One of our clients was inspired by the floors of the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Yes, the one that Catherine the Great had built for her Winter Palace in 1764. His home is in Balham,  a distinctly a more modest affair. He, and his wife, together planned the interiors of their terraced house. He designed […]

Certainly amongst children and not a few adults, there is a dissociation between certain products and their origins. Take milk, for example: it is processed and packaged in such a way that its connection with the cow is so remote that she is irrelevant. If, however, foot and mouth disease is decimating herds and milk […]

A gentleman recently asked us if we could revive his pinewood floor. He told us HS Wood Flooring, along with other flooring companies, seem to mention hardwood floors exclusively, nothing about Softwood floors. As it happens, we have renovated lots of pine wood floors and we’ll come back to that. This enquiry raises questions about […]

Art begets design begets fashion begets trends. And technology lubricates in the process. No example betters this than the Bauhaus School of Art founded in 1919 in Germany. Its influence on trends is as alive today as it ever was. The Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Miles van der Rohe exemplifies the beauty of the marriage […]

How the detail crowns the project A demonstration of floor fitting excellence in London “ I was amazed”, said the Vicar of St Dionis Church, a huge church on Parsons Green, “that 95% of the floor was fitted in three days”. “Ah!” said Tim Hobern of HS Wood Flooring, “that’s the easy bit. What takes […]

Perceptions of value … and what to look for in a quotation When you buy something, and you may not be aware of this, three factors are streaming through your head all at the same time: What is the price, what is the value (good or bad) and what is the benefit. Annoying people will […]

Keeping it clean! A beautiful floor can retain its freshness for years with regular cleaning and maintenance. How to maintain your floors looking beautiful for longer Your beautiful wood floor can stay beautiful if you know how to look after it. Whether waxed, oiled or lacquered, its biggest enemies are grit, excessive wear, scraping, water […]