Parquet Flooring: Patterns, Species, and What Distinguishes a Great Floor

Herringbone, chevron, point de Hongrie, Versailles. To most people these are just names for a wooden floor. To anyone who works with interiors, they are a code a language of pattern, proportion, and craft that tells you immediately whether a parquet floor was thought about or simply ordered. Parquet flooring is one of the most beautiful surfaces a home can have, and one of the most misunderstood. So this is how to read a parquet floor: the patterns, the species, the finishes, and what actually distinguishes a great floor from a merely decorative one.

Parquet is, at its simplest, wood flooring laid in a geometric pattern rather than in straight planks. But that simple definition hides centuries of craft. The parquet floors of Versailles were laid in the seventeenth century and are still walked on today; the herringbone in a Haussmann apartment has survived a hundred and fifty years of Parisian life. A great parquet floor is not a finish you choose at the end of a project. It is a piece of architecture, and it deserves to be treated as one.

The parquet patterns worth knowing

The pattern is the soul of a parquet floor. Each one carries a different history, a different feeling, and a different level of difficulty to lay.

Herringbone. The most recognised parquet pattern, herringbone arranges rectangular blocks at a ninety-degree angle so they interlock in a broken zig-zag. A herringbone parquet floor is timeless, versatile, and works in both classic and contemporary interiors. A double or triple herringbone, where two or three blocks sit together before the turn, reads bolder and more modern.

Chevron. Often confused with herringbone, chevron is different and more demanding. The blocks are cut at an angle so their ends meet in a continuous, unbroken zig-zag, forming clean parallel lines that draw the eye down a room. Chevron feels sharper, more tailored, and more contemporary than herringbone.

Point de Hongrie (Hungarian point). A refined cousin of chevron, the point de Hongrie creates the same continuous V but with a distinctive cut that produces a tighter, more elegant line. It is the pattern I reach for when a floor needs quiet sophistication, and it is the most characteristically French parquet of all.

Versailles and Chantilly panels. The aristocrats of parquet. These are large square panels of intricate, woven parquetry, originally designed for French palaces. The parquet de Versailles is a statement of the highest order, a single panel a work of craft in itself.

Basket weave and mosaic. Basket weave arranges blocks to look like interlaced strips, creating a rhythmic, textured surface. Mosaic and other geometric parquet patterns offer more graphic, modern options for those who want something distinctive.

Brick and single plank parquet. The simplest layouts blocks laid in a brick bond or a straightforward run are quieter but still warmer and more characterful than plain planks.

How to choose the species and the cut

The pattern is only half the decision; the wood species and the cut matter just as much. Oak is the traditional and still the finest choice for parquet an oak floor is hard, stable, beautifully grained, and able to take any finish, which is why oak parquet remains the benchmark. Maple, ash, and walnut all make superb parquet too, each bringing its own tone and character. The full logic of choosing a wood species applies directly here, because the species sets the colour, the durability, and the way the floor will age.

The cut of the wood changes the look as much as the species. A rift or quarter sawn block gives a straight, uniform grain that suits the crisp geometry of chevron; a plain sawn block brings more figure and movement. For a great parquet floor, the grain should work with the pattern, not against it.

Solid versus engineered parquet

A practical decision sits underneath every parquet floor: solid or engineered. Solid wood parquet is exactly what it sounds like blocks of solid timber, traditional and able to be sanded and refinished many times over a lifetime. It is the choice for authenticity and longevity, and it is what you find in historic hardwood floors.

Engineered parquet bonds a real wood top layer to a stable plywood or composite core. This engineered wood flooring is more dimensionally stable, copes far better with underfloor heating and humidity, and for many modern projects it is the wiser, more practical option. Laminate parquet a printed image of wood — exists too, but it is a different product entirely, and not one I specify for a serious interior. The choice between solid and engineered is about use, not status: each has its place.

Finishes: the decision that changes everything

How a parquet floor is finished decides how it looks and how it lives. An oiled finish penetrates the wood, giving a natural, matte, tactile surface that is easy to spot-repair but needs occasional re-oiling. A varnish or lacquer sits on top, offering a harder, more protective layer in a range from matte to gloss. The colour can be left natural, or the wood can be stained anywhere from a pale, limed white to a deep, dark wood tone. Each finish changes the character of the same floor entirely, which is why finishing is a design decision, not an afterthought.

Modern parquet flooring

Parquet is often thought of as traditional, but modern parquet flooring is one of the most exciting areas in flooring design. Contemporary projects use familiar patterns at a larger scale, in wider blocks, and in unexpected tones pale, smoked, or dark to make an old technique feel entirely current. A wide-plank chevron in a smoked oak reads as thoroughly modern; a graphic mosaic parquet can feel almost architectural. The pattern is centuries old, but the way it is used keeps it perpetually contemporary.

