I'll be done with the library theme pretty soon, but I just ran across this "fantasy" library on Journal 703. It's lovely. He has the most romantic flooring discussion:
The floor I'd choose would be a floor I fell in love with as a fifteen year old boy in one of my friend's house. His parents had a beautiful federal style two story Colonial Revival home. Later, they added a traditional den/library to the back of the house. I've never forgotten the floor. It was brick; very smooth brick from an old street that was dug up and replaced in town. These bricks were reddish brown and very smooth. It had a sealed appearance that was very smooth. I later found out how they managed it. The brick was set, and sealed and coated with gloss polyurethane. On top of that were many coats of oxblood wax.
I'm a big fan of herringbone floors -- it's a unique way to use a standard rectangular shape, which means you can create a particularly unique floor pattern using off the shelf components. I'm building an addition to my house, and for the new upstairs bathroom, I'm going to use standard stock American Olean 3"x6" Subway tile ($.22/piece) laid in a herringbone pattern with a dark grout. I'm hoping it ends up looking like this:
image from Greenwood Marble and Tile.Tile or brick not appealling? Wood floors are the most traditional herringbone flooring.
The herringbone floor pattern dates back to Roman times, which is long enough ago that I think it qualifies as "timeless."
The herringbone floor pattern dates back to Roman times, which is long enough ago that I think it qualifies as "timeless."
Wood floors really fit the traditional summer houses, I think. We're doing a renovation in the house, and we're thinking about the flooring. Redondo Beach is the inspiration behind the new look. We want it to be more relaxed, especially the interiors. My wife and I think that one of the most exciting part of the whole project is the hardwood floor installation. Los Angeles is such a beautiful place to find the best inspiration in building a summer house. Thanks for sharing these designs. I saw the penny floors from your other posts, too. It's really cool!
ReplyDeleteOh, the wood floor in the picture makes me instantly remember my childhood when I was still living in the countryside. It's so nostalgic! Whenever I see those at the flooring showroom, I still feel nostalgic.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think of it, maybe I should visit our old house and while visiting my parents, take some time and admire the wood flooring. Tampa, where I live now, might be quite far from our old home, but I'd still go there for old time's sake.