BOURGOGNE STONE LIMITED    Exquisite French floors

A History of Stone and Wood Flooring Styles

“For a man’s house is his castle”, wrote Sir Edward Coke at the beginning of the 17th century. The phrase has become a cornerstone of the way we think and live. We are often asked by clients which building materials they should use for their style of property. Today we have a legacy of fine building and equally a continuing fascination in adhering to the correct details which give our houses their character. In Great Britain and the United States, that interest has become something of a national obsession. So below are just a few general comments regarding the style and type of the flooring used in period properties throughout the ages which we hope will be of assistance to you. TUDOR & JACOBEAN (1485-1625) After the Wars of the Roses the accession of the Tudor dynasty ushered in a new era of building. The wealthy re-built and re-modelled many timber framed buildings in stone or brick. For the first time original elements such as floors were changed according to fashion. However as building materials were relatively bulky and expensive to transport this meant that the principal building material was dependent upon what was available locally. So whilst most of England used limestone flooring, other areas like Cheshire, the West Midlands and Lancashire had highly decorated timber clad buildings. Scotland and Cornwall used local granite and slate. Brick was also used in areas without good stone or if stone was unaffordable. STONE:     Flagstones were common throughout most classes of house and were used throughout the ground floors. WOOD:    Oak floors were the preferred choice and used on the upper levels. Due to the abundance of wood available during this period it was not uncommon for wide boards to be used. Planks were laid in varying widths. BAROQUE (1625-1714) The theory of decorum and unity encouraged Increasing symmetry into building design. The import of the Italian Renaissance style after 1690 meant more stylised buildings. Architects also tried to copy the designs of the ancient world adding lots of ornate finishes. The floor finishes in the principal rooms however stayed the same unless the property was very grand indeed. In those few houses of exceptional quality floors using stone or marble designs were added within the entrance halls. These either had illusional patterns and/or two or more colours within the floor to add depth to the design. On the upper levels expensive wooden floors were sometimes laid to mimic the downstairs area. These used marquetry or parquetry. Where cost was an issue the floorboards on the upper levels were painted. STONE:     Flagstones covered principal and service rooms on ground floors, grander entrance halls received patterned stone floors. WOOD:   Oak continued to be the predominant choice on the upper floors. Painted floorboards also became fashionable. Planks were often more than 30cm wide. EARLY GEORGIAN (1714-1765) By the time of the death of Queen Anne at the grandest level of taste, a new architecture had all but supplanted the Baroque movement. Fashion started to follow the disciplines of symmetry and regularity introduced by the Italian architect, Andrea Palladio. This influence was responsible for some of the finest town and country houses of the era and has since had a profound effect on Georgian architecture. The speculative building boom of this period resulted in the creation of the dense pattern of streets and squares that many of Great Britain’s older cities still have today. STONE:     Limestone in carreaux d’octagones (octagonal tiles) format became the most popular feature for entrance halls. In very grand properties sometimes Italian marble was used as well as geometric patterns. However elsewhere in kitchens and service rooms flagstones were still the favoured treatment. WOOD:    Some of the downstairs areas used oak planks, these were rough and sanded. By the mid 1700s, Baltic fir, elm and pine were being used too. The width of the boards started to reduce too as they gained popularity. These went from 30cm (12”) wide to 20-25cm (8”-10”) widths. Fixed-width boarded floors were also introduced. AMERICAN COLONIAL (1607-1780) Whilst early settlers imported architectural styles from continental Europe and England evidence shows that shortly after their arrival in the New World a unique American style began to emerge. Despite being blessed with a plentiful supply of wood and land early “manor houses” were nothing more than sturdy one room clapboard structures. During the early part of this period apart from compacted earth and painted floor cloths, plain wooden floors were by far the most common feature. These were left rough and untreated. Towards the later part of the 18th century however the richest houses started to use stone and the grandest would import this from overseas. There were initially marked contrasts in style between regions. New England houses tended to follow Tudor and Elizabethan architecture, where as those in the southern Colonies adopted Georgian styles. The later became so popular that eventually this influenced the houses of nearly every region and size of property. STONE:     Only entrance halls tended to receive stone flooring. These were either geometric patterns or limestone carreaux d’octagones (octagonal tiles). Some kitchens and service rooms in the grander properties received flagstones, but typically wood was preferred due to cost and availability. WOOD:    Owing to the continent’s vast supplies many properties used wood exclusively, especially close grain pine which was abundant. This was left unvarnished and without stain. Oak was sometimes used but only in the grandest properties. Often the timber was painted in geometric patterns so as to imitate richer stone alternatives. LATE GEORGIAN (1765-1811) Inspired by the likes of Robert