Top Flooring Trends for 2017
Just as the clothes we wear change from year to year, so too do our home furnishings. Fashions change in all aspects of our lives, so it follows that only a few years ago carpet was almost the only serious option to cover our floors – and sometimes even in bathrooms – but today there are far more options.
The trends cover both the type of flooring we use and the colour we choose. Last year, it was all about dark colours, and seeing grey laminate flooring in a living space was not uncommon. It was also a welcome step on from the more traditional wooden colours.
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder
We have also stepped away from pristine, flawless finishes. This year, we’re embracing the natural feel and all the marks that brings with it. Aesthetics are important. Conversely, ‘faux’ is also big – tiles that look like wood, for example.
Fumed Wood
Staining is commonplace when it comes to wooden floors, but fuming goes a step further to develop a stronger colour and grain. The colour is transferred by ‘fumes’ inside a chamber where airborne ammonia is released, which reacts with the wood to produce the change in colour. It’s a deep colour that enhances the wood’s natural grain.
Bleached or Blanched
At the other end of the spectrum, white-washed looks are also popular. The wood is treated with a chemical solution to strip the colour out, again often leaving the grain visible. This sort of flooring has been big with the Scandi styles that have become so popular, and if real wood isn’t an option then a grey laminate flooring might also be an option.
House Beautiful talks more about why floorboards are such big news at the moment. If you’d like to pursue the trend in your own home, spend some time with a specialist retailer like woodfloor warehouse.
Ceramic Tiles
Of course, it’s not all about wood. Tiles are a great option in many rooms – even high-traffic areas where we might have overlooked them in the past. As well as the smooth glossy options, there is now a great range of textured tiles on the market.
Spend some time choosing the right option for your home, because although trends change, you won’t want to update your floor as often as your clothes!
