When’s the last time you thought of flooring—linoleum in particular—as art? Meet Laurie Crogan, whose wild imagination, skill, work ethic, and personality have clients praising her as the “Rembrandt of linoleum” and suggesting a museum should feature her work. “I don’t just get a floor;” says one architect, “I get an endlessly fascinating, superbly crafted magic carpet … I get an excellent listener, a cheerful collaborator, a prompt and accountable perfectionist.”
Perhaps because her home base of Los Angeles is full of bungalows and Craftsman-era homes, some of her designs are inspired by that period. But there’s so much more: retrievers and mice, teacups and spaceships, martinis and dragons.
Her creations fall into Craftsman, botanical, and graphic designs, as well as crests and compasses; one portfolio she labels “eccentric.” Since 1984, Crogan has worked for movie stars and moguls, but also for homeowners seeking something unique. “I work in epic mansions and humble cottages alike,” she says.
She also makes bespoke, movable 1/8"-thick linoleum rugs, which soften and protect wood floors. They can be shipped to customers. Crogan designs, draws, scales, cuts, and installs the floors. Each inlay is precision cut using a scroll saw fitted with jeweler’s blades, as well as a mat knife and fine hand tools. “I walked into a kitchen one day, and the contractor and architect were on the floor measuring my border work. ‘She’s not even off 1 / 16"!’ said one. No one believes I cut them. I wonder: if I were a man, would I be famous?”
Her website is sure to cheer you up—go see!
LAURIE CROGAN
Inlay Floors
Los Angeles & San Francisco
(310) 474 1821
inlayfloors.com
Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.
Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.
Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.