Adam, the most successful British architect of this time more grand properties were built with a greater emphasis on uniformity of construction. The first such developments were the Circus and the Royal Crescent in the English city of Bath, part of the grandest concept of unified urban planning ever seen in Great Britain. This trend spread resulting in rows of city terraces and small suburban houses modelled on the style of the Palladian villas of the early Georgian period. It now became common place for the grandest houses to be finished in limestone. Stone, brick and wood still remained the materials universally employed. STONE:     Ground floors continue to be stone flagged or tiled. These were geometric patterns or limestone carreaux d’octagones (octagonal tiles) in the entrance hall. The kitchens and service rooms adopted the more practical use of flagstones. WOOD:    Unvarnished fir or pine were used throughout the cheaper properties, where as grander houses might have polished oak planking on the main staircase and upper levels. REGENCY & EARLY 19TH CENTURY (1811-1837) Regency style was a period of domestic architectural transition. It denotes the period when George, Prince of Wales acted as Regent for his mad father, King George III as well as covering the decade of his own reign. Many copied the Prince’s love of imported French style in decoration. Changes in taste in fine arts and literature toward a new romantic sensibility were also reflected in the architecture of this period by famous architects like Sir John Soame and John Nash. STONE:     Grander properties and now some modest properties continued to have stone throughout their entrance halls. Some of the plusher ones now incorporated mosaic floor designs. Stone was also still considered the de-facto choice for kitchens and basement areas. WOOD:    Oak was the preserve of principal rooms in grand houses. Marquetry, parquetry and better timbers were limited to the richest rooms in the finest houses. Baltic fir, pine or painted boards were used elsewhere. As England’s forests thinned out, wood became less plentiful and the width of the boards narrowed to between 18 and 23cm. FEDERAL & EMPIRE (1780-1850) Federal or “Adamesque” style saw the revival of neo-classical architecture as the early Republic sought to associate itself with the ancient democracies of Greece and the republican values of Rome. This was epitomised by the Neo-classical architecture of British architect, Robert Adam whose published designs from 1792 were widely used. A later form of “Adam style” known as “Empire” heavily influenced Federal designs and such buildings as the U.S. Capitol building are based upon this. Inspired by the designs of two French architects, Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine “Empire” style takes its name from the rule of Napoleon I and the 1st French Empire. It was a sober and evenly balanced architecture that relied more on form than on detailing. It took renewed inspiration from the architecture of Palladio and Roman public buildings. STONE:     Grander houses used white marble or designs that incorporated limestone with an alternating darker stone. Elsewhere flagstones were used now in entrances of the more modest properties. WOOD:    In the better properties oak boards were used that were tongued-and-grooved. Parquet however was rare. Elsewhere white pine was in general use especially in the New England states until yellow pine, which had long been used in the mid-Atlantic and southern states replaced this. BRITISH VICTORIAN (1837-1901) One third of the houses in Britain date from before 1914, and most by far are Victorian. This period saw a revival in gothic building and an excellent example of this is the British Houses of Parliament. Many buildings of this era therefore have gothic details and features. The need for services and for greater privacy expanded the size of the upper middle class Victorian terrace to unprecedented height and depth. Inside the house the rooms reflected this. There were public rooms where guests were received and entertained, private rooms as well as servants rooms. However by the 1880s the trend towards suburban and rural living meant many associated the terrace row with the lower orders. The better off town dwellers therefore chose to live in Victorian villas. At this time the Queen Anne revival style was initiated. Sloane and Cadogan Squares in London are a fine testimony to this vogue. By the 1870s as canals and railways allowed the transportation of building materials houses were no longer necessarily built from local vernacular materials. STONE:     Only the grandest houses used stone in their entrances. Many hall floors of terraced properties had decorative encaustic tiles instead. Victorian kitchens still however used stone flags or red terracotta tiles. WOOD:    Oak was reserved for the best properties, but modest Victorian dwellings used plain pine floorboards. It was customary to cover them with rugs and to stain and polish the exposed surround. Wooden parquetry was also popular and many linoleum and carpet designs of this time mimicked this. AMERICAN VICTORIAN (1840-1910) Helped by industrialisation and plentiful building materials many large houses were now built on a wide scale. As such many different new domestic styles were adopted based on medieval and other non-classical forms, “Gothic Revival”, “Italianate”, “American Queen Anne”, “Stick style”, and “Colonial Revival” are just a few of them. These all came to be known as “American Victorian”. As all parts of the nation used the same design sources regional differences were now far more subtle. So for example by the 1890s fabricated “American Queen Anne” houses were now being transported by rail across the United States. STONE:     Many different sorts of tiles started to be used for entrances as these were durable as well as decorative. Stone was