It sparkles in the sun, appearing to flow serenely between the queen-size bed and a bank of custom-built maple cabinets. It collides with the rest of the room's red oak hardwood like waves hitting a beach. It looks like a Japanese stream, but it's not water.
Made of flattened sand (the part that looks wet) and white pebbles preserved under a clear epoxy finish, the waterproof, resurfaceable floor is a prototype for Calgary artist Paul Lloyd.
He's added three dimensions to it by strategically placing four hand-ground stones of Carrera marble that rise above the epoxy, giving the illusion of worn stepping stones across a glistening curve of water.
Look closely and you'll see tiny shells that seem to lap against the marble. It's perfect inside this spare, modern space because it's been custom-designed for it.
"It is a piece of art and designed that way," says Lloyd, a self-taught artist and woodworker with an inventive streak, who's dabbled in the arts for 20 years.
"We wanted something that was continuous, we didn't want something broken into bricks or tiles," Lloyd explains when asked how he and the homeowner came up with the idea for a floor that looked fluid.
He also needed to find a material light enough so the floor wouldn't require additional engineering.
"It was a creative journey because everything had to be developed. It was a matter of, how do I do that?"
Good question.
Lloyd, trained as a chemical engineer, developed his bent for artistry during a seven-year stint in Sydney, Australia, where he launched a company that specialized in decorative boxes, vases and address books for the gift market.
After moving back to Canada, and a short stint in IT, the 44-year-old found a way to marry his entrepreneurial skills and creativity with the design aspect of being an engineer. Custom woodwork called, followed by flooring.
His initial goal was modest: Find a way to bring artwork and personality into the structure of a home instead of merely hanging it on the walls. A floor is a floor; how do you bring variety and interest to it?
After deciding on a Japanese stream for the Calgary condo, Lloyd took six months to develop the floor, two of which were spent testing out different products.
Along the way he discovered new techniques in custom floors he believes will appeal to a niche market. He realized his flooring lends itself to many different applications -- depending on the client, he could incorporate fabrics, handmade paper or even semi-precious stones into the surface where people place their feet, rarely looking down.
As far as Lloyd knows, flooring like his doesn't exist on the market.
"The closest I've seen are one or two artists in Calgary who do paintings on the floor and then cover them with a thin coat of epoxy," he says.
Are homeowners ready to walk all over its art?
"Designers are very interested in seeing something new and different," says Lloyd.
So are Calgarians, who are always looking for unique ways to put a personal stamp on interiors.
The only caveat: Any client must appreciate quality workmanship and understand the time it takes to develop a custom floor, since, in a way, each floor would end up being a prototype.
Says Lloyd: "In this marketplace, especially on the upper end, people want originality in their homes.
"People like to put their personality and image into their homes. It's an outward projection of their accomplishments."
Paul Lloyd can be reached by e-mail at pjlloydtelus.net.
--Canwest News Service
