Hardwood flooring was the first type of flooring to have a major impact on the way people built their homes. In the times leading up to the medieval era, the ground floor of most homes was just dirt, nothing more than earth. The first wood floors were used in multi-story buildings and generally consisted of little more than two foot wide planks of Elm or Oak set atop wooden joists.

Fine wood flooring first came into use in the homes of wealthy Europeans. Parquet floors quickly became popular for their elegance and variety of beautiful patterns, but the price was prohibitive for most people. Over in North America, the abundance of available timber made hardwood floors much more reasonable for the average citizen. However, these early floors were not sanded or finished, they were laid to age naturally.

Wood flooring has come a long way since the early days but even today we recreate and follow the techniques of those before us in an effort to reclaim a piece of the past. Have a look below at some of our unique and exquisite wood flooring ideas.