design et al are delighted to announce that Element7 have been shortlisted for Flooring – Hard Floor Award within The International Design and Architecture Awards 2018.

Element7 were commissioned to supply and install a range of luxury engineered wood flooring for a large ultra-prime residence in Naples, Florida. This comprised bespoke European Oak floor panels and matching varied length 280mm wide planks, all in our distressed Antique Grey finish. Local companies were reluctant to supply this project due to concerns regarding the expansion and contraction of wood in Florida’s extreme temperature and humidity levels. Wood floors are not often used in Florida’s residential properties because of these issues. This presented Element7 with a challenging technical design brief, however, due to the superior three-layer counterbalanced construction of their engineered floors, and the expertise of their in-house installation team Element7 were more than confident of fulfilling this brief.

The bespoke panels featured Element7’s unique contemporary “Extreme Width” design, incorporating two 380mm planks at their centre, and bordered with narrower planks. The panels were generously sized, measuring 1080mm by 1080mm. A matching border was installed in these rooms to provide an elegant finish, with 6mm shadow gaps above the border to maintain the contemporary look. The accompanying varied length wide planks (of up to 3 metres) were used in adjacent areas, where their clean lines complemented the bold look of the panels. The panels and planks featured hand-sawn distressing and were finished with eight coats of water-based varnish, which were abraded and UV cured between each coat to ensure maximum durability and water resistance. All wood used in this project was FSC certified.

The client advised that they had designed key elements of the house around Element7’s floor, as they considered that it was the most important aspect of the property. The client selected the panels for their sophisticated, eye-catching design, and their large-scale dimensions. The natural, clean contemporary look meant that they were well suited for the minimalist feel of the large open plan reception rooms in the residence. The natural tones of the wood were the perfect backdrop for the neutral tones of the decor.

The bespoke panel and plank floor design worked perfectly with the refined yet contemporary look of this South Florida residence, where the floor to ceiling windows and folding doors blurred the line between the inside (designed by Studio C New York), and the outside (landscaped by Kobi Kirwin Inc). The floors had to stand up to the often-fluctuating temperatures and humidity, given the large doors to the many outside terraces are frequently kept open.

All photos were taken by Alexander James Photographer.