Carmen and Roger were no strangers to creating beautiful properties, and this new home was no exception. Having worked with V4 Wood Flooring before, we have seen how the family create distinctive designs throughout their renovation projects. Using beautifully contrasting dark floors with bright and airy surroundings, the couple excels at creating contemporary and stylish designs. When discussing the current project, Carmen explains:
“We bought the site in 2018. We fell in love with the endless open countryside views stretching down the Tyne Valley and across the Pennines for miles. It’s perfectly placed between Roger’s office in Newcastle and the children’s school and only 10 minutes from each. The house is a new build, designed by Roger and based on a traditional Northumbrian farmhouse with character features such as dusty bricks, open eaves, and cottage bar windows. The interior has a strong contemporary take to suit modern family living with open plan floor space in the main living area. We have built our own homes before, so we used the experience gained from previous developments to craft this home to our own bespoke requirements.”
Having used V4’s plank flooring in previous projects, this time the couple decided to make a change and try our engineered oak Herringbone, ZB105 Foundry Steel. From V4’s Deco Parquet Collection, Foundry Steel offers a deep characterful board that is Distressed, Stained & UV Oiled to create a protective wear layer; perfect for a busy family home such as Carmen and Roger’s, as Carmen goes on to discuss:
“We hadn’t used herringbone before but love the look, it’s a contemporary take on a classic look which matches the feel of the house perfectly. We’ve used Foundry Steel before and find it really hides the signs of everyday family life. We have a black Labrador, Yogi, so it’s important that our floors don’t show up every last dog hair! Fitting was easy and straightforward. No underlay was needed as it was bonded, so it was really quick to fit”
Click here to explore Foundry Steel herringbone, order your free sample or even use our room visualiser to see this fantastic floor in your own space.
When it came to the design of the house, Carmen and Roger took on the task of planning the interior design themselves. Drawing inspiration from their surroundings in Northumberland, they used a mixture of rustic style pieces, combined with rich tones of Blue to create a warming and consistent theme throughout their family home. Carmen explains: “All designs were done by us to provide a comfortable and contemporary family living space with formal areas for entertaining and a traditional brick exterior to complement the surrounding Northumbrian countryside”. The couple completed their furnishings through the use of old and new pieces. These included a master bed from Sueno and new sideboards for the formal blue living room from Andrew Martin. Carmen explains “We integrated these with pieces that we already owned and additional original pieces that we bought from local auction rooms.”
Overall, Carmen and Roger are happy with their herringbone floors, stating: “We love the herringbone design, and it has been easy to look after. It blends well with the overall look of the house. We love our new family home; the space is amazing, and the open-plan layout allows us to feel connected as a family even when we’re in different spaces”.
When asked if the family have any plans for further renovations in the future, they explained: “The site is an old farmstead, we have two agricultural barns which we may develop in the future”. To keep up to date with Carmen and Roger’s projects, check out their Instagram here.
