commentSnapback: Talking the Plank
Fittingly, it was the forested site that influenced the design of this residence’s unconventional parquet floor. Staining the boards in a range of colors that reflect the seasonal palette of the deciduous trees outside, Swedish architects Tham & Videgard capitalized on the material properties of wood — easy to cut, stain and finish; expressive, organic graining — to bring nature’s artwork indoors. As the demand for hardwood floors continues to increase, there’s also a growing interest in going beyond standard narrow planks of traditional species, and treating the surface underfoot in more creative ways. —Leslie Clagett
Based on what you have seen and read about this project, how would you grade it? Use the stars below to indicate your assessment, five stars being the highest rating.
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Thomas R. Diehl
Principal
Thomas R. Diehl Architect
Houston.
“For me, the primary criteria for selecting a wood floor product is aesthetic. Not only is there variety in relation to species, ranging from oak to heart pine to purple heart, but one can obtain additional qualities through specifying the type of saw cut. While the most popular sawing preference is quarter-sawn wood, I prefer rift-sawn wood for its architectural appearance.”
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McKee Patterson
Principal,
Austin Patterson Disston Architects
Southport, Conn.
“We spec wood flooring in virtually all our residential projects, which span the traditional and classic to modern and contemporary. Standing on wood is comfortable on the feet, especially in areas like the kitchen, where homeowners work for long stretches. White oak is the species we use most often for flooring.”
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John Clagett
Principal
John Clagett Architect
Englewood, N.J.
“Two years ago I decided that the floors of a remodeling project I was designing should be stained a dark, reddish brown. I had real concerns this would turn the architecture truly lifeless — but this was not the case. The floors not only give a sense of floating in deep space, but they reflect light much like a mirror, producing trapezoidal patterns of bright and dark on the walls, ceilings, and floor.”
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