Browse any interiors magazine or social media channel and we guarantee you’ll find plenty of beautiful rooms featuring herringbone flooring. Increasingly popular over the past few years, it seems we just can’t get enough of it. In fact, not so long ago research* showed that discerning home buyers would pay extra for a home with a herringbone floor. But as we all know, home trends ebb and flow like the seasons so we wondered: have we reached peak herringbone?
A herringbone floor brings many benefits, from visual interest, texture and movement to an unsurpassed organic beauty that will elevate your home with serenity and quiet luxury. Whether you want to add a sense of space to a smaller room or add character to a large open plan home, a herringbone floor brings a house to life.
Originally used in period homes as an economical way to introduce pattern with small wood planks, modern materials offer much greater versatility and practical benefits. With a hard wearing surface that’s comfortable and super easy to keep hygienically clean, our herringbone flooring can be used in any room, including bathrooms and kitchens. Our attention to detail also means you get an authentic grain variation across the floor for a look and feel that could easily be mistaken for the real thing.
A floor laid in a pattern, rather than the clean lines of straight planks or tiles, introduces many options to create depth, texture and interest. But with so many to choose from, how do you choose a pattern that will complement your home and your individual style?
Classic parquet
An iconic choice that instantly adds an interesting tactile surface and a comforting sense of history, a traditional parquet floor introduces the therapeutic tranquillity of nature into any space. Whether you use a classic warm tone such as Blond Oak or Morning Oak to add character to a new home or the cooler contemporary colouring of Storm Oak and Black Oak to add texture in a monochrome minimalist space, the small scale of our 9” x 3” parquet tiles create a sense of movement that will make a room feel so much more spacious.
Double vision
Our designers keep their ears to the ground and their fingers on the pulse of the design world, always keeping ahead of the latest trends with beautiful new designs. Which is why we’ve just expanded our Van Gogh range with a new 18" x 4.5" plank size. Available in six authentic oak colourways, these look amazing in a double herringbone pattern which will add textural interest to an open plan home or visually enlarge a smaller room.
Modern herringbone
For a more contemporary style, our 18” x 3” herringbone tiles are available in a wide range of colours, offering plenty of options to create a bespoke look. Perhaps your home is contemporary with a monochrome colour palette. The perfect complement would be a wood design with a grey hue such as Glacier Oak or Grey Studio Oak, adding interest without overpowering the overall effect.
Maybe you love antiques or mid-century vintage but don’t want to recreate a period style. A modern herringbone floor in a limed or washed oak design will prevent your home looking dated. In a Scandi home, Washed Scandi Pine will keep this classic trend cool or you can warm things up with Savannah Oak.
We’ve also introduced herringbone designs in a convenient 28” x 7” rigid core format so you can now get this elegant style even if you have an uneven subfloor or you’ve moved into a new home with concrete floors that are still drying.
Chevron
For a twist on a herringbone floor, a chevron pattern offers something a little bit different. Set on a 45 degree slant with perfectly aligned points like a string of arrow heads, a chevron floor has a distinctive angular pattern that looks luxurious and expensive. The perfect way to elevate almost any interior style, our Van Gogh range includes three brushed oak chevron designs in a choice of cool grey, neutral blond and warm golden browns.
Nothing’s set in stone
One of the many benefits of luxury vinyl is its outstanding versatility, meaning that any pattern can be achieved in almost any material. So a herringbone floor doesn’t have to be wood. In a stone design, from luxe Glacial Marble and Midnight Marble to smooth grey limestones Fumo and Argento, a stone herringbone floor will bring a cool sophistication to any room. Not just restricted to kitchens and bathrooms, this is a floor that will bring visual impact to living rooms and bedrooms too.
Mix it up
This versatility really comes into its own with the ability to mix and match materials. Within each product range, each design has a consistent tile thickness offering the freedom to blend colours for a unique effect. Combining two or more similar shades will add subtle depth while using contrasting light and dark colours will make more of a statement. An option that’s not available with the real thing, it’s even possible to combine wood and stone designs together for a striking yet playful geometric pattern.
So do we think herringbone has had its day? Absolutely not! With so many stunning styling options and the freedom to design highly individual interiors, we definitely see this elegant flooring style going from strength to strength in the coming years.
Explore the versatility of herringbone in your home. Herringbone designs | Karndean Flooring.
