Inspiring Interiors

Chevron and herringbone.

I have a real thing for wood chevron and herringbone floors, especially the slightly-battered, wide-plank ones you see in pictures of perfect old French apartments.

All four of the above photos are from B&B Italia. I could move in there tomorrow, no problem.

This is in Holly’s new apartment in Hannover, Germany, which she’s been blogging about over at Haus Maus.

Photo by Tia Borgsmidt. There’s a whole lot to like here aside from the herringbone floors—like those Poul Kjaerholm chairs!

From Sköna Hem.

Photo by Per Ranung.

What’s better than wood herringbone floors? Wood herringbone floors stained black. Via sfgirlbybay (I don’t know the original source, sorry—if you know, please tell me!).

Interior by Joseph Dirand Architecture. I really love the color variation in the chevron!

I saved the best (and most predictable!) room for last: Jenna Lyons’s bathroom, as seen in Domino. Interior by Levenson McDavid Architects. Ahhhhhh.

Chevron parquet by Atelier des Granges, who are welcome to come to my house anytime and install floors just like this.

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40 Comments

  • Reply dahlila September 30, 2010 at 5:49 pm

    I’d take it for the bathtub & sunlit window alone. Gorgeous digs.
    dahlila xxoo

  • Reply julie September 30, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    I adore chevron/herringbone floors too. I only just realised the difference though when I looked at these pics. I looked into putting a parquet floor into our dressing room but it was going to cost a bomb. Maybe one day though. An original floor is best but impossible to find where I live.

  • Reply Misa September 30, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    i am also totally obsessed with them. have you seen this?: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/at-europe-paris-chez-francois-and-raphaelle-040238

    swoonsville.

  • Reply Grumble Girl September 30, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    Boner. Love it all.

  • Reply Hardwood Flooring Pr September 30, 2010 at 8:45 pm

    Love every single image you posted here. I think I could live in a house with a combination of all those rooms. and you are right, the best is the bathroom, with that lovely tub…..*dreaming* ahhh thanks for sharing 😉

  • Reply April September 30, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    Stunning. Stunning. Stunning. I’m a huge fan of chevron and herringbone as well.

  • Reply kelly w September 30, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    is it wrong that I’m still fixated on the ‘Pong’ wall art in the first photo? Covet,

  • Reply Farah September 30, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    is the difference that each side on the chevron matches up symmetrically, and on the herringbone it’s slightly off? that’s what I gathered from the photos. i love both patterns in clothing but i never thought about that before.

  • Reply mllep September 30, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Wrecky wood floor plus fireplace plus plaster decoration plus big windows = heavenly!

  • Reply Anna at D16 September 30, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    @Misa: Wow, that apartment is gorgeous, and it is ALL about the floors!! Amazing. Thank you for sharing!

    @GG: I believe you meant “herringboner”, yes? 😉

    @kelly w: Me too! My first thought was that I want to recreate it NOW. Huge-style.

    @Farah: Yes, chevron meets at a true “V”, while herringbone is offset. Google gives me this post, which helps break it down a little better. 🙂

  • Reply Stephanie September 30, 2010 at 11:15 pm

    If I ever live in an apartment with herringbone/chevron wood floors… that is- WHEN I do (I have decided that it WILL happen) I’m sure I will spend a fair amount of time lying face down on them giving them a big hug with a giddy smile on my face.

  • Reply megan October 1, 2010 at 12:02 am

    Deep sigh…those are my absolute favorite floors too. Every year in the San Francisco decorator showcase house, they do floors like that and I just drool. I especially love the limed (limewashed?) bleachy looking ones.

  • Reply monika@lifemadesimpl October 1, 2010 at 6:24 am

    Great collection of photos! I love this kind of floor too, it is such a great foundation for stylish interiors.

  • Reply Cheryl October 1, 2010 at 9:31 am

    I’m sold.

  • Reply Anna October 1, 2010 at 10:03 am

    Aren’t those floors lovely? And the worn, slightly gray color is so gorgeous with a black leather sofa.

  • Reply Megan Jeyifo October 1, 2010 at 10:26 am

    Our floors are totally beat up and awful and ugly — these actually look *good* with some wear.

    I used that bathroom photo to try to convince my husband to let me paint the bathroom black. Didn’t work but he is allowing a gray so dark it may as well be black. I might just sneak and paint it black and tell him it came out that way. Oops.

  • Reply kay* October 1, 2010 at 11:20 am

    I heart herringbone floors as well – plus all the details and architecture in those old homes. my dream home will have both – one day!

  • Reply cajeta October 1, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    I can’t wait for a herringbone floor tutorial!

  • Reply Lori E October 1, 2010 at 5:59 pm

    The only thing I can think about is the absolutely amazing talent of the people that put the floors in. Seriously! Cutting all those angles correctly and over and over and over… Totally worth the beautiful results.

