Hardwood Flooring > Martyn Lawrence Bullard Collection
MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
DUCHATEAU joins with world renowned interior designer MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD to create a hardwood flooring collection inspired by modern and classical architects. Impeccable finishes, rooted in design tradition, reinvented for today.
EUROPEAN WHITE OAK, WIDE PLANK 9.5”
Made in Thailand. Designed in California in collaboration with Martyn Lawrence Bullard.
“My collection with DUCHATEAU is inspired by some of the greatest architects, and each one of these architects has an amazing story of their own. These colors, based in history, are timeless, creating a nod to the history, and to the incredible experience, that they have given to the world.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
NIEMEYER
“Almost like a piece of driftwood that you would find on a beach”
“Oscar Niemeyer is a Brazilian legend. He is the architect that created the face of modern Brazil. His designs were taken from the beauty of his country- the sexy, kind of sun-soaked beaches and oceans that surround Brazil, and it is very much part of the inspiration of these floors… with their wonderful, desaturated color, this beautiful, light grayish sheen that you get, almost like a piece of driftwood that you would find on a beach.
These floors are perfect for any beach house, or really for anyone that wants to bring that beachy experience into their home.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
Oscar NIEMEYER
1907 – 2012
Oscar Niemeyer created a style that has become synonymous with the modernist architecture of Brazil. His design language married his inspiration from Brazilian landscapes with his desire for the social fulfillment of architecture—his love of graceful curves and natural lines informed all his projects, both feats of engineering and exemplary of his eye for sculptural beauty.
He is remembered for the iconic Ipanema beach of Rio, his civic buildings throughout the capital, and designs around the world that planted more organic architectural roots that would extend through the 21st century. Niemeyer’s legacy continues as contemporary designs push form further through shapes only more recent computing could make structurally sound.
LUTYENS
“It has a kind of luminosity that comes from within the wood”
“I was first introduced to the Lutyens style with my parents. As a kid, they used to tour me around the country houses on the weekend, which was something I loved and has become, you know, really part of my makeup—it’s my history, my design knowledge. He was this extraordinary architect that sort of blew away the dark Victoriana of the English country house. He knew that it was all about bringing light into a house. It’s what creates life and energy.
The thing I love about this Lutyens floor is that it has this very matte quality, it has a kind of luminosity that comes from within the wood, that really you only achieve over 100 years of use—these amazing floors that look like they have been scrubbed for generations to get to this wonderful color. It was very important for me to get to something that felt age-worn, but also feels very fresh and modern.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
SIR EDWIN LUTYENS
1869 – 1944
Sir Edwin Lutyens was an English architect who revitalized the traditional, darker Victorian style, bringing light and breathing life into the English country house he would redefine. Sweeping roof-lines, buttressed chimneys, and long runs of windows became the hallmark of his designs he would often finish with added touches of local influence.
One of his masterpieces is the Great Dixter house in England—a romantic recreation of a medieval manor. Playful knee-high windows ensured even the youngest children would have a view of the gardens below as, in true Lutyens style, the magic lies in the relationship between the house and the garden landscape.
NEUTRA
“This beautiful, very bleached colored floor captures a little bit of sunshine”
“Richard Neutra is really one of the most important architects of the last century. His work has literally changed the way we all live. He was the father of California style, and the indoor-outdoor experience of his architecture is so important that it became copied the world over.
This beautiful, very bleached colored floor captures a little bit of sunshine. It has this amazing warmth which Richard Neutra was really known for. And that light, that balance, the glow of the sunshine, is really what we have captured within the color of the wood. The blending of the inside and the outside and the way that we all want to live—the California dream.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
RICHARD NEUTRA
1892 – 1970
Richard Neutra created Modern living in California, where he lived and dedicated his career. All his designs embrace the surrounding outdoors, often through porches, patios, or gardens, and with many of his houses living elegantly and precisely within the landscape.
A turning point in Neutra’s career was The Lovell House in Los Angeles—a balanced reflection of his interests in cubism, in transparency, and in quality of life. Neutra is now most remembered for his masterpiece, the 1946 Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, CA. It was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann, a businessman who also commissioned Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright.
