When a project calls for a little something out of the ordinary, it is most often achieved via color palette, playful furnishings and wall finishes, or kitschy objects and art — probably not so much wood flooring. But some recent products from two European companies might sway some minds in this regard.
Medoc
Three of them hail from the Natural Genius collection, a line that Listone Giordano developed in collaboration with various celebrated designers. Medoc (also shown at top), by Michele De Lucchi and Philippe Nigro, follows the outline of tree trunks to reduce waste, but it does so with structure, resulting in a trapezoidal shape. Medoc planks are composed of oak in six different stains, sport saw-cut marks for a rustic appearance, and measure 41 inches long by five and seven-and-a-half inches deep.
Vibrazioni
Marco Tortoioli Ricci designed Vibrazioni with a three-degree angle cut at both board ends and three different stain colors, enabling architects and designers to create slightly skewed yet striking compositions. The oak planks measure 30-3/4 inches long by three-and-a-half inches deep.
Slide
Perhaps the most radical of the Natural Genius series, Slide by Daniele Lago is a rhombus offered in five different formats to be rotated and combined like a giant puzzle. This geometric design is offered in oak in four colors.
Wave
And, finally, Corà Parquet is also likely to turn some heads with its most recent introduction, Wave. Channeling non-rectified, trunk-shaped planks, it boasts an elegant sinuous silhouette. The wavy planks are constructed of European oak and stained in three sophisticated colors — black, gray, or white — and finished with a natural matte or high-gloss coat. At 10 millimeters thick, each measures 47¼ inches long by five-and-a-half inches deep.