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8 Notable Trends in Flooring
Though residing under your feet, flooring should nevertheless be top of mind when you’re building a new home. After all, flooring holds immense importance to both the design and function of a home.
From the increasing prevalence of hardwood to new tile options and carpeting’s enduring reign as a viable choice, Gallagher and Henry sales staff identify eight notable trends in flooring.
#1: Hardwood Flooring – and More of It
In the past, homeowners largely limited hardwood to certain rooms of the home, particularly family rooms and dining rooms. Now, hardwood is the preferred flooring selection in most rooms around the house, including kitchens, laundry rooms, foyers, and powder rooms.
#2: A twist to Traditional Hardwoods
Though the traditional 2¼-inch hardwood strip remains hardwood flooring’s standard-bearer, there is accelerating appetite for wider 3-inch and 4-inch planks. The wider planks carry more visual interest and can even make a room seem larger.
#3: Hardwood Look-Alikes
Even when homebuyers elect not to go with hardwood, many still want the hardwood look. Leading the charge: wide-plank porcelain tiles that emulate hardwood’s natural colors and grain. Such tiles have become increasingly popular in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements because of their waterproof quality and the vast array of color options available.
#4: Cool – and Neutral – Grays
While dark, rich, and warm colors reigned for much of the 2010s, cool colors, primarily those in the gray family, enter 2020 on the upswing. Gray tones, in particular, offer immense versatility, working just as well with a rustic design as an industrial look. Yet more, the neutral nature of gray serves a more simplistic backdrop if homeowners decide to add more texture or color to walls, as in the case of shiplap or patterned wallpaper.
#5: Carpeting Retains its Place – at Least in Two Noteworthy Spaces
With the accelerating embrace of hardwood flooring and its look-alike brethren in main living areas of the home, it would be easy to assume carpet’s demise. Far from it. Many homebuyers still choose carpeting for bedrooms and basements for its warmth and softness, while a swelling array of patterns, designs, and colors has helped carpeting stay relevant in an era of hardwood dominance.
#6: Calculated Touches of Softness
With the prevalence of hard flooring surfaces in new construction, a healthy marketplace has blossomed for area rugs and carpet runners. Area rugs, for instance, add warmth, color, and texture to a family room lined with hardwoods, while carpet runners up a staircase deliver safety, visual contrast, and sound control.
#7: Black-and-White Tiles
Bold black-and-white tiles in floral or geometric patterns prompt nostalgic feelings. These vintage tiles make a bold statement and add an undeniably artistic element to bathrooms, mudrooms, or laundry rooms, effectively bringing an unexpected splash of design to otherwise utilitarian spaces.
#8: Playing with Patterns
With their hardwood or tile flooring, some homebuyers are opting to punch up their designs with a pattern. Ditching the traditional vertical or horizontal layout for a chevron or herringbone pattern provides an unexpected twist to room design and creates a more customized look.