Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Reclaimed Patchwork Wood Block Floor Has Character

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 10:00 AM PST

For Japanese studio 403architecture, the answer to a simple and rustic floor made of reclaimed materials was right above their heads. The firm used timber stripped from the ceiling of a Hamamatsu apartment to create a quirky unvarnished wood block floor that has been sanded smooth as an alternative to a tatami mat.

A false ceiling was removed to add additional height, leaving the concrete and ductwork exposed for a modern, industrial effect. Rather than wasting the wood that was stripped away for this project, the architecture firm cut it into pieces of various sizes and assembled them for use as flooring.

While the pieces don’t quite fit perfectly together, they have been power-sanded to create a relatively flat, smooth surface that still has a bit of texture to it. The woods were of various ages, leaving some lighter and some deeper in color.

The result is a highly insulated floor with superior soundproofing that’s also resistant to warping, though it seems like keeping the cracks free of dust and debris could be a challenging proposition. Using the wood this way definitely made renovation easier for 403architecture, who explain, “In this project, we connected destruction and construction directly, by falling the ceiling to the floor.”