Why not cover as much as possible with a large rug and live with it for awhile before you decide? I'm a big fan of getting to know a space before making permanent changes to it.

Please, please DO NOT alter these floors.

Wow. Those floors are stunning.

i would kill for those floors. in fact i've probably killed for less. those floors are beautiful. if you must, please cover them and do not destroy them.

The floor looks beautiful. I can see how you might be overwhelmed by the pattern of the parquet in such a great expanse, but, as others have suggested, put a rug down before doing anything else. Once you've added your furniture, the pattern won't be all over the place, and, believe me, you'll get tons of compliments. Lucky you!

If those aren't your style, please find a modern style(less) condo. That floor is pretty awesome.

Those floors are GORGEOUS. Please don't alter them. PLEASE.

If you really, really, really feel that they aren't for you, I wouldn't buy this condo. A) It would be a shame to remove something so lovely. B) It would be very expensive to replace it with something of like quality, if the square footage is large, as you said.

I adore those floors and would kill to have them in my place.

Those floors are incredibly gorgeous, I just think the color is kind of overwhelming and wrong with all the lovely architectural details. Depending on your style, I would have them refinished.

If you simply bleach them, the place will have a lot more lightness and modernity. I'm a big fan of that look in a space like this....the contrast of very modern furniture and lighting fixtures, modern art, with a few choice antiques thrown in (think a gilded armchair in the Louis style, or something wonderful and Swedish....the slight hint of gilt and curves really highlights the sleek lines of modernism)... would allow the beautiful vintage details to be sculptural all on their own. Pale grey stain is also nice..

Conversely, you could ebonize the floors, very chic....but beware.... shows the dust. like crazy, you'll want area rugs. Dark walnut stain if you are traditional ? That would "ground" the place.

Really, the pattern is wonderful, it's the golden oak look that's kind of off-putting and busy. Foolish to think of pulling them out....a salvager would make a lot of money off of you, and you'd spend a fortune replacing it with.....what ??? You're SO lucky to be able to purchase tis lovely place ! Enjoy.

Fab Floors. Some people get diseased carpet when they move in, you got awesome wood floors that cost a ton to put in! Maybe you could stain them if you had to. Dark wood would be pretty.

Put a dark stain on them, if that better matches your style, and/or cover with a large area rug - but - realize that those floors are real estate gold and you're unlikely to replace them with anything that increases your house value more. If you're staying in your home forever, resale value may not sway you, but if you anticipate selling the property I'd sure try to work with the floors.

I'm sympathetic. We bought a very 70s split level that had parquet floors. We sanded them down a bit and painted them dark grey. Yours look like they're in good condition, so you could probably just stain them a dark color. In the grand scheme of renovations, refinishing wood floors Is not too terribly difficult or expensive.

Just because other people love them doesn't mean they jive with your style. One way or another, own your space.

Im sorry Laura, but to remove such well preserved and large examples of parquet flooring is or should be illegal. If these were in London, the building would most probably be listed, and if you decided to remove them you would be required to replace them at your own cost. Apartment buildings like this one are very lucky to have such architecturally important original features, and although they may not be to your personal taste, I like most of the other posters would kill, or do something of equal seriousness, to obtain them in my home, and that feeling will be shared by many other's willing to pay a high price for this apartment on resale. Try restainting them, try some simple area rugs to calm the pattern down, try to just think of it as a large Chevron floor, just do not remove them. Please.

I love the floors. If you wanted to update them a bit I would consider a white wash for a blonde finish. Personally, I think the basketweave pattern is beautiful but if you don't love them, then there is no point in keeping them to keep us all happy. Another great option if it's possible would be a VERY dark brown stain. There were some beautiful examples on H&H one edition (can't remember which month) which did a bit of a homage to basketweave patterned flooring. Great open space by the way :)

The floors are integral to the home -- if they are not your style, then I would recommend that you seriously reconsider your interest in the space.
I think the pattern is suffering from an unnatural amount of exposure -- once rugs are in place, the floor will look vastly different. And definitely have them refinished for a fresh look :)

I live in a prewar apartment with these very same floors. The floor is without a doubt an asset you should not destroy. You will decrease the value of the property. I put a satin ebony stain on my floor ... Stunning.

OMG. The style of the apartment includes those floors. Are you getting rid of the crown molding and the waiscotting too? geez. Please find a modern apartment that will better fit your flooring needs. Those floors are a piece of history and vital to the value of the property!

i like the parquet like nearly everyone else who commented, but since the point of your post was that you do NOT, my suggestion is to try something like those carpet tiles that wouldn't end up being a permanent change to these well-maintained floors. check it out: http://www.flor.com/

Wow so much passion over parquet floors! We have terrible cheap carpet over ours and this summer we plan to rip it up and stain our floors. Like you, I felt that the parquet was dated and did not fit my modern style. However, I think a dark finish is going to look lovely especially with some contrasting colors in other areas of the room (paint, light fixtures, etc). A recent post on West Elm's "Dream Home of the Day" showed a very modern look with parquet floors and it has given me more confidence that keeping them is a great decision. http://yatzer.com/Pil-Marques-Studio-Guilherme-Torres-Brazil
Check it out!

Perhaps some colour on the walls and more furniture. Every thing is white in the empty space so the parquet stands out. .Add an area rug and only the border of parquet will be visible. Once the room is furnished and has a focal point (art work?) the parquet will become background. The floor IS beautiful and this from a person who loves to paint everything!

Hi! I know what you mean about "not your style". However, the floors are gorgeous and albeit not "our" style, there are plenty of work arounds.

As everyone is suggesting, you can buy a large area rug and it will be the focal point of the room. MOST people would kill for your floor even though you dont prefer it. The other thing is that if you R-E-A-L-L-Y dont like them, you could purchase FLOR carpet tiles and lay them so that perimeter is covering the wood floors and the area rug will do the rest. You would in essence have wall-to-wall (boring) carpet and maybe that would get you over that issue. The wood parquet will actually less busy when you get a great area rug as your focal point and will simply show the beauty of your space. I have a home with original hardwood floors that most people love when they see. I only see the imperfections and I actually have come to love my floors. So see where the area rug takes you. You may find you have a love affair with the floors afterall. To be honest the post right above mine says it perfectly. The floors will become less of the attraction once the room is completely decorated.
Good luck and know that those floors will be a great selling point when you sell!

AHH! I'm in love with your floors. I have those floors on my list to do if I ever buy a house that needs it's floors replaced. It would cost a fortune to have the put down new.

I would suggest refinishing if you're not a fan of the colour. I have regular parquet in my condo which was a honey colour when I moved in. I looked at the option of replacing it with laminate or rgular hardwood but the hardwood was too expensive and it seemed like a shame to lose real wood to go to laminate. So my solution was the refinish and stain darker. The floor is amazing now and I get lots of compliments.

If you google "Herringbone wood Floor" you'll see lots of beautiful stained floors like yours to give you an idea of what you can do.

I'll just reiterate a comment I made above. If you're looking for an economical floor replacement then chances are you'll choose laminate. Laminate can be nice but nothing is nicer than REAL wood, which you have now. Have the floors refinished in a colour that you like. It will keep the vintage feel that goes with the condo and be updated at the same time. Then purchase an area rug (which you'd need anyways) and see how beautiful your floors look. I'm one jealouse girl!

If the floors are in good condition, try having them stripped and re-stained. A dark stain would cover the outdated pattern, or at lease camouflage it. Tearing up original flooring in a vintage condo will lose you a lot of value when you go to resell. You can refinish the floor and not suffer any big value drops. A huge area rug would also work to cover the wood.