Yippee! We have finally bid farewell to the last piece of carpet in our home. For some reason we can keep a “white-ish” sofa and rug clean all day long but carpet?!? Geesh! It’s a freakin’ nightmare around here! Not to mention that it was the carpet in the home when we purchased it which ever so slightly gives me the bed bug heebie jeebies. I know that carpet seems so warm and cozy but to me, that’s what an amazing rug is for! Plus, hard flooring is much easier to keep clean AND adds a beautiful warm wood tone to a space.
With every new project, large or small, always come a big lesson. So what’s one of the biggest lessons learned from our home renovation? Dark and glossy hardwood flooring is a NIGHTMARE for us. Unless you’d like to attach a broom to the back of your children for constant sweep up action, dark flooring is absolutely impossible to keep tidy if you actually live in your home. Thank goodness this was a lesson learned before we replaced our upstairs flooring but it may be quite a while until we are ready to re-do our main level. SO, when it came time for our master bedroom, I knew lighter and more rustic was key. Not to mention the fact that I am loving the juxtaposition of mixing rustic and elegant elements to create interest and depth to a room.
Earlier this Summer I was on the hunt for hardwoods for our master bedroom and The Garrison Collection came a-knocking. Well they e-mailed me actually and it couldn’t have come at a better time! As you may know from reading my blog, I only showcase things that I LOVE in my home because that’s exactly what our home is… a compilation of things that I either love or things that work for us. And their flooring was the perfect combination of BOTH! After receiving a shipment of samples, I decided on the European Oak Villa Gialla- Arezzo for it’s super light color and warm wood tone. I wanted something that would contrast nicely with our darker walls and cooler toned accent colors in the space.
From Left to Right & Top to Bottom: European Oak Villa Gialla Arezzo, European Oak Cloud (middle one), European Oak Moonlight, European Oak Shell Beach, French Oak Vintage White, European Oak Provence
Before
The Product
The Villa Gialla is their widest plank floor, measuring 9.5” across which was another HUGE selling point for me!
· It also has a 4 mm wear layer, which is incredibly thick by engineered flooring standard! This allows room for the top layer to be sanded and refinished 3 to 5 times easily.
· The wideness of the planks, and the way they are flat sawn allows you to see the full arc of the wood grain, called “cathedral graining”. This is what give the European oak such a unique look compared to the more traditional red or white oak flooring (which is rift sawn).
· The face of the board is hand scraped and wire brushed by hand. The hand scraping, aka distressing, runs along the length of the wood so that it is not perfectly flat and smooth. The wire brush tool, which looks a lot like a wire grill cleaner, gently scrapes the surface of the wood exposing the natural grain patterns, knots, and variations. Together, these give the floor a natural, rustic appearance creating a casual, comfortable aesthetic.
· These treatments also help hide natural wear and tear, keeping your floor looking great for many years – even with kiddos, pets, parties, etc!
About The Garrison Collection:
· The Garrison Collection is one of the oldest wood flooring companies in America, and began as a small family business in 1956.
· They are also one of the fastest growing wood flooring companies in America.
· They are based out of Los Angeles, and now offer their products throughout the entire United States and into Canada.
· Due to decades of experiences and relationship building in the industry, their prices are extremely competitive and typically much lower than equivalent products.
The Process
Bye bye carpeting! Can’t say I will miss you!
After
Yes, I am pretty speechless about the results…
We are redoing our entire house… all new flooring but are considering using 3 widths all mixed at random. Think that would be weird?? I love the wide but hum I guess I like the idea of utilizing all the wood less waste. (Lol um yeah sure it might just be in my head thinking I’m being “green”) Love your room! All of the cool color options now h ed ck why not make it your own …I don’t want to think “resale” and not enjoy “my style” right?
I think it would be beautiful! I’ve definitely seen that before! Thanks so much and thanks for reading! Best of luck on your flooring project! XOXO
I’m in the process of moving and luckily get to redo our master, where is your vanity from?
now that your Garrison Flooring in Oak is installed, how is it wearing.
Its not the hardest of woods. I am thing of also getting the Nouvelle French Oak and worry about scratches and dents.
Great! We no longer live in this home but we LOVED it! XOXO