History of Parquet Flooring

The history of parquet flooring is rooted in the European aristocracy, particularly French, during the Age of Enlightenment. Even the word itself derives from parchet, French for ‘small enclosed space.’ It has risen to prominence as a trend and receded several times throughout its brief history, and is enjoying a period of vogue in the current day, for good reason!
The various patterns have become associated with luxury, bringing a warm elegance into any interior, be it commercial or a home. It is no wonder that parquet floors are often called ‘timeless,’ as they have managed to stay relevant after hundreds of years, and will no doubt continue to do so.

Common parquet patterns include:

• Herringbone

• Chevron

• Basket Weave

• Brick Pattern

Chevron patterned floor

The style was first adopted in Europe during the late 17th century, when King Louis XIV had the marble floors in the Palace of Versailles taken out as they were expensive, difficult to maintain, and rotted the joists beneath the floor due to the constant need to wash the marble. Before this, the trend of parquet flooring was already floating among the French elite, but it was the King who really exported the style to the continent.

Palace of Versailles - featuring a Versailles parquet floor

Parquet floors proved a good alternative to marble for decades to come as they were easier to maintain and inexpensive to replace when they became warped over time. Their versatile creative designs were popular in palaces, chateaus, and castles across Europe since they were a symbol of luxury. An important appearance many aristocrats and socialites had to maintain. 

They used to glue the floors down to the subfloor before hand scraping and finishing. But now with modern tongue and groove systems longer boards can be fitted easier, which paved the way for modern designs like the herringbone and chevron patterns.

The original design in Versailles was known as the Parquet Versailles, and is characterised by the wooden planks woven into interlaced diagonals. A design that is still available to this day. 

Parquet floors remained in fashion until carpets became mainstream during the 30’s. No doubt many households preferred the cheaper cost of material and installation. As well as some other benefits carpets might bring such as being warm underfoot, and better for children. 

The result was that a lot of these parquet floors were now hidden beneath carpets, where they remained for around 50 years before being re-discovered in the 80’s. Upon such discovery, they were fully restored, bringing the exquisite timber back to the forefront of design.

Parquet flooring was exported to England by Queen Henrietta Maria in the 17th century when she decided to redecorate Denmark house (now Somerset house).

The more familiar chevron and herringbone patterns emerged in the 18th century, where they have come to the forefront of parquet flooring. These are a popular choice for homeowners, and are readily fitted into commercial settings and larger properties like hotels or mid-high tier apartment complexes, restaurants, and anywhere else that would use a wood floor.

Grey Herringbone floor

Parquet flooring is available in all kinds of wood such as oak, cherry, walnut, maple, pine, and many other real woods. It also comes in laminate, vinyl (LVT), and rigid core SPC. You can see our various parquet flooring ranges on our website, including real wood and SPC from our Aquacore range.