Whether you’re in the market for a new luxury floor, or just in need of some home inspiration, this post has it all. Flooring expert, Joel Tovi of Oak & Broad, will share his insight on how to choose the right floor for your home, and designer and homeowner, Trish Lynn of Colette Interiors, will show you how to bring it all together. Enjoy a stroll through this beautifully designed home with all the luxury finishes.
Your home is grand, yet grounded. Tell us a bit about the key elements that contribute to this effect.
Trish of Colette Interiors… In all of our designs, we try to meet somewhere in the middle on approachable and elevated. We are a family of five, as are so many of my clients with young families. Creating an environment that is functional and livable is always a top priority. Our first floor’s open floor plan was what I most fell in love with, yet it also presented a challenge in assuring all of the individual spaces complemented one another and blended together harmoniously. We strive to create spaces that serve dual purposes and easily transition from a family to an entertaining space.
- Created a natural, but well-defined space with intentional transitions between rooms and a generous amount of negative space that resulted in a more casual vibe.
- Designed with a neutral and warm color palette throughout the first floor to keep the environment light, bright, and inviting. We also wanted to incorporate the look and feel of our wooded exteriors into our interior design elements by introducing rustic woods, stone walls, textured furnishings, and layered organic materials.
- Furnishings were kept low-profile, clean-lined, and minimalistic. We designed around a balanced horizontal plane to keep the overall schematic feeling approachable, casual, and out of the way. We then added height and depth through more organic elements like greenery, wood elements, and lighting.
The flooring in this home is stunning! Will you tell us a bit about it?
Joel of Oak & Broad… This flooring was custom-made to order using American White Oak. The client specified a 7.5″ width for the planks. They also request an extra thick 3/4″ Engineered plank. The grain pattern in the wood is called Live Sawn grain. We have a helpful grain diagram if you would like to see it. The floor was finished with WOCA Diamond Oil for a beautiful matte finish that really brings out the natural beauty of the wood. The flooring is a Character grade that includes neat things like wormholes, knots, sapwood, etc.
Can you share some advice on how to choose flooring that will work in every room?
Trish of Colette Interiors… A great starting point is honing in on the finish and color of the flooring. Identify a color range you love and one that suits your space. The entire first floor of our home is an open floor plan, so it was important for us to create a foundation that was inviting and welcoming that made the spaces harmonious yet their own. For the open floor plan, we leaned toward warmer wood tones in a wider plank white oak to make it feel more grounded and relaxed. From there we looked at the grain patterns of the hardwoods within that family to find something suitable for our design plan. It was important that our home reflected our heavily wooded natural surroundings and the interior hardwoods exude tons of character. We selected a live sawn grade that included knots, swirls, sapwood, wormholes, cracks, etc. – we embraced it all! We loved the hardwood’s bespoke nature and robust variations.
As for scaling your flooring plans across the home, you can never see enough samples in enough spaces, across enough light forms. I’m a big believer in living with your selections over time before pulling the trigger.
We all have an idea of what our dream home and looks like, and it usually includes specific flooring. How do you help a homeowner attain the flooring of their dreams?
Joel of Oak & Broad… Oak & Broad is a custom wide plank wood flooring specialist. We work hand-in-hand with homeowners, designers, and builders to deliver an heirloom-quality floor. Just as importantly, we deliver a consulting-style service that makes the process of creating the perfect floor smooth and enjoyable.
In order to ensure that every consumer gets a floor they’ll be thrilled with, we produce floors in a wide range of styles and finishes. Our most popular and floors are made from Black Walnut, American White Oak, Hickory, and European White Oak. These can be solid or engineered, pre-finished or site-finished, and can be produced with a variety of special finishes such as hand-scraped or wire-brushed, low gloss, and matte. To ensure that everyone can have the floor of their dreams we ship anywhere in the United States.
For this project, you were your own client. What do you enjoy most about teaming up with clients when designing a home?
Trish of Colette Interiors… Inspiration!! It’s harder to draw inspiration on an island. All of our clients have helped to spark the ah-ha moments that fuel our design ideas. Whether it’s a meaningful piece of artwork, a family heirloom, or a favorite place, we draw so much inspiration from what our clients share.
We love living vicariously through our clients throughout the design process. I recently had a client compare the design process to birth suggesting how all involved are laser-focused on the end result and the happiness it will bring. I loved that analogy. I adore seeing the design process unfold through my clients’ eyes. There is truly nothing better than unveiling a space and seeing my clients’ reactions. It’s the ultimate Christmas morning.
How do you guide a homeowner through the process of choosing a hardwood floor? What features/qualities should they consider?
Joel of Oak & Broad… We take a consulting approach to the project starting with questions about what the home needs and what kind of flooring can be used. As an example, if the home is on a slab or near the ocean they will need an Engineered plank instead of a Solid Plank. We will often review inspirational photos from the client and then make suggestions based on those photos.
Hardwood flooring is really a “get what you pay for” item. The quality difference between a $6 per SQ FT product that mass-produced and a $10 per SQ FT product that’s custom made will be huge. Look for floors that have lengths of at least 2′- 10′ and don’t have specifications measured in inches like 10″- 60″. That’s a big red flag that you may end up with a lot of short pieces that don’t look like what you want. For Engineered floors look for a product that has at least a 4mm wear layer. Ask about the maintenance requirements for the flooring. Some floors need more than others.
We imagine that choosing a favorite moment in your own home will be tough, but what space do you find yourself wandering back to time and time again?
Trish of Colette Interiors… Probably our mudroom. It is steeped in function and meaning for us. We drew inspiration for the mudroom design from a vintage bell circa 1894 that was discovered in our family’s happy place. It provided the inspiration for the design aesthetic, bringing in a more modern, streamlined aesthetic and tying that together with timeless and classic design elements.
Art and finishes were collected throughout the space that are meaningful and joyful for us. While we have a more formal front door entrance, the reality is the majority of our guests enter through the mudroom. So we wanted the space to be elevated, yet entirely approachable. We balanced the timelessness of the classic brick and antiqued finishes with the livability of the endless storage and custom barn wood vanity. We wanted the space to surround you in warmth and invitation and set the tone for the aesthetic vibe of the rest of the house.
Your Instagram shows off a playful side to your designs. Where do you find inspiration for play in your work?
Trish of Colette Interiors… As a mother of three young daughters, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of being playful and free-spirited. This has transcended into my designs of children’s spaces. The right selection of design elements can convey a playful sense that appeals to the lighter side. Unlike our first floor that tends to be more tailored, defined, and streamlined, I chose to pursue a more unpredictable, colorful, and patterned design in the kids’ spaces on the second floor. When it comes to designing children’s spaces, I’m inspired by my tiniest clients and their unique personalities. In creating a more whimsical space, we hope it sparks creativity, dreamers, and playfulness in our tiniest clients.
What is the number one question you are asked by clients? And how do you answer it?
Joel of Oak & Broad… “How much is it?” Pricing is based on many things and we are able to price out each project based on specifications we determine through the consultation process.
Love what you see? Take a peek at the talent behind the story… Interior Design: Colette Interiors · Wood Floors: Oak & Broad · Photography: Raquel Langworthy · Builder: Iorio Contractors
