5 Takes on Flooring To Transform and Anchor Your Home

In Toronto’s Baby Point neighbourhood, any home interior that doesn’t prioritize its exterior is, quite literally, missing the point. Recognizing this, designer Lisa Lev started at the front door, dispatching that curved staircase back to the 90s. Immediately, the sightlines of her clients’ Tudor Revival opened up, exposing two storeys-worth of treetop views, the Humber River below and Lake Ontario beyond. From there, the homeowners, says Lev, wanted a more intentional “sense of entry,” framing those first impressions. She achieved this drama with an oak-slat ceiling complemented by light herringbone flooring that points the eye toward breathtaking rear windows.

Natural materials are at the heart of the design, like the white-oak slats, which repeat throughout the space, and blackened steel. Oil-finished wide-plank oak floors have a teak-stained variegation that adds an agedness to the thoroughly updated interior. The owners’ own touches — a small white elephant statue at the base of the new stairs, a blessing Buddha in the bedroom, and a rich purple motif — make the home even more warm and welcoming.

EARNING INTEREST

We adore clean lines and streamlined decor, but a space needs texture and novelty to feel like a home. The Versailles Panels from Northern Wide Plank add visual intrigue and vintage warmth. The European oak panels come in eight colourways. From $342 per panel, at Northern Wide Plank.

THE NEW STANDBY

There’s no such thing as too much subway tile, so it’s a good thing the ES Tromboli collection works just as well on walls as it does as flooring. The elongated shape and slight sheen are elegant updates, and the colourways – viridian green and dusty rose tones, in particular – are perfectly modern. $14.95, at Cercan Tile.

SPOTTY VISION

Part of Parador’s award-winning One Ground collection, this engineered-wood wide plank flooring reveals dramatic streaking from afar, and a playful pattern up close, making it suitable for tastes all along the sophistication scale. Pricing upon request, at Relative Space.

WORKING THE ANGLES

Part of the lasting appeal of herringbone flooring is the way it shifts with the light. Havwoods’ Italian collection, sourced from sustainably managed European forests, uses narrow planks that enhance the velveteen effect. Pricing upon request, at Havwoods.