An Interior Designer's Choice for Wide Plank Wood Flooring by Carlisle

Why I love

Wide Plank Wood Flooring from

Carlisle,

which offers both reclaimed wood floors

as well as hardwood options!

There are certainly plenty of materials available for flooring in a home, but my choice is almost always wood. When designing a home for my clients, I usually start with livability and durability of a material, then the aesthetics and beauty come into play. Wood flooring is easy on the feet. I prefer it on the floor in a kitchen because tile, marble and other stone can be hard on the feet and body, especially for the home cook who may spend a lot of hours standing and walking in the space. There is less breakage when dropping something on wood flooring, which has a bit of give. And it's wonderfully durable, with very little maintenance required.

Wood doesn't just top my list for livability but also for its incredible beauty. Using natural hardwood flooring instantly injects warmth into a home, and artisan-crafted wood floors age gracefully, honing to a lovely patina. Regardless of whether it’s a modern, sleek style or a traditional, classic home, I often suggest that my clients choose wood flooring.

I’m fond of Carlisle's reclaimed wood flooring, which repurposes salvaged materials that are hundreds of years old. The older wood has history and certainly feels like it has a story to tell – whether it’s been weathering storms on the outside of a barn or working hard for decades in an industrial factory.

With reclaimed wood, each floor is unique, and with that comes a lot of charm. For me, the nuances of the wood, including the imperfections and nicks, showcase its artisanal nature, much like fine heirloom antiques. Although these floors are decadent and beautiful, they can be costly due to the labor-intensive work required to dismantle them and prepare them to be transformed into flooring. You also lose a bit of control over the consistency of color and thickness of the wood in reclaimed flooring, as you must embrace the natural imperfections.

So, although reclaimed wood floors can be gorgeous, there are certainly more affordable hardwood options as well. To understand the various benefits of reclaimed and hardwood flooring, see examples of both choices offered by Carlisle below.

Reclaimed Wood Project:
These gorgeous, reclaimed oak floors certainly look like they're worth the splurge! I adore this Hamptons home (truth be told, I actually toured this home at the East Hampton Historical House Tour, and believe me it's even more incredible in person) showing custom designed wood flooring in a project by architect Joe Nahem of Fox Nahem. I just love the gorgeous, deep-chocolate coloring and the grain of Carlisle's reclaimed options.  

Hardwood Project:

This is also White Oak flooring, but it’s newly sawn from the log. These artisan-crafted hardwood floors offer the homeowner a little more color consistency than found in reclaimed wood floors, and it's fabulous that they're more affordable to boot.

Reclaimed Wood Project: 

This kitchen showcases a rich reclaimed wide plank wood floor in a New Hampshire kitchen. The luxurious qualities of Carlisle's reclaimed oak flooring are prominently displayed with the artistic quality of the knots and natural imperfections, which are aging gracefully.

Hardwood Project:

This wood floor is equally beautiful, yet there is a consistency to the thickness and cut of the wood in this custom designed home in Maine. The wide plank hickory flooring in this kitchen illustrates how clients can choose the grade of flooring for less random variation.  

I personally love that Carlisle's wide plank floors are designed into highly crafted works of art! Below I show three of my favorite finishes they offer, and what impresses me is there is something for all different types of homes and aesthetics.  Whether you're splurging for a one-of-a-kind hand finished floor, a reclaimed floor with a sense of history, or are more budget-minded and want a little more grade- and color-consistency, there are plenty of available wood flooring options.  

One of my favorite finishes at Carlisle is Remington from their Carriage House Collection, which feels like antique wood or leather and seems to channel horseback riding for an outdoorsy appeal. Each plank is hand selected for its quality, and has an artisanal feel, with the wood seeming to tell a story (the wood planks come from 100-year old trees). This flooring brings a special richness to a home. My clients who own beach houses or country homes especially love this one.

Light and neutral colored wood flooring has recently become very popular. In this category, I favor the Denali finish in the Empirium Collection, which shows complex layers of white-wash in an organic finish with knots and inclusions in the wood. While it still has an antique feel, it also holds a modern appeal with the lightness of color. This sumptuous hardwood floor is custom hand finished and – while it has a high price point – it truly is the crème de la crème in luxury hardwood flooring. 

The Saturday Evening finish from the Retreat Collection is stunning. The dark wood with the swirling oak design feels quite modern to me. I'd opt to use this flooring equally in a country-style home or in an urban setting. 

So, if you had to choose, would you go with reclaimed floors or hardwood floors?

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara

+please note, this post is a collaboration and sponsored by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors