How to style parquet flooring

Parquet-style flooring is a beautiful addition to any home, adding an air of sophistication and elegance to your space. This traditional flooring has a rich history of being used in palaces, five-star hotels, castles and more, and is still extremely common in the richest homes in Europe. Offering long-lasting durability, easy maintenance, and timeless appeal, what’s not to love? Plus, it's a great way of achieving a French country style in your home.

We’ll take you through what parquet flooring is, the different parquet flooring designs available, and how you can incorporate parquet flooring styles into your home. Find out how to make parquet flooring look modern as we explore some of our favourite parquet flooring ideas below.

In this guide:

• What is parquet flooring?
• Different parquet flooring styles
• Parquet flooring ideas for your home
• How to make parquet flooring look modern
• Create your own parquet flooring design

Here at Tapi, we’ve got various options in our parquet collection – including Finesse, our collection of LVT flooring available in decorative chevron and herringbone, as well as traditional straight planks. The Finesse herringbone parquet planks are shorter and narrower, which creates more of a vintage parquet design compared to longer, wider options, such as our contemporary Style LVT collection.

You can also browse herringbone styles in laminate and engineered wood options too.

Different parquet flooring styles

With so many designs to choose from, you can create any effect you wish. However, some parquet flooring styles are more common than others.

Herringbone parquet flooring designs

Herringbone is a classic flooring design style, used in both modern and traditional homes around Europe for its simple elegance. Herringbone creates a zig-zag pattern using short boards. However, there are different ways you can change the pattern to make it more unique. For example, you can double up the boards to create a double herringbone pattern or use wider boards to create a more simplistic look.

Chevron parquet flooring designs

Chevron parquet flooring styles use the same planks as herringbone flooring but they cut them at an angle – normally 30° or 45°. The planks are then lined up to create a consistent row of arrows. You can create wider or slimmer runs depending on the angle at which you cut the boards. Commonly found in Parisian apartments, chevron parquet is a very chic look.

Although chevron is similar to herringbone, they do have their differences, which you can read more about in our guide to herringbone vs chevron flooring.

Panelled parquet flooring designs

Panelled parquet flooring creates panels of a chosen design and places them in continuous floor patterns. The most common panelled parquet is the Versailles panel, so-called because it was used in the Palace of Versailles in France where this style first began. This consists of a weaving pattern in the middle, outlined by a square of thin boards, which is repeated around the room.

Inlaid parquet flooring designs

Inlaid parquet flooring styles create more complex patterns, such as basket weaves and mansion weaves. These are continuous patterns that aren’t boxed in like panelled parquet. Rather, the pattern looks as if it’s inlaid in the flooring due to the way the boards are cut at different angles. You can also include additional elements like metalwork to add even more complexity and grandeur.

Parquet flooring ideas for your home

So, how do you go about incorporating parquet flooring styles into your interior design? With so many parquet flooring styles to choose from, we’re here to help with our interior design tips and advice.

Perhaps you already have parquet flooring installed in your home, or maybe you’re considering it for your next renovation project? Read on to learn more about how to style parquet flooring ideas throughout your home. 

Kitchen parquet flooring ideas

Parquet flooring is hygienic, durable and easy to maintain, making it a great option for modern kitchens. The warmth, character and added detail of the patterned wooden floor is the perfect base for modern, minimalist and rustic homes alike.

The neutral wood tones also offer plenty of choice when it comes to pairing your flooring with your kitchen units. Dark walnut parquet flooring looks beautiful against bright white and marble units, while warm oak complements navy, grey and sage options exceptionally.

If you’re thinking of fitting parquet flooring in your kitchen, luxury vinyl tiles or planks are a practical and water resistant option that can be installed in a range of styles.

Living room parquet flooring ideas

Parquet flooring is perfect for high-traffic areas like living rooms, where you can really enjoy the beauty of the craftsmanship. Hardwearing and beautifully versatile, it’s also ideal for open floorplans if you’d like to install parquet flooring throughout the ground floor.  

If you’re thinking of incorporating parquet flooring in your living room, make sure to highlight it as one of the main features of the room. To do this, you won’t want to cover it up with too many large area rugs or too much furniture. Focus on simple furniture and décor, complementing the wood and allowing the parquet design to speak for itself without being consumed by other elements.

Hallway parquet flooring ideas

As functional as it is flattering, there’s a good reason why parquet flooring is so popular in hallways and foyers. From herringbone to chevron styles, investing in parquet flooring is one of the easiest ways to elevate the entrance of your home.

What’s more, it’s a great way to appreciate the grandeur of parquet flooring without fronting the cost of installing it across your entire ground floor. For example, to add variety and keep the cost down, you might choose to have traditional tiles or luxury vinyl tile flooring in the kitchen and carpet in the living room.  

Office parquet flooring ideas

Whether it’s a personal library and reading nook, a family office, or an office for working from home, ornate parquet flooring is a classic option to upgrade your office space.

When decorating your office space, keeping your walls simple can help maintain balance, opting for a block colour or minimalist wallpaper. However, if you want to recreate the traditional study look, maybe opt for dark walls, bold wallpaper or half-panelled walls.

How to make parquet flooring look modern

If you want to modernise your parquet flooring, we’ve got you covered! The best place to start is to consider the type of flooring you want to use and the look you want to achieve:

• Do you want to use solid wood, or something a little more practical like laminate or luxury vinyl tiles?
• If you’re looking for a minimalist or Scandinavian aesthetic, light oak, ash, and grey-toned wood can help make your space appear bright and open.
• Consider a darker wood colour for a more traditional, sophisticated look.
• Yellow wood tones can appear more dated, so unless you’re aiming for a retro mid-century modern look, this might be something to bear in mind.
• Wider planks can look more contemporary than narrow parquet flooring designs, but of course, this is a personal preference.
• Bring your modern look together by layering varied textures in your decor, including soft furnishings, metals, glass, and wood. If you choose warm-toned flooring, complement it with warm-toned furnishings for extra cosiness.

Find inspiration from our Flooring Ideas page to see how other Tapi customers have used our products to create their dream flooring.

Create your own parquet flooring design

There are so many different parquet flooring styles to choose from. Available in a wide range of flooring options, there’s something to suit every interior design aesthetic and budget.

Discover our flooring options online or pop into your local Tapi store and speak to one of our floorologists about the different styles available. You can also order free samples of any flooring to see how it fits with your lighting and decor at home.

Alternatively, book a free home visit and our specialists can come to you! We’ll bring plenty of samples, measure your space and offer our expert flooring knowledge, helping you to find the perfect fit for your home.