Double Herringbone Parquet — Mayfair Period Flat

When the interior designer described this project as "an homage to the great Parisian apartments," the ambition was clear. A 95m² period flat in Mayfair, stripped back to concrete sub-floor during a full renovation, needed a herringbone parquet floor that matched the grandeur of its setting.

Double Border Detail

The defining feature of this installation is the double boarder: two rows of plain 90mm smoked oak planks surrounding the herringbone field on all four walls of each room. This Georgian-era detail frames the pattern and draws the eye toward the centre of each room — a technique common in 18th-century English and French interiors, rarely specified in modern work.

Setting out the boarder lines precisely before a single herringbone block is placed is critical. An error of 2mm compounds across the room and the pattern breaks at the junction. We spent half of day one on layout alone.

Material and Finish

The 90x450mm herringbone block in smoked and brushed European oak was selected for its depth of colour — a rich, chocolatey grey-brown that contrasted beautifully with the off-white painted walls. The Rubio Monocoat Oil in Mist added a very light whitening effect that enhanced the grain without obscuring the smoke colour.

A Challenging Sub-Floor

The concrete sub-floor had significant level variation — up to 8mm over 2 metres in places — common in buildings of this age. We applied two layers of self-levelling compound before priming and adhesive application. The investment in preparation is invisible in the finished result, but essential to it.

Outcome

Four days on site. The interior designer returned for a full shoot with her photographer on day five. The images were published in Livingetc magazine the following spring.