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

All About Colour Variation

Colour Variation Is Naturally Beautiful

Many of our clients ask us about colour variation. It’s important to note that there will always be colour variation with wood flooring.

Using oak as the example, you’ll see colour and grain variation from board to board, and also differences between batches. This is a feature of oak and is to be celebrated; it’s these natural differences that ensure your real wood floor looks as natural as possible. If the colour were too uniform you may end up with a floor that looks less natural and more like laminate or vinyl.

Remember that oak doesn’t discriminate; no matter what type of oak it is, the country of origin or where you buy it from, there will always be a natural colour variation from board to board.

Varying tannin levels and different grain patterns are contributing causes of colour variation – for example, where you have more open grain compared to tighter grain structure, this may also result in some colour variation.

This natural variation is one reason why a small hand sample may look quite different to the installed floor. It’s important to note that small samples are just an indication of the general colour tone and grain pattern effect.

Wood Treatments

Some wood treatments can highlight colour differences – such as with smoked oak. As the smoking process relies on tannin levels in the oak to colour the wood, you will see a range of colours from the tannin variation throughout your flooring. This is a valued feature of smoked oak flooring and helps create a very organic and natural atmosphere.

The process of aging oak can also contribute to colour variation. For example the use of reactive stains will highlight colour differences. You may see a wide range of colours throughout your flooring from a single reactive stain colour – a grey colour may appear light grey and dark grey in the same floor. This variation produces a very attractive and popular aged effect.

Colour Differences From Custom Colours

This is a slightly different topic as we’re not talking so much about variation in colour throughout your floor (although this will still exist), we’re looking at the variation you will see during the process of creating your custom colour.

If you’re getting colour samples produced on different pieces of oak (eg. different board sizes from different manufacturers), you may see substantial colour differences. For example, a tinted oil that appears almost black on Ukrainian oak may appear a mid-brown tone on Lithuanian oak.

Another factor that affects the final colour is texture; a deeper brushed structure on the same piece of oak will typically make the same colour appear darker compared to the same oak with a lightly brushed texture.

How To Obtain Less Colour Variation

One way that you may realise a floor with less variation is to buy a prime grade of oak without knots. In general, the colour variation can be less with this oak grade, however there will still be some variation.

Another way to minimise variation is to buy European made engineered wood flooring. Remember also that just because the oak is ‘European’, it doesn’t mean your floor has been manufactured in Europe. The vast majority of European oak flooring sold in New Zealand is sourced from China.

In general we tend to see more colour variation and less consistency in wood flooring sourced outside of Europe. That’s not to say you can’t get wood flooring with a lot of variation sourced from Europe – you certainly can, but it depends on what treatment the wood has gone through (as mentioned above).

Many European manufacturers offer ranges with more variation as a feature, so there are always exceptions.

The best thing to do is talk to your wood flooring supplier – ask them what is the typical colour variation of the product you’re interested in. Ask to see photos that reflect the average colour variation.

Lastly, embrace the colour variation as this is intrinsic to all wood. Colour and grain variation is one aspect that helps bring a beautiful and natural atmosphere to your interior.

Admonter Oak Seta

Special Imports; Tailored Timber Flooring Design

You may have noticed on our website that our products can be searched by availability – ‘In Stock’ or ‘By Indent’.

In Stock means that the flooring is a stock item and we can usually supply at short notice, although it pays to be aware that we do occasionally sell out of an item due to high demand and it can take time to replenish the stock.

An Indent or “Special Order” is one that we make especially for a customer.  This product will be selected specifically to suit the project.  At Vienna Woods we place a number of Special orders for customers every month. 

The advantage of ordering a product through a special order is that the client will have access to specialised timber flooring and wall claddings that aren’t typically available in Australia and New Zealand.  The client may choose from a variety of stains, protective finishes, planking styles, widths, parquet and thicknesses.  Also available are a wonderful array of reclaimed and repurposed timbers that in many cases will be a one-of-a-kind wooden floor for your space.

Some points about special orders with Vienna Woods:

  •  The timeframe: Typically 4 months, however can be longer in some cases
  •  The options: Almost endless, so it’s a good idea to visit our showroom for inspiration as a starting point
  • The Vienna Woods Special Order system tracks your order from moment it is placed with the supplier, through to delivery to your door.  At any moment we can give you an estimated arrival date, once the order is on a container ship, the estimates become increasingly accurate.
  • Special orders are available to home owners, trade and commercial operators alike

The Vienna Woods Special Order Process:

  1.  Consult with a Vienna Woods Timber Flooring Expert regarding your project
  2.  Narrow down options 
  3. Sample Approval
  4. A deposit begins the order process
  5. Communication regarding shipping progress
  6. Product inspection and payment on arrival
  7. Enjoy your unique timber flooring

If you have enough time before your project starts, we recommend that you consider this option as it can be well worth the while sourcing a unique product, tailored especially for your living space.

