style of parquet flooring can create both a sense of openness and warmth. Mix and match and use a combination of colours to create a striking contemporary style with your parquet.
Parquet Flooring Wood Types
Parquet flooring is usually made out of solid wood or engineered wood, which are both durable, long-lasting and easy to install. But both have their own benefits.
Solid wood parquet flooring is made from timbers and is solid all the way through. These are suitable for most rooms except rooms with moisture or heat like bathrooms. This is because the wood can become damaged from moisture and temperature changes.
Engineered wood flooring, however is great for all rooms of the house without prominent water use. This parquet flooring design consists of a plywood base built with several layers of boards and topped with timber. This gives it more stability to be laid down in those rooms, but solid wood floors will last longer.
Both of these parquet wood floors offer great designs, colours, patterns and styles, the main difference is the room's suitability. Want to know more? check out our guide on the difference between solid and engineered wood flooring.
Parquet Effect Flooring Ideas
For those who love the natural colours of wood, or want to replicate the timeless and beautiful parquet flooring designs without the cost of real wood, there are plenty of more affordable options, including laminate and luxury vinyl tiles.
Laminate flooring comes in a parquet and wood style design which is made by producing an image of wood over a layer of plastic. It is then laminated to a board backing, it's durable and long-lasting, and some laminate floors come with textured finishes. This parquet flooring idea is perfect for those on a budget or who want to create the parquet and woodeffect look for a short-term project.
Vinyl or luxury vinyl tiles are also available in various woodeffect styles. Vinyl is a similar price range of laminate, but for a thicker and more durable floor, parquet-effect LVT is a great way to achieve the look and feel of wooden floors but with more of a warm cushion underfoot feeling.
Both of these parquet-effect flooring ideas are great to achieve the look without breaking the bank. Although not real wood, you can find all the different colours, textures, and patterns that you can with a real parquet flooring design, and it's much easier to install and fit as most of it is click or loose lay tiles. And the added benefit of parquet-effect tiles is that its great for all rooms in the house, from high footfall areas and wet rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms as it's waterproof.
Room Styling With Parquet Flooring
There are endless possibilities for great ways to use parquet flooring in a specific room, but here are some ideas:
In hallways you can use parquet flooring of your pattern choice in a warm colour, decorate using furniture and add a border around the entrance. This leads the eye into the house and creates an inviting focal point.
Perfect for kitchens, living rooms, or dining rooms where you want to make a statement with the room, you can make your parquet floor the key feature. Pair the parquet flooring of your choice in a dark colour and pair it with neutral walls and décor to truly have your floor stand out.
Create the perfect home office or study with parquet flooring. Pair a traditional oak-coloured herringbone pattern floor with a bookcase and stylish retro wooden desk and furniture.
Parquet Flooring Inspiration
With so many options and opportunities, you can style your décor and your room to match your floor or make a statement and go bold. Choose an interior design trend such as minimalistic, Scandinavian, or go for a more rustic tone or traditional look. From beautiful patterns, brights, bolds, or neutral colours, to just a natural wood plank, the possibilities are endless.
Whether you are wanting to go modern or classic, a parquet flooring design or a parquet-effect flooring idea can really bring the ‘wow’ factor into your home. For more information, check out our parquet flooring guide, or browse our parquet flooring today.
