The Sunday Times asks Melanie Clear which home improvement she would spend a £10,000 windfall on, in its article “Dare to Dream”. The article – here (please note the full article is behind paywall) – collects inspirational ideas and top tips from “the country’s top architects, decorators and designers” about what home improvement they believe would be the most impactful, given a £10,000 budget.

According to Melanie, updating your home’s flooring is a smart way to boost the aesthetic appeal of your property’s interiors. To create a timeless, classic look, Melanie recommends a characterful timber covering laid in a striking herringbone pattern.

She says: “With a great floor, you only need plain walls to make it work with any interior style or period of property.”

While wood flooring has been in use for centuries, it works beautifully in both traditional and contemporary schemes. The natural variations in the grain, knotting and colour of the wood imbues any room with a characterful warmth that is hard to match with other materials.

Plus, the product’s high quality and durability makes it a favoured choice for many self-build, renovation and extension projects. An eclectic range of products is available to suit your scheme and budget, from solid planks to engineered varieties.

A selection of Clear Architects’ ongoing projects feature this elegant floor covering, including Forest Rise – the refurbishment of a large house in Loughton. According to the design proposal and initial CGI visuals of the scheme, a tasteful herringbone floor complements the sleek, contemporary décor scheme.

Southwell Grove, another of Clear Architects’ aspirational designs, also features a beautiful wood floor laid in an alluring herringbone pattern. The scheme seeks to replace a double garage with a contemporary one-bedroom home.

Both projects have achieved planning permission, and Forest Rise is due to begin on site in 2019.

In The Sunday Times article, a plethora of creative solutions were recommended by other architects, from high-end bespoke furniture to custom-made glazing to increase light levels throughout the home.

Clear Architects has been featured previously in The Sunday Times, recently for Framing The View and in The Times as a property expert discussing broken-plan living.