Designing with Salvaged and Reclaimed Materials

Introduction to the house

with MARIA SPEAKE — Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer

Lesson 23 of 30

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For the final part of the course, you’ll be joining Maria at another project of hers, a townhouse in London. It is architecturally different to what she has shared with you so far, and is much more traditional in style.

From the Lesson Workbook

Introduction to the House

Welcome to another project of ours, a townhouse in London. It is architecturally different from what I have shared with you so far and is much more traditional in style.

Oak Parquet Floor Tiles

Their small size means they are easy to work with and use within a variety of settings, including rooms that are on the smaller or narrower side.

The scale of a parquet brick also allows it to be laid in many different variations. The laying pattern can have a big impact on how a space feels, so in this room, we used a staggered brick bond laying pattern to broaden the width of the room while also creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Leftover parquet tiles can also be used as a skirting detail when laid horizontally against the wall around the edge of the room.

Different Ways to Lay Parquet

  • A threshold between rooms is a great opportunity to vary the laying pattern of parquet and delineate between the two spaces.
  • Parquet can also be used on top of ledges or windowsills.

Repurposed Sliding Doors

We were upgrading all of the windows and glass doors in the building and so decided to repurpose the old glass doors that went out onto the terrace and turned them into internal pocket sliding doors.

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Maria Speake

Your Instructor

Maria Speake

Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer

Named interior designer of the year by House & Garden, Maria Speake co-founded Retrouvius in 1993 and leads its award-winning design studio. Her work reimagines salvaged and reclaimed objects from hardwoods to textiles into richly textured, liveable pieces. With three decades of practice, she’s helped put thoughtful reclamation at the centre of contemporary interior design.

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