Typically when one sees a wood floor, it’s instantly recognizable as a wood floor. Not so with this mesquite burl creation. It demands a second look and perhaps a third before recognizing the wood for what it is, and even then one finds themselves examining the floor again trying to make sense of the sinuous forms.
The captivating design is the brainchild of perennial Wood Floor of the Year winner Chuck Crispin, who has dubbed the floor “Jurassic Jazz.” “To me, it looks very primordial—like the formation of the universe or something,” he muses, adding that the composition of the floor appears to change as it is examined from different perspectives.
It might seem odd that the setting for this floor is a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie-style home in an architecturally notable neighborhood in Tulsa, Okla. However, the homeowners are art collectors with pieces from around the world, and they have an eclectic furniture collection, too. “At first brush, it’s a what-the-#@%%-is-it floor, but if you are familiar with all the crazy stuff that these people have, it fits,” Crispin explains.
“I said, “Get it grouted and get out of here; you’ve got six days,’” Crispin recalls. “He came home six weeks later.”
The unusual floor is actually slabs of mesquite burl that were sliced and kiln-dried in Texas, then sent to Crispin’s Legendary Hardwood Floors shop in Chicago, where 90 percent of the work happened. The edges were softened, then custom color and three coats of oil finish were applied. Next the pieces were shipped to Tulsa, where Crispin spent two days laying out the large pieces for the correct orientation. He then left employee Derek Marshall to finish filling in the smaller pieces and do the grout. “I said, “Get it grouted and get out of here; you’ve got six days,’” Crispin recalls. “He came home six weeks later.” The result was worth it, though, Crispin adds: “He did a terrific job fitting in all the infinitesimal pieces of the puzzle.”
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