Depending on who you believe, either ‘God is in the detail’ or it’s the devil. You can also argue endlessly about where both idioms originated. God has everyone from Flaubert to Mies van der Rohe on side. But there are also folksy variations on the ‘devil is in the detail’ all over Europe, so who really knows? Personally we’re happy to take both, as long as we can all agree: details do matter. In fact, call us picky, but as far as design goes we’d take it even further and say almost nothing matters more than getting the finishing touches just right. Are we wrong?
Let’s hear it for hearths
Who doesn’t love cosy stoves on chilly nights? They put heart into a room and almost make suffering cold, wet and windy weather worthwhile – almost. The only thing that makes stoves more appealing is finishing them with a solid stone hearth. If fires are the heart of a room, a perfectly balanced hearth definitely brings the soul. We’re so keen on them we keep pre-cut slate hearthstones in stock – though we’re just as happy to customise the cut, finish and perfect fit of your hearth too.
The age-old skill of scribing wood to stone
Mastering the art of ‘scribing’ (blending wood and stone seamlessly together) is something we’re pretty proud of at Strathearn. If you’ve ever seen wooden pillars organically ‘growing’ out of solid rock or natural stone walls flowing into wood panelling, that’s what we’re talking about. The ancient Japanese called the technique ‘ishibatate’ and used it in the foundations of traditional houses.
Chambord Bordeaux Herringbone
We do doormats differently
Doormats might be a necessary evil, but do they have to be so ugly? We’re going to say ‘no’ to that and instead suggest you take a look at our subtle, inset coir mats with picture-frame detail. Yes, they do exactly the same job as doormats have always done, they just look a lot prettier and don’t trip anyone up in the process, ever.
Chambord Bordeaux Herringbone with natural coir mat.
Ahead of the curve on floor finishes
A beautiful floor is a work of art and deserves a fitting frame, as our parquet border designs prove perfectly. But we’re equally devoted to finishing floors around stairs with elegantly curving borders – we can even create oak stair treads to match floors right down to details like curved nosing (an inelegant term for the lovely rounded shape of the bottom stair in a traditional staircase).
Unfinished Oak Herringbone, straight edge, with bourbon oil finish
Even our floor sockets are design details
We’re perfectionists, not a bad trait for flooring designers and a clear benefit when it comes to dealing with the tiny details that make a big difference. Take sockets for example, we think fitting them flush into our floors is an ideal solution to wires and cables trailing over your newly laid plank or parquet. And like all our finishing touches, flush-fitted-floor-sockets are just something we do, you only have to ask.
Chambord Limousin Herringbone with Bronze Floor Socket
Find out more about the full range of finishing touches at Strathearn
