Help provided by the experienced team of Hardwood floor & Parquet flooring experts at Inner Space Flooring. Wood flooring suppliers Birmingham UK, installing Parquet flooring to homes and commercial buildings through the West Midlands UK.

Need to discuss your options to buy Parquet flooring and hire a professional team to fit your Parquet flooring, you can contact the team here.

Not only do wood floors come in an array of colours and types, as we explored in ‘How To Choose The Best Wood Floor For Your Home’, but there are a number of different styles of wood flooring that you can choose from too.

One of these styles is known as ‘parquet’ and is a decorative and sophisticated alternative to the traditional arrangement of wood floors.

What is parquet flooring?

Parquet flooring originates from France and dates back to the mid to late 1600’s, popular amongst the rich and the royal.

It was used to create patterns with small blocks of wood as the technology to make wide, stable engineered planks did not yet exist.

Parquet is, essentially, small blocks of wood that are laid to create a regular and geometric patterns give the illusion of an interlacing effect. Parquet flooring is commonly laid in hallways and commercial spaces, such as hotels and offices.

Today, Parquet is made from various species of wood including walnut, oak, pine and maple, and it can be made from either solid or engineered wood, so there are very few restrictions if you want a parquet flooring in a specific colour or style.

Parquet is the overall name given to this type of flooring, but there are a number of variations in this style that one can choose from; the two most popular being herringbone and chevron.

What is herringbone flooring?

Herringbone is the most popular form of parquet and was one of the biggest flooring trends in 2018.

It was first discovered in the age of the Roman Empire as the perfect arrangement for road building, but has since made its way into home interiors.

The herringbone pattern gets its name from its resemblance to fish bones. It uses simple rectangular blocks and lays them in a zigzag arrangement to create a mosaic effect, as shown in the image below.

Herringbone oozes sophistication and can even add some value to your home; however, they are harder to style and are certainly not for the faint-hearted.

What is chevron flooring?

Chevron and herringbone are often mistaken for one another but there is one clear difference between the two parquet floors. Unlike herringbone, the chevron pattern comes to a sharp, ‘v’-shaped, point - the same that can be found on many items of clothing and on motorways.

It’s this unique yet regulated zigzag pattern that makes chevron instantly recognisable and easily distinguishable from other parquet styles.

The flow of the directional pattern makes small and narrow spaces feel far longer and it naturally lends itself to Scandivian style interiors thanks to its refined aesthetic.

Aside from the aesthetics, there are some other differences between chevron and herringbone that you should consider before choosing one for your home.

Due to the manufacturing process, Chevron blocks tend to be more expensive than herringbone.

Why choose parquet flooring?

Parquet remains one of the most popular styles of wood flooring, especially in period homes that have traditional/classic features, tall ceilings and large, spacious rooms. There’s a modern trend towards using larger sized parquet blocks which work exceptionally well in ultramodern open planned living spaces.

The pattern adds a unique and classic touch to any space and makes the floor the focal point of the room.

If you want something individual and bespoke, then a wooden parquet floor may be the thing for you.

We can help to advise you in finding the perfect block for your space. Parquet isn’t a trend piece, it’s the sort of thing that will never go out of style.

Parquet flooring is also more stable than other designs, thanks to the wood being laid at 90 degree angles which restricts the amount of movement that can take place. This means that it is durable, easy to maintain and will likely last a lifetime.