Client: Edinburgh Family

WEST END, EDINBURGH

Project: Design and installation of Chambord Provence Herringbone with border and installation of large format Shoreditch Sand Porcelain 907x907x12mm.

Products Chosen: Engineered Oak, Herringbone Parquet – Chambord Limousin. Large format Porcelain – sadly this tile has been discontinued, however we have a similar tile available; Melville Stone Porcelain

THE BRIEF

The clients were introduced to us by Rachel, Design Director, Hen & Crask. Theirs was an ambitious and exciting project – renovating and extending a fabulous Victorian property in Edinburgh. The clients were looking for flooring from us that was both contemporary and traditional in style but practical enough for a family home too.

Their architects Archer & Braun had designed a stunning stone-glass extension at the rear of the property, which would provide them with a large open kitchen/living space. At the same time, the original parts of the house were being renovated to provide a family home that had a modern twist. The aim was to incorporate the luxuries and comforts of contemporary living, while complementing the existing beautiful features of the original house.

THE SOLUTION

Strathearn Stone & Timber were asked to supply and install oak flooring for the existing rooms on the ground floor – including the main hallway, Dining room, Games room, Wine Cellar and Library, and to supply and install porcelain tiles for the new kitchen/dining/living space, along with the utility and laundry areas too.

The choice of oak flooring was an important one as it needed to look modern and traditional at the same time. Working with Rachel, we guided the clients through our range and the perfect solution was found – our Chambord Provence herringbone engineered oak flooring. Our Provence finish has a soft, mid-grey colour, with lovely heathery tones, providing the ideal backdrop to show off statement pieces of furniture or to offset bold and exciting colour schemes.

Our dedicated in-house team of oak flooring installers loved working on this project as each room was filled with character. They enjoyed working on the border detailing in particular, showcasing their finishing skills around features such as the base of the staircase and into the wee downstairs loo, with the hidden hatch! Everyone’s favourite room was the bar/library – the perfect hideaway.

For the kitchen/living area, the clients knew that they wanted an impressively large square format porcelain tile, again in a soft warm grey. We had a few candidates in our range but our Shoreditch Sand 907x907mm tiles had the perfect tone against the Provence grey and the new kitchen units too. The installation involved installing the tiles over the new in-screed underfloor heating system in the new extension. We also scribed the tiles to the exposed original stone wall for a neat feature finish, as well as fitting up to the huge sliding, glazed doors, where the porcelain look was continued outside using external porcelain slabs selected to match the internal finish.

It was a joy to be involved with this project and the final results speak for themselves. Working with a great team, and with wonderful clients like these, turns our work into pleasure. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that we played a part in the creation of this stunning and very special family home.