Herringbone, Chevron and Parquet Floors

Planning the layout

In a pattern floor, small errors add up across the room. We snap a centre line along the main view — usually from the front door or down the length of a hallway — and work outwards from it, so the pattern looks straight from where people see it most.

We decide early whether the pattern runs wall to wall or sits inside a border, and how it meets other floors at thresholds and stairs.

Herringbone, chevron or parquet?

Each pattern changes the feel of a room in its own way.

• Herringbone: a classic zigzag of rectangular blocks; works in hallways and large rooms alike
• Chevron: angled ends meet in a clean point, giving a sharper, more modern line
• Parquet panels: repeated squares or set designs, often with a border around the room
• Custom layouts: combinations of patterns and borders drawn for the space

Where pattern floors work well

Herringbone suits long hallways, where the zigzag leads the eye down the room, and open living spaces that need a focal point without a rug. Chevron reads more graphic and suits simpler, modern interiors. Parquet panels sit well in formal rooms and entries.

A pattern can also run in one room and change to straight boards in the next, with a border or threshold marking the change.