Herringbone – A Family Home with Soul

Vienna Woods customer Sophie Heyworth shares her inspiration behind the design of her home and the reasons why they went with Vienna Woods Flamingo in a Herringbone flooring pattern.

Why did you choose this Vienna Woods flooring?

Vienna Woods was our first port of call having seen their flooring in a number of homes we liked. The idea of a herringbone floor was something we didn’t realise was possible until we saw a beautiful example installed by one of VW’s craftsman installers – we were immediately hooked. We wanted to use timber with plenty of grain and texture, laid as individual pieces – something that would feel amazing and tactile under bare feet. Flooring is arguably one of the most important decisions in a house and has a huge impact on the aesthetics and feel of a space, so we thought it was worth investing in.

What was your inspiration when designing your home?

We wanted to create a home with soul – to us that meant warmth, natural materials and a sense of craft. It’s not a big home by today’s standards and is a renovated ‘modernist’ style architectural home from the 70’s. It had nice proportions, large windows and novel details – some which work and some which don’t! We were inspired by the architect’s original drawings and details, many of which were never implemented. So we essentially went back to the materials and detailing which were originally drawn by the original architect and then improved on by our builder, landscaper and kitchen designer.

What was the overall look and feel you were trying to achieve?

For us, the house is predominantly intimate and personal, yet able to open out on both sides in summer to create a pavilion-style area for larger numbers of friends and family. In that sense it makes a great summer house which is cool, breezy and very much indoor-outdoor, whereas in winter it is closed in to create a cozy, warm place to hibernate. Ultimately the house needs to function as a busy family home, so it has to be able to withstand a lot of wear and tear. The floor is testament to this – we don’t have to be too precious about it and it still looks great. As with all natural materials, it gets better with age!

Engineered Timber Flooring: Flamingo /// Himalaya Herringbone

See the full collection from Flamingo here. 

Raftwood Collection – Flooring with a History

Discover Raftwood

Raftwood is more than just a timber flooring option; it’s a piece of history brought into your home. Originally produced from railway sleeper oak, each Raftwood plank is unique, featuring natural grains and textures that tell a story from a bygone era. 

Brown rustic timber flooring

The Origins of Raftwood

The oak used in Raftwood has a rich history.  For many years Raftwood was produced using reclaimed railway sleepers from the Eastern Bloc.  Interestingly, railway sleepers used oak for its hardness and resistance to rot.  In many cases this timber was more than a century old and characterised by natural wood splits, knots, cracks and dents.   All of these factors have contributed to beautiful repurposed product that lives on and exudes character.  

Today Raftwood is still produced from French oak, however the original railway sleepers are no longer available.  It is still produced by the same artisans with techniques to showcase the natural characteristics of this ultra rustic wood flooring.  Every plank still tells a story of time that’s passed with a nod to it’s origins.

Light Colour Texture Rustic Oak Herringbone Floor

Specifications and Uses

Raftwood is not just aesthetically pleasing; it is also highly functional. The flooring is fortified with a natural oil finish that preserves its integrity and enhances its natural beauty. It’s perfect for a variety of applications, from flooring to wall installations, and can be used in both residential and commercial settings. Additionally, matching stair nosings can be produced to ensure a cohesive look throughout your space. The oiled finish also allows for the application of intumescent coatings, enhancing its fire resistance, where required.

Most Common Domensions;

    • Available in Engineered timber planking and parquet in a 15mm overall thickness and 4mm wear layer
    • Herringbone/ Chevron at 600 x 120mm or 700 x 140mm
    • Standard planking up to 3m in length and up to 300mm wide

Other Specifcs;

    • Made in Germany and The Netherlands
    • Birch multiply engineered backing
    • Tongue and Groove connection
    • CE certified
    • No added formaldehyd, rated VOC A+
    • Sustainably sourced

Downloadable resources available here.

Living area, architectural finishes, rustic textured wood flooring

Colour Palette and Texture

The Raftwood collection offers a range of colours that suit various interior styles. The palette includes shades from warm mid-tones to rich dark hues, each enhancing the rustic charm of the wood. The rich texture, complete with open splits and cracks, adds a rugged yet elegant touch to any room, creating spaces that are both inviting and timeless.

Rustic texture herringbone wood flooring in kitchen area

Romantic Appeal

Choosing Raftwood means bringing a piece of romance into your home. Its unique, weathered appearance nods to a time long past, adding character and charm that modern materials often lack. Each plank’s history and individual texture contribute to creating a space that is truly unique and full of character.

Raftwood collection
Raftwood collection-2

Learn More

Explore the full range of Raftwood and discover how it can transform your space. Visit our Raftwood Collection page to see the options available in this unique flooring.

VIEW THE RAFTWOOD COLLECTION

Park Hyatt – American Walnut Flooring

Before its opening, the Park Hyatt approached Vienna Woods because it required trusted flooring experts who would deliver an exceptional product.

