One of the lasting aural cues of a memorable vacation spent in Munich a decade and a half ago was hearing the reassuring clip-clop of well-heeled admirers of baroque and rococo castles as they traversed endless halls lined with lustrous parquet flooring.
In a time when seemingly every conceivable interior surface was decorated in the most ornate fashion, the humble wood floor (and, on occasion, stone floor) was elevated from a utilitarian substrate to an artistic expression of avant-garde design, grounded on interlocking mathematical constructs and, of course, remarkable craftsmanship.
The myriad timber species in these parquet floors, including Oak, Walnut and Maple, formed the basis of interiors intentionally designed to be jaw-droppingly impressive, featuring walls, windows and vaulted ceilings adorned with gold accents and ornate tapestries, and populated with furniture crafted with seemingly endless attention to detail.
Mark Hak, the second-generation co-owner of Dutch flooring maker Hakwood, has on numerous occasions shared his admiration for the classic interiors of iconic European buildings and his desire to contribute to a centuries-old heritage of decorative floors in Gothic, Moorish, Georgian, and other styles.
After years of patient research and design, iterative prototyping, and leveraging in-house expertise from talented craftsmen and women, Mark’s aspiration has been realised, and this classic expression of patterned wood flooring is now housed within Hakwood’s luxurious Parquet Tiles Collection.
Hakwood’s Parquet Tiles in six signature designs, inspired by historic architectural landmarks from France, Italy, Spain and Great Britain, are now available for specification by Southern African architects and interior designers, in the full range of colours and surface textures found in their Signature Collection.
Each tile is carefully pre-fabricated and pre-finished by the artisans at Hakwood – a veritable labour of love when one accounts for the creation of the original floorboards, precise cutting to size, and the hand fabrication required to reassemble them into complex geometric patterns.
One of the most unexpected designs, the Alcazar Parquet Tile by Hakwood is inspired by the Moorish architecture of the Royal Alcazar of Seville. Its angular isometric design and cubist character resonate as much now as they did in the 11th century.
When it was first revealed at the Palace of Versailles, the lattice design of this parquet was nothing short of mesmerising. Traditionally arranged in a diamond formation originating from the hearth, Versailles parquetry remains the epitome of luxurious pattern flooring.
Eschewing complexity, Hakwood’s Kensington Parquet Tile emphasises a minimalist cross pattern and showcases the natural grain of Oak. Specify a high-contrast colour combination for maximum impact or a single tone for subtle variation.
A personal favourite, drawn from the iconic carvings and symmetrical designs of Spain’s Alhambra Palace, this tile features interlocking squares and striking angles. The result is a floor with intricate detail, depth and a sense of dimension.
Inspired by the architecture of the Loire Valley’s iconic palace, the Chambord pattern mimics the lines of an aerial view — from corner towers to the geometric paths of the grounds beyond the palace walls.
This Parquet Tile is inspired by the parapets of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. It uses a simple, grounding geometry to create a grid-like pattern with a sweeping diagonal for movement.
Please contact me or my colleagues at BestWood to discuss how best to incorporate Hakwood’s pre-fabricated Parquet Tiles within your project’s floor plan and interior design.
