LLStyle Story: Where Modern Meets Classic | Heather Fox on Her Latest Project in Minneapolis
With a recent Fox Homes client project - the family brought some images of homes they loved for inspiration, and each one had the same beautiful floor style.
By Heather Fox of Fox Homes
Both selection and style of flooring are the foundations of any home design. When a client finds the right floor, everything else seems to fall into place. Hardwood flooring tends to be the choice that most of my design clients are set on—and, more specifically, wide-plank white oak flooring. It’s such a classic, beautiful choice that works with so many different design styles.
Bringing Engineered Hardwood Flooring for a Modern but Classic Style
With a recent Fox Homes client project—a home renovation in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis - the family brought some images of homes they loved for inspiration, and each one had the same beautiful floor style. Seeing this made the flooring choice a simple one—so we selected the Geneva White Oak Engineered Hardwood from LL Flooring to give a modern, yet classic, timeless element.
The cabinetry and flooring blend perfectly together in this home, creating a perfect marriage of classic and modern styles. The cabinetry has a mix of flat panel and shaker panel door styles, as well as a mix of painted and wood cabinetry, which adds a special design aspect that make things feel more personal. The idea of mixing colors or styles of cabinetry introduces a unique design element to any space—it’s a highly recommended touch!
In this home, we made the decision to run the new flooring throughout the main level, which is always a great way to make a space feel larger and more cohesive. I feel the transition of flooring tends to cut off a space and make things feel smaller.
To create extraordinary spaces with uniform floors, rooms can always be defined by furniture, rugs or even plants placed between spaces. With this home specifically, furniture creates transitions between the room, but also gives them flexibility in the layout. For example, their dining space can easily be shifted or moved about, as the flooring is the same wherever the table is placed.
As our team creates design plans, we always like to remind clients that, although we love taking design risks, large items like flooring and cabinetry are long-term. They're not as easy to change out, so clients need to be sure that they truly love what they're putting in. In this situation, the cabinetry choices and flooring selections came easily to the family, who knew just what they wanted.
When it comes to less substantial things, like light fixtures, cabinet hardware, and paint colors, it’s relatively simple to switch them out over time to keep with the latest trends.
As an example, we love the dramatic, bold, dark painted wall in this home—the contrast of dark and light makes the flooring shine even more. Our whole design team always loves a great accent wall. And, bonus: it’s just paint, so can easily be changed.
If you’re looking to remodel, before you grab that hammer or paint can, we always recommend working with a designer who can create a full rendering of your plan so you can see how all of the elements work together.
It’s an investment, but truly worth it to anyone who needs that visual help!
-Heather Fox of Fox Homes
