Special Style panels

TIME HAS SWUNG A FULL CIRCLE

THE LASTING CHARM OF VERSAILLES PANELS ET AL STILL ATTRACTS

Stefaan Luykx (Habo - B)

Habo from Genk (Belgium) has been a reference point in traditional parquet floors for decades. That’s true not only in Belgium via wholesaler Holz Bois, but also in the Netherlands after the takeover in 2008 of Albers in Weert. The Limburg company is ideally placed to talk about some items which have come noticeably to prominence in recent years: style panels and special designs like herringbone and chevron. Managing director Stefaan Luykx told us:

‘What I should say at once is that you mustn’t overestimate the impact of style panels. They’re still on the periphery, unlike herringbone or chevron. There’s also a big difference between Belgium and the Netherlands. In Belgium a lot of jobs are repairs in old houses and renovation, whilst in the Netherlands large rooms of 100m² and more are no exception. All in all, demand for style panels is low, but you can’t say that about herringbone and chevron.’

‘To sum up, you can say that people hardly ever choose style panels as a new floor, but they do choose herringbone and chevron, which are often also on show in interior magazines. What is noticeable is how herringbone and chevron have penetrated the market much more strongly in the Netherlands than in Belgium. In the Netherlands they’re almost standard floors, certainly in bigger cities with companies which specialise in fitting them.’

‘What you also notice is a strong advance in multilayer products with tongue and groove, which make fitting easier. At the same time, there’s also a noticeable growing demand for traditional herringbone and chevron in 6 and 9mm, which Habo itself produces. On the other hand sales of traditional strip parquet are decreasing. Obviously, we respond by adapting our stock of raw material accordingly. For the rest we can only welcome the shift towards herringbone and chevron which will help to continue to honour the parquet fitting trade. What’s certainly also noticeable is that with herringbone and chevron you have on the one hand the traditional fitting with sanding and finishing on site, but on the other hand pre-finished distressed floors are appearing more and more.’

‘Imitations? They’re certainly competition, although that’s less the case for a company like ours which supplies mainly traditional parquet fitters, who don’t usually display LVT tiles in their showrooms. Finally, I’d like to say one more thing about the Netherlands. Do you know what we’re seeing there regularly recently? As an alternative to a Versailles panel, they’re fitting uncut basket weave, which run to the end of the room. You could call them endless Versailles floors.’

Old fitting patterns, including style panels, are back in fashion. We think here of designs such as herringbone and Hungarian point, call them nephews or nieces if you wish. Obviously, there’s also an explicit link with marquetry, which we have covered in a previous issue.

Let us define style panels briefly as sorts of tiles with an outer edge frame for wooden floorboards in a certain fitting pattern. The panels are glued to each other sideways. It almost goes without saying that these are solid wooden panels, although we have noticed that solid wood is making way for multilayer where the style panel pattern is created on a subfloor (usually multiplex).

Uniqueness

The use of wood makes each panel unique, even if that doesn’t necessarily apply to the patterns. In that case the design (and possibly the finish) gives rise to the general image. Obviously, there are scores of fitting patterns within that framework. The pattern which undoubtedly fires the imagination the most is the Versailles panel. As you might suppose, this ‘king of the style panels’ refers to the similarly named palace in Versailles and takes us back to Louis XIV and his glory days in the 17th century.

To prevent any misunderstanding, let’s make it clear that there isn’t just one single Versailles panel. No, there are several variants, which can all be traced back to the world famous Hall of Mirrors in the palace. Versailles Palace was built originally in 1624 as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII almost 20km south of Paris. His successor, the Sun King, converted the rather modest predecessor into a domain of 800 hectares with an accompanying fairytale palace.

Versailles and Chantilly

The floors in the Hall of Mirrors consist of panels (1x1 metre). These perfectly square panels comprise diagonal wickerwork, which is framed by a square edge of parquet strips. Below we further clarify the Versailles panel and one of its variants, the Chantilly pattern:

- Versailles pattern: This is the original Versailles pattern, with panels which are separated by three strips of 8cm, which converge in a corner to form a point. Today, Versailles panels are available in different sizes and are adapted to the room in which they are fitted. - Chantilly pattern: This is a charming and very popular variant often used in lace making and clothing design. It’s not as well known as the Versailles pattern, but it comes from the same castle. Chantilly is a more intricate variant with lots of small panels which form a wickerwork. In the castle it is fitted in panels, but it can also stretch over the width of the floor.