As a result, Auckland’s newest waterfront luxury hotel, now features Vienna Woods’ American Walnut flooring in key areas throughout the entire building including the impressive Presidential Suite and Captain’s Bar.

Walnut’s refined tone compliments the Park Hyatt’s modern, minimalistic aesthetic which in turn creates warm and welcoming spaces for guests to enjoy. This hardwood flooring helps bring the concept of ‘natural luxury’ to life, with its superior craftmanship, quality and design.

Inspired by New Zealand’s history, the Park Hyatt incorporates nods to Maori culture. The interiors all feature heritage details like custom-made tukutuku screens, traditional Maori artwork and textiles made from local wood. It was therefore imperative that all design elements subtly enhanced this rich heritage without compromising on quality.

American Walnut’s natural appearance and durability does just this. It not only helps elevate the space, but it will stand the test of time and look good doing it.

Engineered Timber Flooring: Special Order

 

park-hyatt-american-walnut-flooring
-hyatt-american-walnut-flooring
park Hyatt Walnut Flooring-1

Grand Oak Onyx – Eastern Bays Luxury Home

Grand Oak Onyx in extra wide 250mm boards and is featured throughout this Hulena Architects designed home in Auckland’s Eastern Bays.

The substantial property offers unparalleled luxury and is a demonstration in sustainable living.

Anchored by the designer kitchen and Grand Oak Onyx floorboards in generous 2400mm lengths, the main living area flows seamlessly to the heated pool and lawn area.

 Engineered Timber Flooring: Grand Oak Onyx

 

View the Gran Oak Onyx Product

8 Ways to a Luxurious Interior with Timber Flooring

Timber flooring is likely to be the design feature that takes up the largest area of your home, therefore your choice of product has a huge impact on the atmosphere of your interior. Here are 8 easy ways you can ensure your timber flooring elevates your home to a luxurious level.

1/ Choose European Made Timber Flooring

Most ‘European’ wood flooring available in New Zealand is actually manufactured in Asia. If you really want a more refined atmosphere in your home, specify genuine European made timber flooring.

The Europeans combine centuries of wood working tradition with the latest technology, to craft superior quality engineered timber flooring.

Perfect milling precision, the latest European designs and wood treatments and generous longer lengths of flooring are some of the features of European made timber flooring. All of these elements combine to bring that special x-factor to your home; a feeling of quality and refined luxury throughout the interior.

2/ Use Wide Floorboards

Wide floorboards are an easy way to elevate the appearance of your interior. Wide floorboards bring ‘wow’ factor and a grand sense of scale to the interior. Depending on the size of room, you may consider anything from 180mm up to 300mm.

Oak Onyx 250mm

3/ Specify Longer Floorboards

Floorboard length is a vital element that is surprisingly often overlooked. As an example, most of the oak floorboards available in New Zealand are relatively short in length, as they’re usually sourced from Asia, resulting in a busy appearance to the finished floor. These short boards are typically a maximum length of 1900-2000mm, with a high percentage of much shorter boards mixed in – eg. about 40% of boards may be from just 600mm in length.

By comparison, Vienna Woods ensure that we always source the longest boards possible in each range we offer. Typical lengths we source from Europe are from 2200mm to 2400mm, however we can source massive lengths of up to 5 metres. Our floorboards come in fixed lengths where possible (with no shorter lengths supplied). Some products do come with shorter boards of mixed length, however we always ensure that even these ‘shorter’ boards are of reasonable length.

These generous sized longer floorboards from Europe will elevate your interior, bringing a premium atmosphere to your home.

4/ Herringbone and Chevron Patterns

These classic patterns updated for modern living are an excellent way to achieve a sense of luxury in your home. We recommend using European manufactured herringbone or chevron, as milling precision is absolutely vital in achieving a premium look with these patterns.

It is increasingly common to combine these patterns with standard boards in other areas of the home – apart from creating a visual feature this also helps keep costs down.

Admonter Oak Grey Herringbone

5/ Brass, Aged Brass or Matt Black trims

This is a relatively easy way to bring extra style to your interior. The trims can be placed in doorways where your wood flooring meets other floor coverings. Alternatively, you can add a feature to your floor, such as placing some boards in diagonal patterned sections in your hallway, with the metal trims creating a border between the feature pattern and standard floorboards.

6/ Open Stair Treads

Open stairs bring a unique architectural element to your interior. We can offer a prefinished tread option that is unique to the market; open stair treads made in the same factory as your flooring, from exactly the same wood source. The colour tone, texture and finish is the same as your flooring which helps achieve a seamless look between these interior elements.

7/ Matching Skirting

Matching skirting is available from select manufacturers and is an elegant way to tie the flooring and skirting together for more impact.

8/ Wall and Ceiling Panels

Using matching or contrasting wood panels or floorboards on walls and ceilings is an excellent way to bring some architectural wow-factor to your home.

Reclaimed Wood Sunbaked