NAPOLEON III
“These wonderful blond wood floors capture that old meets new experience”
“Emperor Napoleon the Third, or Napoleon Trois, really changed the face of the Paris we know today. Before he came along, it was a very medieval city, dark and quite dirty, so he hired Haussmann, an extraordinary architect of the period, to come in and redesign the city. And the great neoclassical buildings that we see today are really Haussmann’s invention. It is the new Paris, the beauty of Paris, that we love the world over. But one of the great signatures of Haussmann were the extraordinary floors that he added. It today is the real signature of Parisian-style. These wonderful blond wood floors that really capture that old meets new experience. It’s desaturated yet it has a little color. And that color lets us build upon it anything we want to.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
NAPOLEON III
1808 – 1873
Napoleon III had a vision of a new Paris—to transform the ancient and medieval into a modern beauty, rooted in French tradition, but alive—refreshing in its revival. He hired the civil engineer Haussmann to realize it. Together, they cut straight, wide avenues through the chaos of small streets. They created a unifying order, so the goods, services, and people could move faster and easier through the city.
They created an aesthetic, opening space to bring more light and lining avenues with trees and streetlights. Kiosks and sidewalk cafes were born from new parks and sidewalks and, suddenly, Parisian street life sparked.
JEANNERET
“It’s a color that flows across the board, always giving life to a room”
“Pierre Jeanneret, one of the great architects of our time, became highly famous when he partnered with his cousin, Le Corbusier, to create Chandigarh, an extraordinary city in India. They not only created the architecture, but they created furniture—particularly, the famous chairs in this wonderful, honey golden tone wood with amazing caning.
Drop in this beautiful Jeanneret color. A welcoming color, it allows you to use it in a multitude of ways, from the most modern house to a mid-century restoration to a period project. It’s a color that flows across the board, always giving life to a room, always giving heart and soul to a home, yet giving you the availability to add your own spin.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
PIERRE JEANNERET
1896 – 1967
Pierre Jeanneret was a Swiss master architect known for his urban planning, unique furniture, and fruitful, lifelong partnership with his cousin, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier. Together they put into brick and mortar their ideas of modern living as they designed the city of Chandigarh in India. Their town planning, landscaping, architecture, and furniture became the grounds for them to explore their vision.
Among his chairs he designed for administrative offices was a V-legged teak-and-cane armchair. These chairs have been rediscovered for the simple and minimal, yet profound sculpture they are.
PALLADIAN
“I wanted it to be bold”
Award Winner. Architectural Digest Great Design Awards 2023.
“Andrea Palladio, the greatest architect Italy ever knew. He really influenced the way design evolved within all of society across Europe. From the grandest palace to the most humble of homes. But his real trick was an understanding of drama, and for me that was one of the most important parts of our design ethos, and the reason why I wanted a dark wood floor in our collection. I wanted it to be bold. I think one of the great things to look for in a dark floor is not just the intensity and richness of color, but an evenness—it has to have that depth. It is, without doubt, one of the greatest design statements within this collection.”
– MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD
Andrea Palladio
1508 – 1580
An immutable presence across cultures and continents. Andrea Palladio was an Italian Renaissance architect whose classical order and organization of form set the architectural standard of Europe, and whose understanding of drama created a design language that has become ubiquitous. Many of our banks, churches, and public buildings reflect his influence.
He designed churches and palaces, but he is most remembered for his country houses and villas, such as Villa La Rotonda, near Vicenza. The entire building was proportioned with mathematical precision according to Palladio’s own rules of architecture, which he published* and became widely distributed.
*Credit to Architectuul
LOVE EVERY PLANK
DUCHATEAU’s hardwood flooring collections reflect a love for the natural beauty of wood. There will be nuances that create variation between planks—and we want you to love each one. You decide if some planks you’ve received have too much character or not enough, or if some are too light or dark.
Your floor, your decision.
DUCHATEAU will replace up to 5% of your planks no charge, excluding labor and freight. 5% will be standard prepackaged material of the purchased floor. Cannot be combined on original sales order. No cash value. Must be claimed within 90 days of first invoice. Flooring orders are eligible for a one-time 5% replacement. Applies to Signature hardwood and Martyn Lawrence Bullard flooring products only.