Calling parquet floor fans
03.2022
Discover Stone Parquet, a revolutionary concept that combines the classic beauty of wooden flooring with the durability and magic of natural stone
If you are a parquet floor fan, we think you’ll fall in love with Stone Parquet
There are certain items of furniture and décor elements that achieve icon status and become timeless objects of desire, undimmed by the passing of years and generations, and outlasting fads and fashions. Parquet flooring is undoubtably one of these and continues to attract legions of new fans, and we see it being used increasingly, not only in homes but also commercial spaces.
Inspired by its warmth and enduring beauty, we set about developing our own homage that could also be considered not just an evolution but something of a mini-revolution. After all, some might say it was rather audacious to try and tinker with such a classic, but we think our interpretation does it justice. We’ll take a look at in more detail here and let you be the judge, however.
Stone Parquet: ideazione e nascita
Challenges. We definitely love them. We detest the phrase “it can’t be done” and this is the attitude that has constantly driven us to innovate and come up with surprising products and solutions. A few years ago, the subject of how to transform our beloved natural stone into another material came up. Was it possible for it to take on the properties of wood, another beautiful natural material? Absolutely.
One of our first forays into creating something from stone rather than wood was the Stone Forest installation designed by Kengo Kuma. We also explored how the characteristics of hewn wood could be interpreted in stone with our Raw texture, designed together with our longstanding friend Piero Lissoni with whom we have created many other milestone products. Stone Parquet is one of those.
Stone Parquet in detail
While the substitution of stone for wood is the main characteristic of Stone Parquet, it is not the only one. First of all, the big question was which stone to use. We decided upon four very different but equally gorgeous variants, in cool white Bianco Carrara, warm creamy Crema d’Orcia limestone, caramel-coloured Imperiale and rich dark brown Pietra d’Avola.
Just as is the practice with wood, Stone Parquet can be laid in two different patterns, giving it what could be described as a dual identity. Choose from a mixture of plank-like tiles in varying lengths and widths which can be laid in a staggered pattern, or opt for uniform tiles for a herringbone effect.
One of the advantages the stone version has over its wooden equivalent is that it is extremely tough and hardwearing, making it ideal for use both inside and out, as well as spaces such as bathrooms where it will be frequently exposed to water. In terms of maintenance, the main rule to remember is that you should only use neutral detergents and stay far away from aggressive cleaning products as they risk damaging the stone. Likewise, hot pans should never be placed directly on it as they can cause the stone to discolour or mark.
With that said, how do we recommend using Stone Parquet if we want to optimise its charm and beauty? The answer is that it is extremely easy to use as it combines with a host of styles and other materials, just as original wooden parquet does. For example, this light-filled home on the shores of Lake Garda in Northern Italy features Stone Parquet in Crema d’Orcia, laid in a staggered pattern, with walls in Silk Georgette® Rain, while on the other side of the Atlantic, we have a New York apartment where we see it in herringbone in Pietra d’Avola, this time with the Bianco Carrara version of Rain.
The world is your oyster with this versatile texture with its lovely soft edges that recall wooden parquet that has been smoothed away under thousands of footsteps over the decades.
Lake Garda, where the placid water, mountains and sky are balanced in an elemental harmony, has long been a source of inspiration for writers and thinkers.
The Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam’s Jordaan district takes its name from the breweries that once lined its banks
