Karndean Blog

Get Daring with Herringbone

In our last blog, we explored the classic herringbone pattern and some traditional-style variations. If you’re looking to be a little more daring with the herringbone pattern, we have options to fit your style by playing with color! Consider one of these bolder herringbone designs.

Broken Herringbone*

Traditional herringbone layout of Glacier Oak parquet (left), broken herringbone (right)

Easily transform your traditional herringbone pattern into a daring one with a "broken herringbone." In a broken herringbone layout, the pattern is interrupted (broken) by a row of straight planks at the point where the two angled pieces would meet. To create this look in a smaller space, like a powder room or a narrow hallway, choose from our parquet planks instead of using a larger size.

Blended Herringbone

Blended herringbone using Blended Oak, Beach Driftwood and Double Smoked Acacia

Keep in mind that you could do this with virtually any pattern, but blending multiple colors into one design allows you to create a unique look by randomly mixing colors together. Blending is a terrific design option with rustic-looking floors, such as the Da Vinci blend shown above, or if you want to create a floor with high color variation. You could also create a beautiful rustic herringbone using our three American barnwood herringbone planks (part of the Korlok Select range).

Alternating Herringbone*

Alternating chevron pattern using Grano and Ignea

Create a bold zig-zag pattern by alternating colors horizontally or alternate colors vertically to break up the pattern, as shown in the chevron above. Depending on the size of the room and the selected colors, this could be overwhelming, so you may choose to do this to create an “area rug” in an entryway or under a dining room table.

Mixed Wood and Stone*

Wood to stone rendering using Dusk Oak and Washburn

You could also transition between spaces by transforming your herringbone from a wood look to a stone look. We have several stone visuals that are available in a plank size format to make this even easier. As shown above, we recommend the combination of Dusk Oak wood look planks and Washburn stone look planks.

*This layout is not compatible with our rigid core products.