What Is Parquetry?

The word parquetry describes a skilled application technique for positioning wooden tiles or veneers in a particular manner. This application skill typically yields a decorative geometrical pattern on wooden floors. In a related vein, the word parquet itself describes a wooden floor that is composed of parquetry. As Etymology Online noted, the word parquetry means inlaid flooring and includes diverse wood types. Though the flooring is often the focal point for parquetry enthusiasts, the inlaid aspect of the definition emphasizes the artistic labor that people provide. Further, in the home context, parquetry can present an appealing additional visual detail.

For context, the skilled application of parquetry occurs when a person with relevant training positions wooden tiles in a specific manner that yields decorative, geometric patterns on the floors. In a historical sense, the root word parquet has earlier origins. As Etymology Online noted, parquet has French origins. Parquet descends from an Old French word meaning small compartment. The word reflects 14th century roots.

As the Reclaimed Flooring Company website detailed, parquet floors have long been considered to reflect high-caliber and detail-attentive craftsmanship. For some people, these geometric floors have also come to signify decadence in the home. The flooring publication cited European history as illustrative. The company described 16th century France as being home to artisans who made detailed designs through a certain process. In this process, these artisans secured small wooden blocks in patterns that conformed to desirable and sought-after shapes. In the nearby United Kingdom, the Charles Lowe & Sons entity noted a resurgence in consumer desire for these printed floor types.

To this day, the tradition of parquetry in the home certainly continues. As House Digest previously reported, even global superstar Rihanna has parquetry details in her Beverly Hills home. In that southern California property, the wooden floors reflect a chevron-print adjacency and are visible in one of the mansion's sitting rooms.