Beautiful things come in small package ... again at The Good House ...

          In the older part of Armadale, designer Sarah Healy has crafted a love nest that includes all the ingredients and tricks a place can use to keep you inside, no matter how loud the outer world is calling for you.

          At The Good House, we truly enjoy cooperating in projects where only the best can do. Our Chevron parquet was factory finished in a medium walnut stained oil, and got a final coat of clear oil on site to provide that subtle sheen one would expect from genuine French oak flooring and furniture.

          The chevron blades were custom made to fit the width of the hallway leading to the kitchen / living open space. Our service includes providing a CAD drawing of the layout, so as to minimize waste and ensure the client is happy with the pattern, its general direction and the possible use of borders.

Versailles panels the floor of choice for French Provincial design

The French Provincial or French inspired style is taking some of Melbourne leafy suburbs by storm. To be honest, as a grumpy old Frenchman I feel often ashamed of the final look. Enter now Trevor Mitchell and Ivan Pantovic from MARQUE Property Group into the high end segment of the market and everything changes for the best! The Good House is proud of being part of this success, having supplied the solid French oak Versailles parquet for this luxury display home.

The Good House also supplied the farmhouse limestone fireplace.

Our panels are made of genuine solid French oak, precision machined to ensure installation is a breeze. All components are connected to each others by tongues and grooves, the traditional manufacturing process that allows for these panels to be installed on any sub-floor, including joists or battens.

Camembert soon to be on the cheese board and,..

... the Boeuf Bourguignon is in the pot !

Factory standard finish is fine sanded with bevel. Custom finishes include wire brushing, smoking (light or heavy), heat treatment (for a very dark result), and stain + oil coating.

Note the installation with shuttle blocks between panels.

The "Petit Versailles" panel is 600 x 600 mm, and the "Grand Versailles" is 866 x 866 mm. The Good House can also supply custom sizes up to 980 x 980 mm, as well as the equally stunning Chantilly and a string of made-to-order designs.

Herringbone parquetry floor in genuine French oak

It is quite reassuring every now and again to deal with clients for whom only the best could do. This herringbone parquet floor was sourced from a French parquetry set in the heart of Burgundy, and quite simply, the quality and beauty of the product are obvious. 

The client wanted long and narrow blades, just like those installed 40 years ago in my family home in the outskirts of Beaune, the Burgundy vineyard capital. Therefore the choice was very easy: The Good House is the only company in Australia able to source such a quality product at a reasonable price, thanks to its long lasting network of French suppliers.

One might think this luxurious timber floor was installed in Toorak or another top end Melbourne suburb but no, it simply is part of a thorough renovation in Thornbury, and as it is 22mm thick, it will truly "support" a happy family for many decades !

See more photos below taken prior to finishing. They demonstrate a strong advantage of  "Tongue & Groove" parquetry resides in the near perfect levelling between each blades, therefore requiring only a light sanding for an impeccable finish.

French leached grey parquetry finish

When a piece of timber is left exposed to the weather for several months, it gets that inimitable driftwood colour that is usually seen on well seasoned outdoor furniture.

At the Good House this is no longer an inimitable finish, thanks to a new dual coating process that is both durable and simple to apply on site. It is all the rage at the moment in France, and it's easy to understand why when looking at this Versailles panel:

Versailles panel in our new driftwood finish

 Unlike most similar finishes that are quite opaque, our leached grey finish is fully transparent and leaves the striking features and grain of French oak exposed and even enhanced. It is not a thin surface coating that will wear off quickly, but a deeply ingrained finish that can be re-done when required on a heavy traffic area.

A light grey driftwood colour suits most types of design, from traditional country look (reminiscent of Provence benchmark lime wash) to contemporary Scandinavian or minimalist style. Talk to us in regards to installation and possible combinations.

The Cremone bolts: an element of Classic French architecture

A bit of history

Cremone locks first appeared in France during the 18th century. Although a lot of details are missing on its origin, specialists believe the product was imported from the Cremone region in Northern Italy.

At this time two window lock devices were used in homes: the Espagnolette and the Cremone. With increasing urbanisation in the 19th century, Cremone locks became more and more popular in France's large cities.

Nowadays, a lot of Parisian apartments are still equipped with this traditional window lock to protect the building's authenticity.

Gearbox with olive knob (white epoxy / polished brass)

How does it work?

This system is very simple and is composed of three main elements:

- Rods: each Cremone set has two rods, one at the bottom and one at the top. When you turn the knob, they slide up and down on the outside surface of your window or door and lock into sockets that are fixed to the door / window frame or the floor itself.

- Handle: it can be either knob or lever form.

- Cast housing: this cast iron box is where the mechanism is installed. The handle rotation engages a pair of rack gears which then push the rods upward and downward at the same time into the sockets.

A full Cremone set showing upper rod section and gearbox

An heritage product into contemporary projects

This traditional locking system is widely used in France even today. The variety of modern colours and finishes has given this product a second life. Few companies can supply it in the variety of options we have.

The best example is as per above picture, for clients who were looking for a different combination, to match their contemporary interior. We custom-made the Cremone sets with a Satin Nickel finish for both knob and rods.
The result is stunning, giving this piece of art a bright future in contemporary interior design.

Brass olive knob / steel box

Pewter lever and box

Nickel satin rods and olive knob / white epoxy box