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Last edited 25 Apr 2023

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Parquet

1 What does parquet mean ?
2 A brief history of parquet
3 Types of parquet floor
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] What does parquet mean ?

Parquet is a term often used in British English to describe a type of flooring, but it can also refer to delicate timber patterns created on furniture. The term is borrowed from the French word meaning a small compartment, because the the finish is made up of smaller timber pieces or inlays. The craft of arranging timber inlays to create a patterned surface is known as parquetry, the same approach creating illustrations, specifically in furniture is known as marquetry. Wood-block flooring may also be used as a term to describe parquet, but is also used to describe the quite rare use of timber block in street paving from around the late 1800's, it seems as a quiter street paving solution to stone.

The term parquet may also be used in American English (along with parterre) to describe the lower seating area, as well as the orchestra pit of a theatre or auditorium, also coming from the French translation for on the ground. In British English parterre usually refers to a flat planted or terraced area in a garden.

[edit] A brief history of parquet

The first use of parquet in England is likely to have been by Inigo Jones, who was surveyor of the King’s Works from 1615, and was involved in the extensive renovations of Somerset House for the Queen from the mid 1600's. He famously was the first architect to introduce the classical architecture styles of Italian Renaissance to Britain and is likely to have taken inspiration from the work of the French and Italian craftsmen known as the first School of Fontainebleau, under the employment of King Francois.

The King was a patron of the French Renaissance, and demolished the Mediaeval fortress at Fontainebleau to build a new castle in the early 1500's, influenced most probably by his daughter in law, who grew up in Florence and Rome under the care of the Medici popes. Italian artists of the time Rosso, Primaticcio, Serlio and Dell'Abate worked with French artisans on the castle, which featured parquet.

It wasn't until later with the construction of Versailles (with its specifically named pattern) that the use of parquet became more popular and spread throughout Europe. Parquet became a key feature of buildings during the Victorian era and was a common design element of art nouveau style homes by designers such as as Mackintosh, Voysey and Lutyens. There are a variety of different styles of parquet, many of which relate back to certain periods and to particular projects in its long history.

[edit] Types of parquet floor

There are many different woods used in parquet, usually made up of solid blocks, but modern parquet can also be engineered timber as well as faux parquet laminate. The timbers most commonly associated with parquet are hard wearing timbers such as beech, maple, pine (pitch and Columbian), oak, walnut aswell as harder tropical woods used in more traditional parquet floors that may be less common today such as teak, mahogony, sapele and so on.

As well as differentiating parquet by the wood types used it is most often categorised by the type of geometric pattern in which the blocks are laid, a few examples are given here but there are many.

[edit] Single herringbone parquet

Single herringbone is a diagonal pattern with single blocks laid at ninety degrees with over lapping abutments (also might be referred to as square herringbone)

[edit] Double herringbone parquet

Double herringbone is a diagonal pattern with pairs of adjacent blocks, laid at ninety degrees with over lapping abutments.

[edit] Chevron parquet

Chevron is a pattern with adjacent blocks laid in diagonally in orthogonal rows.

[edit] Chequered pattern parquet

Chequered pattern is an orthogonal pattern, with groupings of blocks, laid alternately at ninety degrees creating a paterrn similar to a chess or chequer board.

[edit] Brick bond parquet

Brick bond is a parallel stepped pattern, similar to that of bricks.

[edit] Stack bond parquet

Stack bond is a parallel pattern, simply laid with blocks laid in consecutive rows above one another.

[edit] Square basket weave parquet

Square basket is normally a diagonal pattern with blocks laid at ninety degrees to formi squares that optically look like a weave pattern, This creates gaps in between, which are in filled with square blocks that might be called fillets or cabochons. It most commonly uses different timber species to accentuate the pattern and may also be referred to simply as a basket weave.

[edit] Double basket weave parquet

Double basket weave is normally a diagonal pattern with blocks laid in pairs at ninety degrees to form squares that optically look like a weave pattern, This creates gaps in between, which are in filled with square blocks that might be called fillets or cabochons. It may also be referred to simply as a basket weave.

[edit] Versailles parquet

Versailles is normally a diagonal pattern with single blocks laid at ninety degrees to form squares that may optically look like a weave pattern or simply a flat geometric pattern, This creates prominent square gaps in between accentuated by a darker wood.

[edit] Chantilly parquet

Chantilly is normally a square pattern with single blocks laid at ninety degrees to form squares to look simply as a flat geometric pattern, This creates prominent square gaps in between accentuated by a darker wood

[edit] Mosaic parquet

Mosaic is a grouping of four or five blocks laid consecutively next to one another forming a square, which is laid to the same, turned at a 90 degree angle, similar ro a chequered pattern.