I Love My Floors

I’ve been steeped in research and writing about green building today, and have assignments for another 2 or 3 articles in the coming weeks on various aspects of this topic, so my focus on floors relates to the green, or sustainable quality of our new floors.

From the outset I knew that we wanted bamboo flooring wherever this idea would work. Most of the existing floors are oak, which is fairly common in this region of the country, and our plan was to refinish existing floors where possible and fill in as needed.




The master bedroom was one space where we could introduce a new material since it was separate from other rooms, and levels, making the visual transition an easier one. You actually come up three steps from my office, which has oak floors, as it was formally a bedroom. I chose a white carpet (yes, you read correctly) for the steps since it would not be heavily trafficked, and would mostly be walked on without shoes. The soft surface would also allow me to “pad around” an expression I adore and something I only remember doing after my water had broken on the morning my daughter would be born (18 + years ago) as I waited for the right moment to wake up Jonathan. Now I pad in style atop a basket weave, white on white design that only stretches from the steps to the end of the bathroom hallway in the master suite – it’s only about 7’.





But once inside the room, we installed a beautiful pre-finished blond bamboo floor that is light and natural looking. Teamed with the palest of teal blues for the paint color, something Benjamin Moore calls “(Icing on the Cake” (2049-70) the blond wood creates a very beachy feel, but is as much fun in the cold weather as in the warm, since it reminds us of summer. Our big purple bed – more of magenta than a purple – grounds the whole affair and helps it to work in all seasons. The bed linens bring in all the colors with a quilted ice blue coverlet and bright Indian print covered throw pillows.

A quick turn into the master bath reveals a smooth and silky beige ceramic 15” x 15” tile that is sophisticated and sleek, like the Crema Marfil marble-topped vanity we had made by our friend Peter Ochs. The tiles are large and set in straight and




make the impression of a larger space. Their simplicity was important since they share the space with our very vivid opalescent aqua mosaic glass-tiled shower that is the real statement in this fairly small room. The walls as well as are a very pale beige shade, (BM HC-27 entitled “Monterey White”, and do not challenge the shower tiling. Rather the whole room has a very elegant and soothing feel that is augmented by a full wall mirror with a band of lights on dimmers.

In the main room of the house, the kitchen/dining room/family room we had anticipated refinishing the existing oak floor, but when it proved too far gone after demolition of the surrounding walls, it was ripped up and needed a full replacement. Though I hemmed and hawed on the floor selection here, worrying that bamboo would not work well with the heavilypatterned wood of the kitchen cabinetry, I finally did go for the bamboo in an amber tone and I’m really glad I did.

The tone is similar to oak, which we have nearby on the stairs to the bottom level and in the adjacent music room, but they meld together well. Various individuals counseled me that mixing of woods can work, and though I was afraid there would be too many conflicting patterns and grains, it actually looks quite wonderful. The huge expanse of bamboo is so beautiful and I love the straight grain of the wood. Its linear quality is a great accompaniment to the linear styling of the kitchen cabinetry as well as the graphic lines of all the windows in that room, which allows it all to work together. We coupled the natural look of the wood with a soft green (BM 2144-40) called “Soft Fern” that blends well with the outdoors and seamlessly connects the walls of the room to the arborvitae outside.

Another major green flooring choice occurs in Jonathan’s studio where new construction allowed us to pour a concrete floor. Concrete can be a wonderful surface if finished properly, and though ours still has some issues with its epoxy finish, and fear this is not a green ideas, it is smooth and silky to walk on. We also took the opportunity to install radiant heat under the


poured surface and this is a fabulous heating source and makes the floor super comfortable to walk on year-round, with no shoes or stocking feet. I had them add a squared-incised pattern, measuring about 4’ x 4’ each across the surface so it would be visually broken up, and the white surface less overwhelming. Jonathan wanted an all white space, for mental clarity as much as anything else, and we created a spectacular studio/gallery space where there was formally a rundown garage. The floor adds immeasurably to the visual clarity, and it’s a fabulous surface for dancing as well.

The kids wanted carpeting in their rooms and I’ll be honest that I went with economic choices rather than natural ones. I figured that Isaac could easily stain or otherwise wear his carpeting over the course of the next five years before he goes off the college, and therefore the investment should be minimal.







In Sasha’s room, on the bottom level, I justify the decision for a nylon carpet with the notion that we could see some water down there and more expensive carpet would be therefore expensive to replace. This way I don’t fret the dampness or the beach traffic from her friends, and we can always replace down the road if our needs and uses change.

But outside of Sasha’s bedroom in the room we call the Kids’ Den, we installed a slate colored ceramic tile that is both durable and beautiful. Its called London Grey and it has a steely quality that also works well for a house near the beach. We used the same tile in the front vestibule and it can take great abuse but still look good. It looks like stone without the expense and works well with the real bluestone just outside the front door.



In Sasha's bathroom we recreated the same designwe had installed when we finished her attic bathroom in Concord a few years ago. We used a simple 8" x 8" white tile and designed a simple inset pattern of blue/green seaglass to ring the room. It allowed us the use the seaglass, a staple in these parts for decorating everyting from mittor frames to lamp bases, while keeping the cost reasonable, as those little tiles are pricey and even a few start to add dollars to the flooring budget quickly. I like the fresh, clean look of the floor which brightens an otherwise dark, windowless room. The crisp minty green walls (BM2041-70, Irish Mist) enhance the brightness as well, making it an inviting respite in contrast to the dank room it used to be.









Lastly we selected a natural green stone tile for the upstairs/guest bath. It’s a serene green and white mottled pattern that varies from tile to tile, as natural stone tends to do. Since the room is intensely sunny most of the day, the soft green color helps tone down the brightness and is cool to the touch. The rest of this fairly large bath/laundry room has white and off-white fixtures and the grey green of the walls (BM 2138-60 Grey Cashmere) picks up the tiling coloring perfectly. Again there is no fancy installation pattern, which keeps the lines simple, contemporary and open in feel.






You can probably tell that I think, daresay I know, that floors matter. They are a large visual expanse in most rooms and contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere you create in a space. We went for emotional resonance as well as a fluid quality that would follow us from room to room. There are elements of color, texture, pattern, depth, brightness, darkness, softness, hardness, movement, strength and stability. Each contributes to the character of the rooms, establishing mood, effecting sound and light, and encouraging activity or leisure depending upon the ambiance.

Floors are what hold us up and capture us when we fall. Little kids spend an awful lot of time moving around on them. Adults often forget they exist, except when something falls or they need cleaning. But they are always there to ground us, support us, balance us. I love my floors and derive great benefit from having taken the time to consider the materials and qualities of each selection.


Look for upcoming blog entries:
• I Love My Stove
• Kitchen Woods
• Landscape Evolution
• The Zonal System
• …