Market Collection: Stitch in Time

Karen D. Singh, Alexia Brue, Sheila Kim-Jamet, and Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Although LV Wood Floors has been based in Upstate New York for some 25 years, the lumber sold by this family-run business is salvaged from demolished buildings the world over. Reprocessed for interior use, the wood is first run through a metal detector to locate fasteners and foreign objects, which are removed by hand. Next the wood is cut into even planks that are milled into flooring. Woods are kept natural, devoid of stains, colors, and dyes.

Domestic woods from the northeast generally including oak, hickory, chestnut, maple, and pine, often collected from barns and similar structures. A selection called flophouse oak is derived from exterior barn siding; its years of exposure to the elements results in flooring with a remarkably rich patina. The exotic Antico Cadore line includes ancient European larch, abete, elm, and oak from Italy's Dolomite mountain region. Pushing to the Far East, the demolition of a large monastery in Thailand yielded great planks of ancient teak. But what's an environmentally conscious designer to do if he or she seeks a sleeker style than that usually found with reclaimed wood? "Applying a custom whitening treatment to a salvaged floor is a great way to make the floor feel modern and provide a uniform canvas for other finishes and furniture," says principal and design partner James Caroll II. "Also, seeing something very old and utilitarian in a modern space is a pretty cutting-edge idea in and of itself." 800-381-9534; lvwoodfloors.com. circle 411