Designing a Stylish Interior: Flooring Ideas and Trends
Your flooring is one of the most important design elements in your home, creating a foundation for every piece lain upon it. Luckily, homeowners have a number of stylish options to choose from, from classic options that never date to trendy choices that offer a bold and creative statement.
To help you make your choice, we asked Southern designers for their advice on the latest flooring ideas and trends. From patterned wood floors to wider tiles, these expert-approved looks are sure to impress in 2024.
Large Format Tiles
Large-format tiles create a sleek, modern aesthetic that looks great in contemporary spaces. They are also easy to clean and durable, which makes them a popular choice for high-traffic areas. Plus, their larger size helps visually enlarge rooms, making them feel more open and airy.
While porcelain and ceramic slab tiles are the most common choices for large format tile, they’re available in a wide range of colors, patterns and finishes. Advances in digital printing allow tiles to resemble natural stone, concrete, wood and even fabric.
A key benefit of large-format tiles is that the larger surface area allows for more intricate patterns and decorative elements than traditional smaller tiles. For example, tiles can be arranged in herringbone or chevron designs to add visual interest. Another option is to use large-scale pattern on a feature wall, such as behind a fireplace, to draw the eye upwards and create a dramatic focal point.
The larger tiles also offer greater slip resistance than traditional tile options, which can be a significant safety concern in wet or slippery areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. For this reason, it’s important to choose a tile that offers a good coefficient of friction rating, or COF rating, when choosing your flooring.
Tiles with a COF rating of at least 0.55 can be considered slip-resistant and are safe for walking on, even in the presence of moisture. While slip-resistant tiles are not required in residential homes, it’s a smart design decision for areas that will be frequented by family members and guests with children or mobility issues.
Large-format tile is a top interior flooring trend that’s not going away anytime soon. Its sleek, minimalist look can produce a calming effect in any room, and it works well with both traditional and modern decor styles. If you’re feeling extra bold, consider extending the floor tile up your walls for a stunning effect.
Warm Tones
Incorporating warm tones into your home’s décor helps to create a more welcoming atmosphere. According to color psychology, warm colors evoke feelings of coziness and warmth, making them ideal for living rooms, dens, dining areas, and other spaces where people gather to relax and socialize.
There are plenty of natural hardwood flooring options that feature warm tones, from rich walnut and oak to more neutral shades of tan and gray. You can also find luxury vinyl plank and laminate that mimic the appearance of warm woods for a more budget-friendly solution.
Choosing the right floor color is a chance to express your personal style. Do you prefer the serenity of cool tones or the comfort of warm tones? The answer will influence the overall feeling of your home.
Warm tones work well with a variety of wall colors, from bright reds and oranges to yellows and golden hues. They also pair beautifully with tan, earthy tones, and warm neutrals like beiges and taupes. If you want to add a pop of color to your living space, try a darker shade with a blue or green undertone.
Cool toned floors pair well with a wide range of wall colors as well. Light grey and tan flooring will complement almost any paint color, while white wood floors and even soft shades of blue add a fresh, clean aesthetic to your living space. Blue, green, and purple tones can work well with neutral wood undertones or if you have a hardwood with blue, green, or pink undertones, choose paint colors for your walls that are either warmer or cooler than the flooring to create a cohesive design.
The color of your flooring can make or break the ambiance of a room, so it’s important to think about your flooring color options carefully before making a decision. When choosing a color, look at it next to a piece of pure white paper or fabric to see how the undertones show up. Then, use a color wheel to help you determine whether your flooring will look better with warm or cool tones.
Hygge Style
Embracing the Danish concept of hygge in your home is the ultimate way to feel cozy and content. Hygge isn’t so much a decorating style as it is a lifestyle that prioritizes comfort, embracing the little things in life, and connecting with family and friends.
A key part of hygge involves incorporating natural elements into your home, such as plants. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, houseplants like succulents require minimal upkeep and can instantly create a soothing environment. You can also add soft fabrics in the form of Persian rugs, knit blankets, and faux-fur pillows to evoke a feeling of comfort and warmth.
Another element of hygge is making sure your home is a welcoming space for guests, including plenty of seating and a well-equipped kitchen to prepare meals with loved ones. Wood floors are an excellent flooring choice for a hygge-inspired design, as they offer an authentic connection to nature and work well with any texture. Lighter-toned hardwood floors can give your room a warm glow and look amazing when paired with woollen rugs to create a soft-to-the-touch texture.
Lighting is also important to the hygge style. Having plenty of tea lights, candlesticks, or lamps is ideal to create a comfortable ambiance, but low-level lighting that is softer than overhead options works just as well. You may also want to consider adding a fireplace to your living room as this will instantly make the atmosphere cozy and inviting.
One final aspect of hygge is being grateful for what you have. Having a good attitude and being happy with what you have is essential to the Danish culture, so be sure to display photos of your family and friends and make a point to spend time with the people that mean the most to you. You can further embrace this concept by hanging pictures of a scenic landscape or by investing in a comfy throw blanket that you can wrap around yourself while watching TV. If you’re looking for a more subtle accent piece, try adding a knit tapestry to your wall.
Concrete Industrial
Concrete floors have long been a staple for urban homes aiming for an industrial aesthetic. However, this style of flooring is now making its way into more traditional homes as well. Modern concrete floors don’t have to be the stark gray you might expect, and they can also come in a variety of tones that reflect light and create subtle details. They’re a great option for pairing with other materials that have traditionally been used in residential interiors, such as wood beams, vintage furniture, and Shaker-style cabinetry.
If you’re interested in exploring the concrete trend, hire an epoxy flooring contractor to start with a polished epoxy floor, which looks incredibly stylish and is available in a wide range of color options. The light reflecting off of the concrete surface helps to brighten a space and emphasizes its shape and texture.
Another option is to use acid stain to add color to a new or existing concrete floor. This method of coloring involves introducing chemical concentrates into the concrete mix that react with the minerals already present to introduce color. It’s a great option for homeowners who want to customize their concrete floors but don’t have the budget to completely replace them.
Exposed aggregate concrete floors are another great choice for modern living rooms because they offer a speckled finish that mimics more traditional terrazzo flooring. This flooring style is easy to maintain and offers a classic earthy look that works with any interior design.
The concrete trend can feel cold on your feet, so consider introducing heat into a room with this type of flooring. This will help to warm up the room and make it more comfortable to live in, especially if you’re living in a chilly climate.
You can also consider adding textural area rugs to the space to further soften its look and feel. A large patterned rug can add a pop of color while still maintaining the streamlined aesthetic of a concrete floor. It’s a simple way to add a lot of visual interest to your living room without taking away from the structural integrity of the floor.