 Some products that we arrange via special orders include; The Flamingo Parket Collection, Admonter Reclaimed Wall Cladding and Vienna Woods // Antique Floors

 

Wagon Back Herringbone Reclaimed French Oak Flooring

Vienna Woods // Reclaimed Wagon Oak Herringbone

Wagon Back Herringbone Reclaimed French Oak Flooring

Vienna Woods // Admonter // Reclaimed Hacked

Using Complementing Woods on Walls, Ceilings and Cabinetry

The use of complementing woods on walls, ceilings and cabinetry is for the individualist who appreciates the beauty intrinsic to wood.

With Admonter’s range of wall cladding and panels, you can easily lift your interior to an inspiring level. You may choose to use either matching wood colours (the same as your Admonter natural wood floorboards), or complementing colours combined with unique textures to encourage an organic, natural ambience.

Panels: Natural wood panels from Admonter let you give full rein to your creativity in all manner of different situations, whether you chose a classic hardwood or reclaimed and aged wood panel, Admonter wood panels have earned a name for themselves.

Cladding: A range of wall elements are available such as Galleria or CUBE. These are interlocking engineered wood panels that work in a similar way to floorboards (installed in a random/brick pattern). This special range of cladding features textures and designs not possible to achieve with floorboards.

Admonter Galleria Reclaimed Wood H2 Hacked

Admonter Cube

Of course you may also use our floorboards on walls and ceilings and many of our clients choose to do so.

Latest Timber Flooring Trends

COLOUR TRENDS / AGED WOOD / TEXTURES / FINISHES

COLOURS

Almost anything goes these days in terms of fashionable wood flooring colours; here are some of the trends we’re seeing on a consistent basis:

Light beige or light brown colours with grey under tones are popular; also mid-brown/grey, especially in smoked oak which brings a unique depth of colour to the flooring. See Imperial Oak, or Empire Oak, for example.

Smoked Oak – Admonter Oak Seta

Colours suitable for a Scandi-inspired interior are still popular; such as off-whites, cream and natural tones without too much yellow. Oak Cashmere is a good example of a neutral ‘Natural’ tone.

Nordic Inspired – Oak Cashmere

Dark and moody flooring has definitely made a strong return. An example of this is Oak Moonlight which is an oiled finish featuring dark hues and an attractive aged appearance. See also, Oak Onyx if you love extra wide boards.

Dark & Moody – Oak Moonlight

Grey tones continue to be popular, as it works exceptionally well with most other decors and provides a sophisticated foundation to your interior. Popular grey colours include Oak Karkula, Oak Constance and Admonter Oak Grey.

Sophisticated Grey – Chateau Oak Constance

AGED WOOD

There are a range of methods used to age the wood; speciality wood stains that react with the tannin to subtly age the wood are very popular. See our Chateau or Raftwood Patina ranges for examples.

Other ways of aging the wood include scraping, planing, smoking, distressing, variable band saw such as the ‘used’ texture, or sourcing reclaimed wood.

Aged ‘Reactive Stain’ oak – Patina Old Barn

Subtle Aged Effect – Planed Oak Oeral

APPEALING TEXTURES

Texture brings an interesting, natural element to the interior.

Lengthwise brushing that subtly highlights the woodgrain will always be popular, however we’re seeing more demand for unique textures such as the ‘Used’ texture, which is a subtle variable bandsaw available in Oak Prairie, Oak Marshall or Oak Whisky.

Variable Bandsaw – Oak Prairie Used Texture

The Authentic texture from Admonter is a real head turner. The wood surface mimics the organic structure of the tree itself. Authentic is available in both oak and larch.

Oak Authentic

Alternatively, reclaimed wood such as Raftwood reclaimed Dutch railway sleeper oak flooring, features a very natural and distinctive texture.

Reclaimed Dutch Railway Sleeper Oak – Raftwod Patina The Brick

EXTRA NATURAL APPEARANCE

Every year we see new releases from our suppliers, in more and more natural finishes. The aim is to provide oil and lacquer finishes so natural that you cannot see any visible finish.

A great example is Oak Natura from Admonter which captures a raw wood optic.

The Admonter Natura finish is available in two options, Oak Natura and Oak Smoke Natura.

Admonter Oak Natura

Another popular, extremely natural looking wood floor is American Oak Pureline from ESTA Parket. This is finished with an invisible Supermatt lacquer.

American Oak Pureline