With a foundation built on the experience of Swedish artisan John Fredriksson who brought his trade, philosophy and expertise to Australia in 1986, Antique Floors have consistently delivered some of Sydney’s most beautiful luxury timber floors. Limited only by the level of creative expression clients allow, each luxurious floor is lovingly constructed to become a feature of the home, built to last generations and age gracefully with the home. Antique Floors’ bespoke flooring was the timeless aesthetic, Mr D. Lonsdale – owner of this eclectic Edgecliff home, considered the perfect complement to his extensive art collection and curated interiors.

How did you decide on the flooring you chose?

I have always admired the Italians and French for their ability to create modern interiors within ancient buildings, and these buildings quite often have beautiful French oak parquet floors. The architecture of my apartment, although new, provided an opportunity to partly replicate this ambience through parquet and panelling and remote-controlled wide slat timber Venetians that disappear into the ceiling when raised. So, I wanted French oak parquet, the pattern I chose is called Versailles.

What do you feel the flooring brings to the home?

The flooring is the anchor to the apartment’s design. It was what I first decided upon, and subsequently, everything else was designed after that to complement the floor. For this reason, there are no floor rugs and the furniture ‘floats’ so that the long sections of the parquet flow uninterrupted, thereby providing a sensation of greater length and of greater size. Antique Floors decided to start laying the parquet from the North-West corner of the living room, and, as a result, the hallway has an interesting and quite unexpected angular visual impact.

How was your experience with Antique Floors?

Antique Floors stood out miles above its competitors. They have an exceptionally large showroom where the floor is made from samples of the many types of timber flooring they make and install, not just samples on boards on wall racks. Martin was as informed as possible about what I may have wanted and how it could look. My experience with everyone at Antique Floors was one of dealing with only talented, dedicated and professional people, plus the installers and floor-finisher were absolute craftspeople who love their work, which is what has ensured of the exceptional end result that has been achieved.

How would you describe the aesthetic or style of your home?

My home is a mix of modern and traditional, a blend that ensures it will stay timeless and is not dictated by trends. I had the walls panelled in half-round timber, including the ceiling in the entrance hall, and, as the apartment is very bright, it is painted black. The visual effect of this black against the warmth of the timber flooring has a strong impact as soon as one enters the apartment. The vertical uniformity of the panelling contrasts with the texture and grain variations in the timber’s angular pattern on the floor .I was attracted to this building as a result of its architecture, inclusions, location, and the complex’s unusual wedge-shaped site. As a result, atypically, my apartment has floor-to-ceiling windows along both the North and South-East walls, so it is bright and airy all day, even on the darkest of rainy days, and the bathroom is the triangular end of the wedge.

You have a beautiful collection of art and sculpture. How did you acquire these pieces, and did they play a part in the choice of flooring?

I have been collecting art for years. The large painting, Sexus by Stephen Copland, was a finalist in the 1985 Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I have had it since then, and it always provides impact. I lived for a while in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and collected Chinese artifacts whilst living there, although the statue of the Chinese nobleman I purchased from Arida in Potts Point, Sydney, many years ago. My parents were art collectors, and so I was raised to appreciate art. Initially, I planned to have artworks along the entrance hall wall as a long gallery, however, when I came in for the first time when the apartment was completed, I was so struck by the architectural impact of the panelling and the flooring that I didn’t want to detract from that impact by hanging paintings on, or putting anything against, the entrance hall’s panelled walls. Therefore, just one statue on a plinth is all that was needed to provide a visual focal point in the living room.

What were you hoping to achieve with new flooring?

Apart from creating a visual impact with parquet, I also wanted to minimalise dust and allergens, and timber has a warmth underfoot that tiling does not have. This particular parquet floor will last and last for many generations to come and can be sanded and colour-changed many times over. My intention is not to do that but to keep it in this pale colour in direct contrast to the black wall panelling.

To see more of this project and interview, please go to customhomesmag.com

 

 

 

W antiquefloors.com.au/

A 67 John Street, Leichhardt NSW