again reserved for the grandest properties. American Victorian homes were eclectic in their stylish elements and rich in individual interpretation. Most homeowners therefore chose the flooring that best suited their specific rooms, as such kitchens typically still used stone flags. WOOD:    The most common floors were still plain, unfinished, bleached pine boards. However as the century progressed a lot of these floors were treated as sub floors for more decorative coverings such as oak parquet. ARTS AND CRAFTS (1860-1925) In the face of grim industrialisation the Arts and Crafts movement grew influenced by the writings of English critic, John Ruskin. He inspired William Morris, the man most closely associated with the period who took up his pleas for honesty in materials and craftsmanship. Morris directed attention to the qualities of medieval architecture, holding up as models the members of craft guilds and the builders of the great cathedrals. Using simpler forms of decoration styles such as medieval, romantic and folk were popularised. Whilst it had its earliest and most complete development in Great Britain it soon spread to Europe and North America. The only honest and acceptable forms of flooring for Arts and Crafts Houses in both Great Britain and the United States were stone and fine wood. STONE:     Flagstones were very popular in country houses especially for entrance halls. Kitchens also used these for their durability too. WOOD:    The finest wood was used, normally well-chosen planking though some properties used the full width of tree trunks. Oak was the preferred wood in Great Britain whereas in the United States designers used oak, maple and more exotic hardwoods too. Some used pine but this was considered inferior so stained to look like better timber. There was also a vogue for painted floorboards in deep red and blue. ART NOUVEAU (1888-1905) A radical continental European style that transformed whole interiors into a composition of curving organic lines. This was never fully developed in Great Britain or the United States and both countries instead chose to stay closer to the core ideas of the Arts and Crafts movement. As such ‘Art Nouveau’ was typically expressed in building details and very rarely as an architectural style. STONE:     Stone tiles were used most often in hallways and kitchens. They however found a natural home in conservatories where they were ideally suited. WOOD:    The most common floors were polished oak boards that were carefully laid. Parquet was also an important element of the ‘Art Nouveau’ interior as it formed an excellent border or background to features such as carpets and rugs. EDWARDIAN (1901-1914) Whilst holding on to many of the Victorian style values this period saw the rapid growth in the building of the first mansion blocks or apartment buildings. This was something already commonplace in Paris but a new development for Great Britain. By the start of the new century the battle between competing styles was more or less over and there was a general acceptance of eclecticism. Luxury and comfort were higher priorities. The favoured domestic architecture tended to be a debased ‘Baroque’ style with red brick and white stone dressings used for the exterior of buildings. There was also a vogue within apartments for the French “Louis” style. In country properties ‘Mock Tudor’ maintained its popularity. STONE:     Limestone and marble continued to be used for the best properties. Some of the more modest houses had red quarry tiles in their entrance halls, occasionally in hexagonal shapes. There was a vogue for finishing bathrooms in black and white stone checked patterns and six inch (15cm) square terracotta tiles were often found in kitchens. WOOD:    Tongued and grooved floorboards were the most popular form of domestic flooring. Waxed or polished oak and sometimes teak were found in the grander houses with pine boards in the more modest properties. Parquet boards were hugely popular in the principal rooms and as borders. Herringbone patterns also became fashionable, especially in passageways and living rooms. AMERICAN BEAUX ARTS (1870-1920) As the United States grew its wealthier citizens built lavish town houses and country estates. These splendid new mansions were reminiscent of French chateaux, Italian palazzo and Elizabethan manor houses. With the development of architecture as a profession the country’s best students made their way to the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, the most prestigious faculty at which to study this. The style trend created by returning students came to be known as, “American Beaux Arts”. This focused on blending the old with the new, but whilst achieving a unity of design. Richard Morris Hunt initiated it by designing a series of mansions modelled on French Renaissance chateaux for the Vanderbilt family. Variants of English Gothic revival houses were also commonplace throughout this period, often called “Tudor Style”. These incorporated many of the finer elements of English Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture. STONE:     Stone flooring graced most entrances and alternating black and white squares were popular with many of the revival styles. The grandest houses used incredibly exotic, highly coloured marbles. Unglazed terracotta was used throughout many summer residences and those following the Spanish revival style. WOOD:    Oak parquet was very popular throughout dining and drawing rooms, especially herringbone patterns. As well as traditional oak more exotic varieties such as cherry and mahogany were also considered. The most common floors however were thin uniform oak strip planks with inlaid borders at their margins. These were particularly popular in many Colonial and Tudor revival properties. It also became the standard floor finish for many of the smaller houses that used the Beaux Arts style.