Parquet flooring is one of the more traditional options homeowners and landlords can opt for. Its prestige follows it. Classy, interesting, reliable – these are but a few of its qualities. However, is it a worn flooring type? Does it translate to the modern home? We delve into how you can re-contextualise parquet flooring to even the most contemporary stylings.

Alternate the finish

One of the ways that you can change up traditional parquet flooring is to change up the finish you have on it. Depending on the rest of your interior, you might choose to have a natural finish on your real wood parquet floors, or you might even want to experiment with paints and varnishes to change up the colours and styles of your flooring. This allows you to better match your floor to the other elements of your home and gives you space to change things up every now and again to keep your home feeling fresh and up to date.

Warm it up

If you have an imposing interior you are trying to soften, parquet style floors could be the answer you’re looking for. While pairing dark cabinets with tiles or concrete might create too harsh a finish on your room, pairing them with a parquet flooring that contains warming tones can really soften up a room.

Create a border

If you don’t like the regular herringbone designs of a lot of parquet floorings, why not put a border around the edge of a room. This is an interesting way to add detail to a room and create a focal point at the centre. Considering coordinating the decorative parts of your flooring with your doors and window frames to really tie a room together perfectly.

Hero your flooring

An interesting way to style parquet flooring in your modern home is to make it the main event. Keep the rest of your home minimal and neutral with whites and greys to really let the parquet style floors pop. With parquet flooring coming in many different designs and styles, it shouldn’t be hard to find a floor that will serve beautifully as a centrepiece for any room.

Try dark and brooding

Opting for a darker flooring that is finished with a shiny varnish can be a fantastic way to make your room feel more broody and mysterious. If you want to really lean into this concept, paint the walls with dark colours and accessorise simply and classically for a bachelor-pad style look.

Go minimalist

On almost the opposite end of the scale, consider whitewashing your parquet flooring to give a bleached-out effect that goes wonderfully with more minimalist designs. This gives your home the character of the natural wood but with a much lighter, fresher feeling.

Take it outside

Who said parquet style floors are only for the interior of your home? Mix things up a bit and add a modern twist to your garden by creating a decking with a parquet pattern. The wood will weather wonderfully to create a variety of layers and colours on your deck.

Stray from the classics

Remember that the classic herringbone pattern is not all there is! Consider more geometric shapes for your flooring and take advantage of the natural grain in the wood to make a much more interesting and unique pattern for your floor.