Hardwood Floors at High Elevation

Photo: Sophisticated Small | Products: Shell flooring + Flush Stair Nosings

The moment I saw Shell, I knew it was the perfect flooring for our modern mountain home. Even though we were years from starting construction, we spent a lot of time researching materials. The details really mattered to us. When sourcing finishes for our home, this was our criteria:

• High quality, timeless materials. Standard, boring builder grade finishes were not for us.
• Nontoxic, certified products from brands that we trust.
• A focus on sustainability, part of this is our philosophy to buy it once. There’s nothing I hate more than having to replace something because I bought a cheap version the first time around.

Building at 10,000 feet

Living at 10,005 feet means winter lasts around eight months of the year. Even with all that snow, our climate is surprisingly dry — and that presents unique challenges when it comes to choosing flooring. Lower moisture levels can cause wood and other natural materials to dry out and shrink if they aren’t acclimated or sealed properly. In a low-humidity environment like ours, traditional solid hardwood can be more prone to shrinking and gapping over time.
Since we knew we wanted real wood floors, we chose Stuga’s engineered hardwood flooring for its dimensional stability. The layered construction makes it far better suited to the fluctuations in temperature and humidity we experience at high elevation. It holds its shape beautifully, season after season, without the gaps and warping that can happen with solid wood.
Beyond its performance, engineered hardwood is also a more sustainable choice. It uses less slow-growing hardwood while maintaining the beauty of natural wood grain, making it a win for both our home and the environment. For us, it was the perfect combination of durability, sustainability, and timeless style — a flooring choice that will stand up to the elements and look beautiful for years to come.

Dry, Snowy Living

When we designed our home, we wanted to balance the clean, open look of a modern minimalist space with a feeling of warmth and comfort. That’s exactly where Shell came in. Its warm, organic tones instantly softened the sleek lines of our design and became the perfect upgrade to our space. It’s also the first thing guests comment on when they walk through the door — the floors set the tone for the entire home.
One of the things we love most about Shell is how it blurs the line between indoors and outdoors. The natural grain and color connect beautifully with the landscape outside, which was exactly the effect we wanted. And it’s not just about looks — these floors feel amazing underfoot. Living at elevation, we often hear complaints about cold floors, but thanks to radiant floor heating, our hardwood stays warm all year round.
We’re also a no-shoes household, and walking barefoot on these hardwood floors is a daily luxury. The smooth, high-quality finish makes every step comfortable, and the warmth underfoot makes the house feel welcoming in every season. For us, Shell isn’t just a flooring choice — it’s part of what makes our home feel like home.

Modern Flush Stairs

When we started designing our home, I didn’t expect the staircase to become one of my favorite features. But because our living space is on the second level, the stairs are the very first thing you see when you walk in — front and center. We knew we wanted them to feel intentional and beautiful, not just functional. That’s when we discovered Stuga’s flush stair nosing, and it completely changed how we saw the space.
Instead of a bulky edge that interrupts the flow of the flooring, flush stair nosing creates a smooth, continuous line from one step to the next. Stuga’s design wraps the stairs seamlessly, so they feel like an extension of the floors rather than an afterthought. It’s a small detail, but it makes a huge visual difference — especially in an open-concept or Scandinavian-inspired home where clean lines matter.
The craftsmanship is as impressive as the design. Each piece aligns perfectly with the planks, making the floor-to-stair transition look custom-built. For us, it elevated what could have been an overlooked area into a true focal point. Now, instead of trying to hide the staircase, we celebrate it as part of the overall modern design of our home.
If you’re building or renovating, don’t underestimate the power of details like stair nosings. They can transform a purely functional feature into a standout design element — and in our case, they’ve made our staircase something we love seeing every single day.