When it came to executing a painted concrete floor in her office, designer Elly Poston Cooper knew who to call.
Having worked with H.J. Holtz & Son on numerous residential projects, Cooper – principal of Elly Poston Interiors – saw the opportunity to employ the company for her own workspace as one she couldn’t pass up.
“I really trust” the Holtz team, Cooper says. “The company’s decorative painters were dreams to work with. They are so creative; it was awesome.”
Cooper knows painted concrete can be both durable and pretty, and wanted to encourage clients to consider that surface as an option by including it in her own office.
“I think it’s fun for my clients to see something they might not do otherwise,” she says. “People can be scared of painted floors, so we wanted to show how they wear. We love the scuffs.”
She adds: “Concrete floor can be slippery, so we wanted the paint to help with traction. We also wanted it to feel homey, to add charm, so the space doesn’t look commercial.”
In 2021, Cooper moved her firm into a former optical shop on Patterson Avenue in Richmond. The midcentury building features one large room, so the scale of the paint design was an important consideration.
“We have a big hex pattern,” she says, noting that her original idea had smaller elements. “I went to the decorative artist and said ‘You tell me’ how large the squares should be. They’re now 26-inch hexes!”
Cooper also rearranged the placement of the colors, but not the colors themselves: Farrow & Ball Skylight (a pale blue-gray), Parma Gray (a cool blue) and Dimpse (a delicate gray). Initially, she had planned to use Dimpse – the lightest shade – for one of the two large squares, but moved it to the smallest square, letting the deeper shades occupy the larger areas.
“I decided I wanted more tonal color; this is warmer and fresher than our inspiration,” she says. “The floors are really the highlight of the office. People always comment on them.”
As with past collaborations with H.J. Holtz & Son, Cooper is happy with the finished outcome.
“Holtz is definitely expensive, but they are the best,” she says. “They stand behind the quality of their work, and they’re proud of it. You don’t have to worry about quality control.”
