Monday, January 11, 2010

The Painted Floor

The ability of a painted floor, whether wearing a bold slick of paint or a fantastical pattern, to energize a room is something that has outlasted many fads of the past century. In my opinion, the painted floor ranks at the top of the list of classic design elements in interiors, such as blue and white porcelain, animal prints and chinoiserie elements, that will never go out of style. A young Sister Parish was certainly ahead of her time when she had her husband paint the master bedroom floor of their Far Hills farmhouse with a red and white diamond pattern. When Sister wrote part of her biography, she commented that painting the floor had been a daring move. Nearly eighty years later, House Beautiful has run an article in the February issue which discusses designers' favorite paint colors for floors.


(The entrance hall of the Whitney's Saratoga, New York horse farm as decorated by Parish Hadley. The green and white diamond pattern is the perfect accompaniment to the Whitney's collection of Americana. Photo by Oberto Gili for House and Garden.)


(Keith Irvine is no stranger to the beauty of a painted floor. The faded floor in his ballroom was inspired by a historical design he found in a Swedish house. Photo by Michel Arnaud.)


(I love how Mr. Irvine personalized the ballroom by incorporating a cartouche depicting all the elements of his life. Photo by Michel Arnaud.)

Painted floors are extremely versatile and look equally chic in a cottage or townhouse. Gary McBournie's choice of Benjamin Moore's Deep Ocean provided the perfect jolt of color to a white boathouse kitchen in Nantucket. Of course, one of my favorite floors is a faux-marble pattern that is in a New York townhouse designed by the celebrated Miles Redd. This floor is stunning and it is nearly impossible to tell that it's not real marble. Although it would require a talented artisian who specializes in faux painting to achieve this look, it is possible to hire a regular painter or builder to lay out and paint a pattern for a lot less money. I helped my mom choose a simple black and white diamond pattern for our front hall and our builder turned our vision into a reality. What are your thoughts on painted floors?


(Photo by Christopher Baker for House Beautiful.)


(That fabulous gallery designed by Miles Redd. Photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna.)


(My mom's chic foyer. Photo by The Peacock Salon.)


(Photo by The Peacock Salon.)

6 comments:

  1. That Christopher Baker photo is one of my favorites ever. That floor, that floor!!

    Lovely blog, too. Congratulations on your new venture...you will find the blogosphere a welcoming place, I think. xx

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  2. Lisa,

    Thank you so much for your kind comments. I am so glad that you like the blog. Tomorrow, I am going to the DIA to see the Richard Avedon exhibit and I am eager to post about it. Once again, thank you for the encouragement and the warm welcome into the blogosphere.

    Cheers,
    Caitlin
    The Peacock Salon

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  3. Your mother's foyer is my favorite of the lot! I love the idea of a red lacquered floor...perhaps in a small space though so as not to become too incendiary looking?

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  4. Hi Laura,

    A red lacquered floor sounds incredibly chic! I love anything lacquered and dream of one day having a red lacquered library reminiscent of Brooke Astor's! In the meantime, I'll just to have to keep dreaming....

    Cheers,
    Caitlin
    The Peacock Salon

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  5. Brilliant floors! Thank you for mentioning Stencil Library on Mrs Blanding's Blog. Red lacquer....cool.

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  6. Helen,

    I absolutely adore your site! Your stencils are simply stunning. I am thinking of purchasing one for a project for my hallway...

    Cheers,
    Caitlin
    The Peacock Salon

    ReplyDelete