When designing and decorating a home, the floor is often overlooked. Many homeowners simply throw a rug on their existing floor and call it a day! But the floor is one of the largest surfaces in your home and carefully selecting a pattern, style, and flooring type can transform a simply decorated room into a beautiful, expressive space with a cohesive design. And while some homes express a more traditional style, the bold homeowner may choose a more striking design. To help kick-start your creativity, we at Carolina Flooring Services have listed 5 unique flooring ideas for the unconventional homeowner.
1. Striped Hardwood: Installing hardwood of two different stains to form a stripe pattern is an excellent way to add character to your home. It also requires making several decisions to create a floor that is uniquely yours. Do your prefer a subtle difference in stains, or a striking contrast? Will the stripes be of equal or varying widths? And how will you orient the rows – having stripes that run parallel to the longest wall gives the illusion of a longer room, but placing the stripes perpendicular can create a cozier feeling. Furthermore, creating a striped pattern can be achieved particularly easily with laminate flooring, as it has an interlocking design where the flooring is laid row by row and snapped together.
2.Built-In Rugs: Instead of laying an area rug over hardwood, why not install a hardwood perimeter around a section of carpet? Unlike area rugs, carpet will not slip and become crooked, nor will you have to lift and remove carpet to clean the floor underneath. This is also an excellent unique flooring option for homes with elderly residents, as a slipping and tripping on loose rugs can cause falls and serious injury.
3. Checkered Hardwood: Many homeowners love the look of traditional checkered tile in the kitchen of bathroom, but don’t appreciate the shock of cold tile on bare feet when stepping out of a hot shower or grabbing their morning coffee. Hardwood is naturally warmer (especially cork hardwood!). It is often more impervious to stains than porous tile – and what rooms are more prone to spills and stains than the kitchen and bathroom? The grain patterns of hardwood also add texture.
4. Colored Parquet Flooring: Parquet flooring in a traditional herringbone pattern adds texture and depth to any room – but why not up the ante with pops of color mixed in with traditional wood panels? When paired with furniture and decor in well chose neutral tones, a vibrantly colored parquet floors become the fun but still elegant focal point of the room and is a wonderfully unique flooring option.
5. Mosaic Flooring: Using tiles to make a mosaic is hardly a new practice, but taking the time to design your own mosaic will create a work of art unique to your home. Tile is available in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and textures and can be easily arranged in striking geometric patterns. Naturally, you would want to avoid covering up the pattern, so it is best suited for rooms without lots of rugs or bulky furniture. Sun rooms are excellent locations for mosaic flooring, and the tile or stone will be warmed by the exposure to the sun. Entrance ways are also an ideal spot – and what better way to introduce guests to your home than with an original mosaic?
Whether you prefer more traditional styles or want to boldly customize your floors, we at Carolina Flooring Services are eager to assist in every step of the floor selection and installation process. Contact us today to learn more about our services and products!
Photo Courtesy of: Machinate