  • Reply Brittany Mauriss October 1, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    Ummm WOW, the dark & light contrast here is epic. and that fluffy white throw on the bench looks like something I wanna cuddle with. eee!

  • Reply simone October 2, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    I have a thing for herringbone floors too. In fact photo no 2. Describes my style perfectly (and no 3) 🙂

    I love B&B Italia, when I studied interior design, I found all these Italian furniture makers and somehow managed to get them to send me catalogs (english translation was hard).

  • Reply Erin October 4, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    I love herringbone floors more than chevron someone told me they were done to make use of shorter lengths of wood.

    I just wanted to leave a note that the latest place I’ve been mooning over them is on Rubicon on AMC which I believe takes place in NYC – the main characters apt has them and I keep ignoring the show to ogle the floor 😉

  • Reply Jenny October 4, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Well now I know that I just LOVE chevron wood/herringbone floors! I’ll never look at wooden floors in the same way again.

  • Reply Molly Jean October 4, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    love this post! thanks for sharing!

  • Reply flutterbymama October 6, 2010 at 6:01 am

    I absolutely love chevron floors. I really wanted it in our kitchen reno but my hub thought I was nuts as it would have cost an absolute fortune! Yeah ok he’s probably right but maybe one day….ahhhh (gone in to a dream state) Suppose there is only so much you can do in a reno with a tight budget, ho hum.

  • Reply Courtney October 6, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    I love this post! I had to feature the B&B Italia photos to my blog, inspiring my new bedroom.

    I also feature your blog on my blog list, because you always inspire me, Thank you!

  • Reply Jake October 7, 2010 at 8:10 am

    Not going to lament much except to say in Europe, these floors are the norm and the wood comes precut. My parents rented. NORMAL (cheap) apartment in Warsaw and it had these.. Matter of fact they are everywhere. Here in Canada we’re talking thrice the price.. Why??

  • Reply Jake October 7, 2010 at 8:11 am

    We are havin a baby and the room for the new one will have these.. It is small enough where I can justify the expense and my kid will grow up in style! At least they will while we work on the rest of the house,

  • Reply Krista October 7, 2010 at 7:19 pm

    We were recently looking at a beautiful home that had these chevron floors in the stunning living room. Much to my dismay, the house sold before we sold ours. I dream of having these floors at some point in my life. Original would be incredible, but I would install selvedged ones. Sigh!

  • Reply Michelle October 7, 2010 at 7:36 pm

    sigh. sigh. sigh. I couldn’t love and dream of herringbone floors more. I adore them. I fantasize about them. my husband and I installed flooring recently in our house and almost did herringbone (but it was our first hardwood floor install, and it’s for a rental apt. in our house so we held back). BUT I declare, it will happen in our space! maybe. it is so beautiful. swoon….

  • Reply tamstyles October 8, 2010 at 11:02 am

    loved those images…that bed in the middle of that floor with that amazing ceiling had me at HELLO TAM!

  • Reply Elizabeth October 10, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    I keep scrolling back to the image of the four-post bed. If I had a room like that, I doubt my feet would touch the beautiful floor all that often- I’d curl up under the covers all day long…

  • Reply JulieB October 11, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    I too have always had a thing for herringbone floors. Lived in a Parisian apartment with one as a student – it was definitely the best thing about it!

  • Reply Emily Fitzhugh October 11, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Beautiful. Texture becomes an innate part of the home….love it, I love the old and new mixed, and this has that feel. Lovely post. xo

  • Reply Lonely Wife Project October 15, 2010 at 7:34 pm

    i DIE for these floors!

  • Reply Tereza February 23, 2011 at 10:27 am

    The floors are gorgeous, I love chevron and herringbone floors.
    Hugs from Brasil
    Tereza

  • Reply Sille August 29, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Love these. I live in a light and airy new build with floor to ceiling windows – anyone ever seen them installed in places not full of beautiful period features? I am a bit scared it’d look out of place in my flat…

  • Reply Moira June 9, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Apart from the gorgeous floors…the rest of the apartment is perfect too…an effortless style which probably took quite a lot of effort really ;D

  • Reply Julie February 3, 2014 at 3:55 am

    Do you know what kind of wood is shown in last two photos? Can this look be accomplished w engineered wood floor like hickory or oak over a cement subfloor? Is chevron difficult for a good contractor? Thanks so much for any insight. I am restoring a Mies Van der rohe townhouse and wondering if I could achieve a chevron weathered look somehow and whether you think it fits w midcentury modern? Thanks so much

    • Anna @ D16 February 4, 2014 at 11:37 am

      Julie, I think these are questions for the contractor! I really don’t know, I’m sorry.

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