This is a project we worked on a while ago…another collaboration of wood and wool….
Felt flooring in our living room….. It was such a great, exciting experiment….The idea jumped into view while Graham and I were on the ferry from Vancouver island to Salt Spring one day….one of those jumping up and down, speedily thinking, planning, dreaming, kinds of conversations….Growing from a single floor into a whole design line of flooring, room dividers and art pieces….since then it’s shrunk back into a more reasonable scale of project…scaled, down, refined….the experiment floor in our home, and wall pieces, small and large…these will be part of our new studio line for 2012….(I’m planning on some wood/wool hybrid bags also!)
Floor before….yuck…..
Design drawn freehand onto panels of beautiful birch plywood… then carefully cut and labelled. Installed and finished with a natural varnish. The floor measures 12 feet x 16 feet (3.6m x 4.9m).
I hand felted some panels to use in the sections using the very durable
Norwegian C-1 wool, laid out very carefully in order to achieve the same
thickness in the finished felt, as the wooden panels. Then handdyed,
in order to get some liveliness in colour variation….Glued securely in
place…..and taa-daa….wood/felt flooring. It’s very fun…..
Norwegian C-1 wool, laid out very carefully in order to achieve the same
thickness in the finished felt, as the wooden panels. Then handdyed,
in order to get some liveliness in colour variation….Glued securely in
place…..and taa-daa….wood/felt flooring. It’s very fun…..
It’s hard for me to remember sometimes…like over the last few weeks (wintery blues)… that everything we touch can be just a little more, a piece of art, something beautiful….It’s important to make that effort. That’s what this project was all about. It’s something we can always do….and making our living spaces a little more beautiful, with our own special touches, I think can elevate all the activities that take place within that space…
Warm wishes,
Fiona
That is a beautiful felt design, and you're absolutely right! Even our flooring can be a reflection of who we are. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Ronald! It was fun to be able implement! We were imagining on a commercial scale, large floor tiles or panels that could be installed in any space,. and then taken up and moved if desired…We propbably won't take this idea into that realm not…but the experiement was good!
How fantastic! I would worry about my dog's hair and kid messes but such a treat for bare feet to find a surprising softness.
Thanks, Lynnette! It was a good experiment…we have three children also…no dog hair though! We just sweep the whole floor and then vacuum down the felt lines. I'm not sure if I would do it again, but I'm glad we got to try it!
This is just too amazing! Another idea to stow away for our someday-house. (:
Thanks, Eidolons! We have a list like that too- for our house up the hill we plan to start building this year! We got to play with some more unusual ideas in our temporary home here, that we moight, or might not employ in a bigger full time dwelling- what an opportunity!
Wow Fiona what a novel idea.. and I bet it feels so lovely under bare feet! I so agree, we can bring authentic handmade beauty to everything. And especially at this time of year, to have beauty and creativity around us at home is so enriching. You go girl! : )
Thanks Mia!
It is an interesting sensory experience- the combo of wood and wool on different oarts of your foot! Now I want to make some small and lovely things…softer things that are comforting and happy! Talk more soon!