Why are we drawn to the Old World architecture and design of Europe? What is it about the hundred-year-old buildings that are so captivating to us? Is it their ornate designs and handcrafted details that have stood the test of time? Is it the culture and rich history that they possess?
Old World style is slowly taking over the design world, attempting to recreate the elegant look and feel of a home that’s been lived in for generations. HGTV explains that “the hallmark of Old World design is a comfortable, broken-in look that shows the wear and tear of use” (Old World Style 101). You can recreate this comfortable, broken-in look in your own home through the use of color, texture, and natural materials.
When decorating a home with an Old World feel, you can draw inspiration from French Country, Tuscan, Spanish, Mediterranean, French Chateau, and Italian Villa design styles. Introducing various textures with fabrics, walls, and floors brings in the rich character and worn feel of a century-old home. Pull colors from nature and use as many natural materials as possible such as wrought iron, terra cotta, stone, and natural woods to give your design depth and dimension.
French Country
Tuscan
Spanish
Mediterranean
French Chateau
Italian Villa
This idea of an Old World floor is where we got our inspiration to create our Natural Face wood flooring product. The floors in most of Europe’s architecture are the original hardwood floors crafted hundreds of years ago. Over the years, the floors develop certain worn areas from generations of people walking on them and wearing them down. We wanted to attain this same authentic look without waiting hundreds of years to achieve it.
We discovered that when wood undergoes our natural drying process, it produces a variety of weathering characteristics and subtle undulations, creating a soft movement across the face of the wood. These undulations provide a depth of dimension and texture that create the look of hundred-year-old worn floors. After the drying process is complete, we further enhance the surface of the wood by hand, shaping each board, following the natural weathering that occurred during the drying process.
In the video above, you can see the unique movement across the face of the wood that occurs naturally. Typically, when making hardwood floors, you would saw off this uneven layer producing uniform floors that are perfectly smooth across the surface. When coming up with this idea of a Natural Face product, we thought why not keep the natural qualities and character of the wood and create floors that embrace the natural surroundings from which they come. This inspiration drove us to craft an American made product with an Old World style.
Our Natural Face wide plank flooring has become the product of choice for our high-end designers and architects because of its one of a kind look and Old World feel. Natural Face flooring is currently available in wide plank Texas Post Oak, Southern Pecan, and Texas Mesquite.
We hope this has inspired you to incorporate Old World design into your home and further explain what makes our Natural Face wide plank hardwood floors so unique!
“Old World Style 101.” HGTV, www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/old-world-style-101.