Those who visited imm might have noticed I stept a bit out of the monochrome comfort zone you are used to see from me. When designing the space I was aware of the fact that many would expect an overal black and white stand from me as somehow people seem to identify the term monochrome and my blog with only black and white. If you look closer you will see I have always loved and used some strong raw and black materials, and I am a fan of stone, marble, metal, leather, old wood and a bit of imperfection and the unexpected.
For this project where I could let my imagination run wild and thus try out new things Solidfloor™ turned out to be the perfect partner as I wanted to use a dark flooring to create an intimate and soft look. Colour on the walls is of course not new to me but I haven’t used any in years and was happy to discuss the colours I choose over a cup of coffee with my friend Iris, who is a trend watcher and colour specialist. You can read more about the final colours I choose in this blogpost: vtwonen paint for Graham and Brown
It is great to have friends to share your ideas with, people like Iris dare to use colour and make beautiful combinations that work, for this project I thought I needed to stay really close to what I really love though and at the end trust my own ideas. One good advice she gave me was to focus more on material, something I am working on at my own home as well where I use a lot of steel furniture at the moment. For the stand I ended up using a good mix of materials like coloured glass, wood, stone, wool, steel, leather, cork, soft plaids and handmade rugs with lots of structure. See a list of all items and more pictures of the floor in this previous blogpost: Pictures from my stand at imm 2017
Choosing a wooden floor from Solidfloor™
The starting point for my stand was an intense contrasting, extra rustic dark wooden parquet floor from the Earth & Fire collection and I think the ‘Yampa‘ floor I choose really stood out and helped to create the atmosphere I was aiming for. With a sample of the flooring I choose the other colours and materials for the lounge area, like the cognac leather Cosima couch with it’s pine green woollen poufs by Danish Bolia.
Solidfloor™ is a brand of the Fetim group, which was founded in 1919 as the Haarlemse Fijnhouthandel. Since then the company designs and manufactures high-quality wooden floors that provide a warm, intimate atmosphere in all living spaces at home, but also in hotels, shops and offices. Well known interior designers like Ilse Crawford and leading architects like Piet Boon worked with Solidfloor™ and the wooden flooring has been used in a number of commercial venues from shops and stores to restaurants and galleries like The Conran Shop and Sotheby’s Sl2 Gallery to name a few.
I am really happy I was able to work with Solidfloor™ for the imm Bloggers Trend Show and many people came in to ask about the floor, we showed the sample pieces I brought with me and how to find the floor I choose plus the other options in the catalog.
I think showing a floor or any other piece of furniture in a stand like I made for imm is a great way for brands, retailers and buyers to show or see the floor in a ‘home’ setting. It was great to see people sit on the couch and touch and explore materials, a visitor told me that he never considered buying a wooden floor before but loved the atmosphere in the stand while someone else said she never really was into a brand before seeing it used the way I styled it in my stand.
I am so grateful for imm giving me the opportunity to share my ideas and inspire others. Please scroll down for some more info on the different collections of Solidfloor™ and stay tuned for some beautiful homes I will show on the blog where Solidfloor™ was used in the near future!
Choosing a new floor for your home
If you consider a new floor I would love you to have a look at the website where you will have the possibility to go through a number of options to find the floor that would fit your personal taste and home best. In three easy steps you are guided though the different patterns, colours and finishes.
In the floor planner you can see how the floor would fit the colour of your walls and find installation and maintenance instructions of the floor you selected.
Piet Boon Design collection
Piet Boon teamed up with Solidfloor™ and put together a collection which consists of five different types of floor, available in seven exclusively selected Piet Boon colours giving you the possibility to bring the balanced Piet Boon style into your home: Piet Boon collection
Earth & Fire Collection
In the Earth & Fire collection you will find floors with names as St.Helens, Vesuvius, Moose and Yampa all referring and inspired by the silence of nature. Floors from this collection all have their own strong identity. Eart & Fire collection
Originals
Almost forty different finishes can be found in the Originals collection, covering the basic of the flooring range from Solidfloor with soft, earthy and natural woody tones in combination with a refined polish: Originals
Lifestyle
If you love light spaces with grey tints and chalky nuances combined with a smooth wooden finish the Lifestyle collection is the one you should have a look at first Lifestyle
Vintage
Floors from this collection all have their very strong own character like the newly to the collection added ‘Aubisque’ in the picture above, which is coloured with a reactive stain (see detail information per floor)
The method of colouring creates a deep and warm character of these floors, caused by the natural reaction between the applied stain and tannin – a natural substance in oak. The concentration of tannin differs from panel to panel, which makes every single plank unique. It may happen that a new floor has not yet reached it’s final colour during installation, as the reaction between the stain and tannin takes some time. This is normal and has nothing to do with the quality of the floor. The floor will reach it’s designated colour in the foreseeable future without any problems.
Floors from the vintage collection give you that nostalgic look, making you think they have been part of the house for ages: Vintage
New Classic
Do you ever dream of a beautiful Herringbone floor? Classic parquet floors are characterised by warm, deep colours that give the interior a chic and elegant look, while the stylish patterns have a grand impact. No wonder I have been showing some beautiful Parisian homes over the years with great floors giving the apartments that Parisian grandeur of the past. Have a look at the New classics collection to see some great examples that you could use for your own home.