Floors magazine meets Mr Mark Cavendish with Quick-Step

Multiple stage winner at all three grand tours, former World road race champion and current UK Champion, winner of the Milan San Remo, two time victor of the Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen; the list of victories goes on and on for Mark Cavendish, whose palmares makes him one of the all-time greats of professional road cycling. Now winning races across the world in the jersey of Omega Pharma Quick-Step, Mark has recently completed work on a new villa in the heart of the Tuscany region of Italy, with Quick-Step Hardwood floors featuring throughout the light and spacious home.

Quick-Step spent some time with Mark to find out his inspiration behind the stunning contemporary interior of the décor and why he chose Quick-Step hardwood flooring throughout its multiple levels.

“I came here and stayed with a friend with a beautiful farmhouse in the hills and around here is just great for training and its good for airports with Florence and Pizza pretty close.

They love cycling here and the climate and terrain is perfect for training,” said Mark on his reasons for having a base in this beautiful region of Italy.

Mark’s Tuscan home is a stunning newly-built villa over three levels, with a large split-level open plan living space at ground floor level, fitness suite and spa on the basement level and five bedrooms and study on the upper floor.

Dominated by sleek white surfaces, this is a true statement of contemporary style full of delightful details that Mark personally had a hand in choosing, working exceptionally closely with his designer, AD Design.

“I really enjoy renovating homes and get a real sense of satisfaction out of decorating.

I’m on the road for 200 days a year and so it’s really important that I come home to somewhere where my family and I can be ourselves.”

From the fluid quality of transitional surfaces and stunning bespoke large print wallpaper of the open plan living space, to the in-built pizza oven that’s cleverly hidden away in the kitchen and the almost sculptural sink that seamlessly emerges from the wall of the master bathroom; Mark has considered every aspect of this villa’s interior with exquisite attention to detail.

Though this is not to say that he hasn’t been prepared to change his mind on aspects of the interior also:

“Originally there were plans for a full size fish tank as a surprise for Peta (Mark’s wife), as she loves saltwater fish, but with the brick wall of the stairway it would just have been too busy, so at the last minute I made the decision to use a glass panel instead.

The plumbing for the tank is in place should we change our mind though.”

Mark’s home is fully automated too, with impressive touches such as automatic doors to the fitness suite and a TV that magically glides out from the wall to get the perfect viewing angle from the contemporary freestanding bath in the master suite.

This room is itself a masterstroke of how contemporary living and technology can combine. At one end stands an impressive double shower with controllable mood lighting, while at the other a beautiful LED constellation captures Mark and Peta’s star signs – this a surprise from Mark’s builder.

Throughout the living areas of the villa, Quick-Step’s stunning Variano hardwood flooring proves the perfect companion to the rest of the interior.

Chosen by Mark in Painted White Oak Oiled, Variano’s random assortment of strip sizes makes for a hardwood floor with maximum impact, with the grain pattern of oak adding interest and texture from all angles.

“I had a look at some initial samples before narrowing down my choice and finally deciding that Variano Painted White Oak Oiled was the right floor.

It was pretty simple actually. I’m super happy with the floor and the way it has become part of the house.”

Variano Painted White Oak Oiled features Quick-Step’s high quality oil that allows the stunning floor to age gracefully and developing its own character over time.

Using carefully selected oak, Quick-Step ensures that the floor captures the perfect wood look along with optimum stability and durability, with the white tone of this particular décor fitting perfectly with the villa’s contemporary style.

Mark has also made use of Quick-Step hardwood within the dedicated fitness room, this time opting for the beautiful organic oak look of Natural Noble Oak Matt. With a long and elegant plank, Castello is perfect for creating a sense of space in rooms, in this natural tone helping to offset the gleaming metal and plastic of Mark’s full suite of fitness and training equipment.

It is clear to see that Mark is particular about details and even he admits to going round the build to check the position of sockets and switches on more than one occasion.

The benefits of such attention to detail are clear to see from the completed villa, somewhere that Mark feels entirely comfortable:

“This is somewhere that I can relax and enjoy family life and not have to be Mark Cavendish the cyclist,” ends Mark.