Choosing the right flooring for your home should be a fun process. It will affect the look and feel of your home more than perhaps any other interior element, which is why you’ll really want to get it right. Although appearance is important, it’s not the only thing that you should take into account. Durability, comfort and of course the cost are also very important factors when choosing the right flooring. Then there’s the question should you follow trends. Trends are great for inspiration and ideas, but I would never blindly follow them. Pick the flooring you love (whether it’s trendy or not!) and you’ll enjoy it for many years to come.
I know it may all seem a bit confusing with so many different flooring types out there these days. Should I go for hardwood or laminate? Is vinyl still old fashioned? Is engineered wood more durable than solid wood? Luckily the flooring industry has evolved a lot in the last 10 years. Laminate flooring is not what it used to be (cheap and plastic looking) and hardwood flooring is still as popular as ever. If you’re decorating your forever house choosing the right flooring is even more crucial. Get free samples and place them in different parts of the room to see how the colour changes with both natural and artificial light. I find that almost all samples look lighter in showrooms (thanks to all the light), so it’s really important to see the samples in your own home too.
I’ve partnered with Luxury Flooring and Furnishings to bring you my top 5 hottest flooring trends from their current collection. They specialise in offering solid and engineered wood, laminate and vinyl at very affordable prices (plus carpets and some accessories too). Although I’m talking about trends, I would consider all my picks timeless choices. Hardwood and parquet flooring for example have been around forever, but they are seriously popular again now which is why I’m writing about them. Herringbone flooring has been taking over Pinterest and Instagram for quite some time as well. I’m also loving white bleached oak (laminate) flooring right now that goes so well with the Scandi aesthetic I’m going for.
1) DARK HARDWOOD FLOORING
I thought I’d start with hardwood since it’s been literally around forever. I love the look of hardwood, especially in period homes with rustic interior schemes. There are different grades of wood hardness which you may want to look into before deciding which hardwood to go for, but overall solid wood is very durable and can last decades. Hardwood does have few drawbacks though. Underfloor heating is not usually recommended with most hardwoods and some hardwoods can scratch quite easily. I’ve seen what pets (especially bigger dogs) can do to wood flooring over time which is something you may need to take into consideration. It all depends on whether you like the rustic look and mind a bit of wear and tear. The great thing about hardwood is that it can be sanded down and restored to reveal its natural beauty again. Although lighter styles are on the rise, darker colours like the Brimham Aged Whisky Oak is a classic choice.
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| Brimham Aged Whisky Oak Flooring |
2) ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING WITH HERRINGBONE PATTERN
Engineered wood flooring has been popular for quite some time now. The great thing about engineered wood is that it looks very realistic to solid wood (thanks to the real wood top layer), but it also offers stability and durability. Engineered wood is quite resistant to humidity and moisture too, making it an ideal choice for bathrooms, kitchens or conservatories. It also goes well with underfloor heating which makes it a very popular choice in modern homes.
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| Brushed & UV Oiled Herringbone Engineered Oak |
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| Prime Unfinished Click Herringbone Oak |
3) PARQUET
Parquet is a traditional type of wood flooring that has been popular for decades. I still remember my parents old parquet flooring years ago. It was such a beautiful rich, natural shade of oak but needed some maintenance. Wax used to be a very popular sealant, although I think most people tend to use oil based products these days. I love that parquet is popular choice again amongst many interior designers. There’s no doubt that parquet is a very elegant and sophisticated. You can also get very creative with it. Since parquet flooring comes in blocks it can be laid in different ways creating a real statement floor in your home.
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| Thorpe Pasture Oak Herringbone Flooring
4) BLEACHED WHITE OAK LAMINATE Laminate flooring is a great option if you’re decorating on a budget. Good quality laminate may not be as cheap as you think though. Laminate is incredibly hardwearing and can look quite realistic too these days. We installed Quickstep flooring in our home 7 years ago and have received so many compliments. The best part is that it’s still looking pretty pristine after 7 years which just goes to show how durable laminate is. If you have children or pets you really can’t go wrong with laminate. It’s not great with moisture though, so you do need to be careful if you’re planning to install it in the kitchen. Laminate is quite easy to install (compared to hardwoods) and I love that Quickstep uses a click on system which means that the floor isn’t glued on and can be relatively easily removed if needed. Don’t forget to invest in good quality underlay too. I’m loving bleached oak laminate style flooring at the moment, but if you want to play it safe stick to a natural shade like Quickstep Majestic Woodland Oak.
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| Quickstep Eligna Wide Morning Oak |
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| Quickstep Majestic Woodland Oak |
5) LUXURY VINYLS
Vinyl flooring is not what it used to be. It may have been invented in the 1920s, but it has certainly come far in terms of durability and design since then. Most people would probably see vinyl flooring as an inexpensive and ‘easy’ option. It’s easy to install, affordable, comfortable under your feet and very moisture resistant (ie. great for kitchens and bathrooms). The old fashioned vinyl wasn’t totally bombproof though. You could scratch it quite easily and it would show wear and tear much quicker than hardwoods. Today’s vinyl is a different story though. Vinyl flooring is manufactured in a whole different way now which makes is more durable and scratch resistant. With advanced printing and texturing technologies vinyl has become a lot more luxurious would you believe. I never thought I’d be a fan of vinyl flooring but the Palace Offcut Art Vinyl by Lifestyle floors has totally converted me.
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| Lifestyle Floors Palace Offcut Art Luxury Vinyl |
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| TLC Lock Admiral Limestone Luxury Vinyl Tile |
I hope you enjoyed the selection and found something you like. I’m really impressed with the flooring choices on the Luxury Flooring & Furnishings website and I love that they provide so much information and unlimited free samples to make sure that you get the dream flooring you deserve.
* Thank you Luxury Flooring & Furnishings for sponsoring this post.* All images credited: Luxury Flooring & Furnishings.
