Some floors get noticed before the walls do. Chevron parquet — point de Hongrie, as the French call it — is one of them: mitred boards meeting in perfect arrows draw a geometry that catches the light twice, once in each direction of the grain. It is the floor of Haussmann apartments, galleries and inheritances. And, curiously, it is one of the patterns that ages best in a very contemporary interior.
Why the pattern still fascinates
The secret lies in the angle: boards are cut at 45 or 60 degrees and assembled into continuous chevrons, creating a crisp ridge line at the centre of each arrow. The result: the floor has a direction, a rhythm. In a long room it visually widens the space; in a large volume it structures it without adding a thing.
The pale oak version, barely matted, is the one that crosses eras: it warms minimalist furniture, softens concrete and metal, and instantly gives depth to a white room.
What to pair it with
- Quiet walls, mineral tones: off-white, greige, discreet terracotta — the pattern is already the ornament.
- Low, pared-back furniture: the floor works, the furniture calms down.
- A plain short-pile rug set at an angle to the pattern: it defines a seating corner without breaking the geometry.
- Brass and linen rather than chrome and plastic: chevron loves warm materials.
Choosing without mistakes
Three decisions do everything: the angle (45° more classic, 60° more slender), board width (90 to 120 mm for a faithful Haussmann feel) and the finish — an invisible lacquer or natural oil keeps the oak blond, while light smoking leans towards the hushed mood of old apartments. Technically, modern engineered chevron is fully glued down and takes underfloor heating — details in our guide to wood floors over underfloor heating, and quantity maths (allow 8-10% waste with a pattern) in how many m² to order.
Our European oak chevrons are in the Chevron collection — from raw blond to smoked — and for a specific project our made-to-measure service follows your layout.