We have really loved the lighter wood flooring in our house (we used Ingrid from Stuga) and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about if we’re going to install the same flooring in our house in North Carolina. Well the short answer is no, and not because we’ve been unhappy with it. It’s just a different house and in our area, stain-in-place flooring is what is expected. I’m a big advocate of listening to your house and leaning into its style, so we’re going to try and stay true to that. However we would love to use Stuga flooring in the guest house (some fun plans are in the works with that!).
Longer answer: Next Friday Chris and I are actually zipping to Raleigh just to select the perfect stain color (because let’s be honest, selecting a stain through photos or FaceTime could be disastrous). We plan to mix a custom stain color to get it just right and we will keep you updated on what we decide! And the whole process, too.
In our current home, we have 8.5″ wide planks, and we decided on 5″ wide, white oak flooring in our NC home. The slightly thinner boards felt a little more traditional to me. We also decided on a feature, herringbone pattern in the entry. As for color, I’m envisioning something a little more rich in color. No grayish undertones. Something ranging from a warm, mid-tone to a medium-dark tone.
Want to see what I’m thinking? Truthfully, I’ve been saving images right and left to get my cogs turning, and I’m placing them here for your pleasure. The range is vast! Ha!
- Okay, actually everything about this room from J. H. Interior Design, but those herringbone floors really have my heart. I especially love the border around the edges. This flooring is a great, warm, medium tone with some yellow undertones. Maybe a little too yellow than I’m thinking for our house–but it looks beautiful here.
- These planks in these floors by Heidi Caillier Design are probably 8″ and I’d describe the color as a rich medium-dark tone. I love how much character darker floors add to a space, but I am definitely mindful of the crumb upkeep they can bring.
- These floors are similar in color. The room from Coco Lapine Design features a rich warm medium brown with a slight red (very slight) undertone. The one from Cozy & Kin is a little more rustic in their knotting.
- Is this my ideal floor color (via Styling By Denice)? I think it is! It feels like it has a story to tell. A great, rich, medium brown with neutral undertones. Would love something like this!
I am not above taking screenshots of wood tones that I love even when they only show up briefly in stories. And even if they are on a wall and ceiling instead of a floor! This wood is virtually without grain or knots (aka $$$$$), but the tone is sure pretty.
(Above) I really appreciated this detail shot because I can tell there is no filter and how gorgeous is that parquet wood design? I love the warmth next to the stone.
(Below) Another beautiful medium wood tone with neutral undertones. These planks look to be around 7″. I also really like seeing grain and some knots but not enough to make it too rustic.
Our contractors are starting to lay the floors this week so when we get there on Friday, we’ll be ready to choose a stain color (quickly–ahhhh!!!). But having a really good idea of what we want helps expedite the decision process. We’re not starting from zero because we’ve spent the last few weeks honing in on what we feel would look best in that house. Can’t wait to share where we land!
The great thing about the stain in place floors is your stair treads will match. Can you share what you did on your old stairs with the Stuga floor? It is always an issue with prefinished wood. Thanks
Stuga has stair treads to match!!
I will add my support to Minwax Special Walnut ; )
These all look light to me except the darkest one near the top in the Heidi C room. I would call that a typical medium brown floor! Ours are basically identical to those and while they don’t hide every single thing, they aren’t showing every speck or crumb at all. I’m a lazy floor cleaner fwiw.
Highly recommend the eco friendly stains from Bona. Low or no fumes from what I remember and we are 10 years in with our refinished floors. Very durable.
Most of these inspiration pics look unstained to me. I think if you want to achieve this look, you’ll want to focus on your poly/top coat choice and just leave the wood natural.