Tailored work as a condition

Nowadays, style panels come in various dimensions, but remember that they always involve tailored work. And so, at the start, you have to establish the size of the frame for the floor. The ultimate aim is to fill the panels so that they fill the open space without being sawn. Versailles panels have one more special feature; you have to fit them diagonally i.e. in a diamond shape. This means you need a half-diagonal panel at the edge of each row. Half-panels are also on offer so nothing has to be sawn.

Execution and fitting

The number of selections, wood sorts, and thicknesses is manifold, but the usual thickness is around 10mm. The sections are sawn diagonally and glued to each other sideways. Usually, Versailles panels are fully glued with a permanent elastic adhesive onto a perfectly sandpapered mosaic subfloor. In terms of wood sort the greatest demand is for extra, premium, or bis/rustic. We have noticed that there has been a big demand for artificially aged floors for quite a long time.

Some specialists

BJ Parket

For BJ Parket, style panels are still important. Versailles is one of the most coveted. Versailles is a classic type of style panel which consists mainly of a (diagonal) plait framed by a square edge of parquet strips. The panels are always customised. Adapting the size of the panel to the size of the location makes it possible to work even more towards a natural harmony between floor and room. That’s why BJ Parket has three dimensions in the range in which the plaits are composed of friezes of 50 mm (panels of 45 cm or of 52 to 62 cm wide), friezes of 72 mm (panels of 65 cm or of 73 to 95 cm wide), and

friezes of 90 mm (panel 102 cm wide). The measure is adapted precisely for each floor by changing the size of the square blocks. These panels are making their way into both private homes and catering establishments. Distressed designs are increasingly in demand.

Design Parquet

Design Parquet, which has great expertise in the manufacture of special panels, has noticed a great appreciation for these floor designs. The company has also accounted for several prestigious projects. This type of parquet can be fitted in any interior and is designed for all sorts of clients. The floors are glued or nailed. The most important designs are Versailles, Pyramid, and Hexagon. The major sizes are 800 x 800 and 1,000 x 1,000mm. Here, too, oak is the most popular and most suitable sort of wood, but all sorts are possible. These panels are highly popular in the Middle East. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs

In recent years we have found Style panels are gaining popularity. We at Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs have had increasing demand and received many commissions for this product. Mostly commercial projects, think hotels, bars, restaurants and other public spaces. There is also growing demand for these Style panels by private customers who have a larger budget. People like to create a traditional atmosphere combined with a modern twist. When a specific request comes for something bespoke, we first do design drawings. After approval our highly skilled factory team starts production. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs is very flexible when offering Style Panels. This can be done in unusual dimensions, pattern and wood species. Material can be smoked, brushed or aged (distressed) before the panels are assembled. Finishes such as staining, oiling or lacquering will be done on site. Houtbedrijf Kerkhofs produces Style Panels with great precision care and quality.

LUXUY PANELS, BORDERS, HERRINGBONE, STRIPS,

TRADITIONAL PARQUET, DUO-LINE, END GRAIN, CUSTOMIZED, ...

B.J. Parket bv

Habo

Parquet producer Habo (Genk/Weert) has focused from the start on solid parquet in strips, patterns, style panels and made to measure floors that are installed in a traditional way, namely glued and pinned onto a subfloor. All types of decorative patterns can be custom made in different selections of French oak and exotic woods. Although decorative panels only represent a small part of the total production, through the years Habo has been able to produce some true gems for its clients: going from stylish Versailles panels in American black walnut and a honeycomb parquet for the store chain De Bijenkorf to a magnificent mansion weave for the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky and the reconstruction according to original design of three different historic floors in the impressive Museum M.

Hand-made panels in 18th century oak (Filip Redant, Atelier Passe Partout bvba)

Hand-made panels in 18th century oak (Filip Redant, Atelier Passe Partout bvba)

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