Parquet Flooring Ideas and Patterns
What did Louis XIV, Thomas Jefferson, and George Vanderbilt have in common? They all chose parquet flooring for their palace, estate and home. From Versailles to Monticello to the Biltmore in Ashville, NC, gleaming parquet floors were the sign of luxurious living. In 17th and 18th century France, floors in the manors and estates of the very wealthy were inlaid with geometric patterns in various colored woods. The parquetry was an upper-class distinction, requiring skilled labor. Parquetry for floors was revived in mid-19th century England, especially in country houses. There, as in America, the intricate borders were available pre-arranged on a paper or cloth backing. See pictures of 19th century parquet designs (PHOTOS) >>
Parquet Flooring in Governor's Mansion
The floors of many Victorian mansions like the Alabama governor's mansion were inlaid with hardwood parquet flooring in geometrical patterns.
Banquet Hall with Parquet Flooring
The banquet hall in Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate featured ornate patterns of parquet flooring.
Parquet Flooring with Carpet
When parquetry projects a few feet from the wall, carpet does not need to be placed into the recesses and corners of the room.
Parquet Flooring for the Rich
In the past, parquet flooring was an upper-class distinction, requiring skilled labor.
Parquet Flooring in the Liviing Room
Inlaid parquet hardwood flooring appears more artistic and interesting than plain wood flooring.
Luxury Design
At first, parquet flooring was a sign of luxurious living.
Parquet Flooring for Everyone
Mass-produced parquet flooring was common in American houses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
First Step for Parquet Floor
In designing a parquet floor, the first step is to determine the shape and size of the proposed floor space to be covered by parquetry.
By the mid-19th century, the floors of many large Victorian houses were inlaid with variously colored hardwood arranged in geometrical patterns. This branch of decorative art was known as parquetry. Parquet flooring borders were supplied at a price which was scarcely greater per superficial foot than that paid for a good Brussels carpet. When the parquet hardwood flooring border projected two or three feet from the wall all round, the carpet did not need to be placed into the recesses and corners of the room, but was left square at the sides. This inlaid parquet hardwood flooring appeared more artistic and interesting than plain wood flooring. Mass-produced parquet floors were common in American houses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Relatively modest residences could now have a different border pattern in every room.
Antique Parquet Hardwood Flooring, c.1869
The art of parquet flooring – which is the use of block patterns rather than solid planks of wood – has not been forgotten. Parquet is the most decorative and expensive type of hardwood flooring. Parquetry is wood cut into geometrical designs and is sometimes called inlaid floors. A true parquet floor consists of short, matched lengths individually laid to produce interesting patterns such as herringbone, basket weave, squares and rectangles. The pieces are customarily tongued-and-grooved and end-matched. Standard lengths are multiples of the widths to aid in laying out the pattern. An experienced craftsman can use oak, maple, beech, birch, walnut, mahogany, teak, cherry, and ebonized wood to lay parquet in almost unlimited number of fascinating designs. Beware, your bill will reflect the workmanship in such a floor.
Antique Parquet Hardwood Border, c.1869
Antique Parquet Hardwood Border, c.1869
In designing a parquet floor, the first step is to determine the shape and size of the proposed floor space to be covered by parquetry. Then a scaled drawing featuring the intricacy of the pattern to be used should be laid out on graph paper or an artist's board. The designer, of course, must be familiar with the kinds and colors of woods used, and the sizes and thicknesses of strips, squares, hexagons, etc. available. All of the various manufacturers of parquetry will have, on hand or online, design books of patterns used, photographs of floors they have completed, and inspirational photographs to review.
Antique Parquet Hardwood Border, c.1869
Antique Parquet Hardwood Border, c.1869
It is always best to lay the border and the corner pieces first, all round the room; then the field may be laid out according to the planned, keeping all the lines parallel with the inside border lines. If, however, the design calls for diagonal work, the angles must be drawn from the lines produced on the floor. If there is a center pattern to be worked in, they may be laid out on the felt paper, cut roughly, and tacked in place; then one side and both ends of the room up to the centers may be finished, then follow up with the other side, making all connections as perfect as good tools and good workmanship can make them. The centers can then be fitted in easily if care and skill are exercised.
