New England

New England is the pale, quiet board in this range ? a Blackbutt-look decor in soft golden-honey with the straight, largely uninterrupted grain that makes real Blackbutt such an easy floor to live with over a large area.

Low contrast is the defining quality. There is no dramatic colour swing between boards, so laid through a hallway into open-plan living the floor reads as one continuous calm surface. It brightens rooms, makes modest spaces feel larger and does not compete with anything else in the interior.

It has a natural place in the Sutherland Shire. Blackbutt is the hardwood under the carpet in a great many postwar houses through the Sutherland Shire, nearby homes and nearby south-east suburbs, so a Blackbutt-look floor reads as belonging rather than imported. Where a house has original boards in the front rooms and needs a waterproof floor in the wet areas, this decor gets the two surfaces closer than most alternatives.

It is a 1520 ? 180mm board, the narrower format in this range, which suits the fine straight grain of the decor.

As with any pale floor, dark grit and pet hair show more readily than they would on a mid-brown board, while dust is well hidden. The cork backing makes it appreciably quieter and warmer underfoot than a standard foam-backed hybrid ? a real difference in a kitchen or a ground-floor slab.

Use this colourway as a selection reference rather than a stock or pricing claim. Samples should be checked in the actual room under daylight and artificial light before ordering.

Installation still depends on the parent range and the site. Subfloor flatness, moisture, floor height, trims, door clearances, acoustic underlay and room sequencing can all affect whether this colour is suitable for the project.