Empire Natural

Empire Natural is European Oak with as little colour intervention as the finish allows. Where the other boards in this collection are pushed warmer, cooler or paler, this one is left to read as the timber actually is: a soft biscuit-to-light-tan with the natural variation of the veneer intact.

That makes it the most honest floor in the range and the most variable. Board to board you will see genuine differences in tone and figure, because that is what oak does before anyone corrects it. Laid across a room the effect is a floor with visible life in it rather than a uniform sheet of colour. If you want every board to match, this is not the one ? Mornington is more consistent.

Its neutrality is its strength. With no strong warm or cool bias, it does not compete with anything else in the room, which makes it the easiest board to specify early in a renovation when the wall colours, benchtops and joinery are not locked in yet. It will still work whichever way those decisions go.

It suits interiors that are already doing the talking ? strong art, bold joinery, a feature stone ? and any project where the aim is for the floor to be quietly, obviously real timber.

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.