Parquet, Paris, and the Haussmann floor

Nowhere is parquet more at home than in Paris. The classic Haussmann apartment is defined as much by its parquet usually a point de Hongrie or herringbone in oak — as by its mouldings and its tall windows. When I work on a Haussmannian renovation, the parquet is one of the elements I most want to preserve or faithfully restore, because it carries the soul of the building. The same is true across the codes of a Parisian project: a great parquet floor is part of the city's architectural language, and getting it right is part of respecting where a home is.

How parquet is installed

Installation is where a parquet floor is made or ruined. Knowing how to install parquet flooring well begins with a level, dry, properly prepared subfloor any movement underneath will eventually show in the parquet above. The blocks are then laid to the chosen pattern, which for chevron or point de Hongrie demands real precision, since the angles must be exact for the lines to run true. The floor is glued or, in traditional methods, nailed; then sanded flat, and finally finished. Patterned parquet flooring installation is slow, skilled work, and the quality of the craftsperson shows in every joint. This is not a floor to rush or to hand to the cheapest bidder.

Parquet flooring ideas and inspiration

If you are gathering parquet flooring ideas, start from the room rather than the picture. A grand reception room can carry an intricate Versailles panel or a bold double herringbone; a narrow hallway is flattered by a chevron that lengthens it; a calm bedroom suits a quieter plank or a soft, pale oak. The best inspiration comes from how a space is used and how light moves through it, not from a saved image of someone else's floor. Among the most useful types of parquet flooring to consider are classic herringbone for versatility, point de Hongrie for elegance, and a wide-plank modern layout for contemporary rooms. A custom parquet floor, designed for the proportions of a specific room, will always outperform a standard one bought by the square metre.

Caring for a parquet floor

A parquet floor rewards a little care with a very long life. Sweep or vacuum grit that would otherwise scratch the surface, wipe spills rather than letting them sit, and use only cleaners suited to the finish an oiled floor and a lacquered floor want different products. Over the years, a solid parquet floor can be sanded back and refinished, erasing decades of wear and effectively giving you a new floor from the old one. This ability to renew rather than replace is what makes a good parquet floor one of the most sustainable and enduring surfaces in the whole house.

The benefits of a parquet floor

It is worth being clear about why parquet earns its place. A good parquet floor brings warmth and natural beauty that no other flooring matches; it is durable, often lasting more than a century when properly cared for; it can be sanded and refinished rather than replaced, which makes solid parquet remarkably sustainable; and it carries a timeless beauty that lifts the whole interior around it. Above all, a patterned wood floor brings a sense of craft and permanence that signals, quietly, that a home was built to last.

Common questions about parquet flooring

What is the difference between herringbone and chevron parquet?

In herringbone, rectangular blocks meet at a ninety-degree angle, creating a broken zig-zag. In chevron, the blocks are cut at an angle so their ends meet in a continuous, unbroken V. Chevron is sharper and more tailored; herringbone is more classic and forgiving.

What is point de Hongrie?

Point de Hongrie, or Hungarian point, is a refined parquet pattern similar to chevron, with angled blocks meeting in a continuous point. It produces a particularly elegant, tight line and is a hallmark of fine French interiors.

Is solid or engineered parquet better?

Neither is universally better. Solid parquet is traditional, authentic, and can be refinished many times; engineered parquet is more stable and better suited to underfloor heating and modern conditions. The right choice depends on the project.

What wood is best for parquet flooring?

Oak is the classic and most versatile choice hard, stable, and beautiful. Maple, ash, and walnut also make excellent parquet, each with its own tone. The species should suit the pattern, the finish, and the way the floor will be used.

Is parquet flooring expensive?

Patterned parquet costs more than plain planks because of the material and the skilled installation, especially for chevron, point de Hongrie, or Versailles panels. But it is an investment that lasts generations and lifts the entire interior, which is exactly why it endures.

Read the floor, and you read the whole house.

At Yasmine B Design, we treat parquet as architecture rather than decoration — part of the same 360° thinking that brings interior architecture and interior design under one roof, across Paris, the South of France, Dubai, and London. The studio specifies the pattern, the species, the cut, and the finish together, because a great parquet floor is the result of every one of those decisions being right. If you are planning a renovation and want a floor worth walking on for a hundred years, you are welcome to write to us at yb@yasmineb.design.

— Yasmine Behnam, founder of Yasmine B Design