Interiors
Giant strides have been made in the world of flooring that are sure to get you excited about what lies beneath
There was a time when flooring was an afterthought when it came to decorating your home but with so many exciting new innovations and fashionable options available, the focus is firmly on what lies beneath. But trends come and go and flooring is no exception. Here’s a round up of what industry insiders say will dominate this season.
WOOD
In this category, dark and blonde are reigning supreme. Deep coloured woods like walnut and popular stains like Tobacco and Espresso give a contemporary look that offsets light decor beautifully.
At Navan-based Grain & Groove (grainandgroove.ie) which specialises in timber flooring, there is an increasing demand for darker flooring with its Urban Oak Tobacco and Urban Oak Moon stained planks big hits amongst new home owners.
‘We find that people aren’t afraid to go for dark floors any more,’ says Suzie from Grain & Groove.
‘Dark floors create an amazing contrast in space. There is a special charm and an exotic touch with dark woods, this can be accentuated with exclusive statement furniture and light wall colours.’
On the other end of the spectrum, and equally trendy, is the Nordic-inspired pale floor boards.
‘Light woods are fantastic for bouncing light around a space and are perfect for small living spaces. They are the first choice for Scandinavian-inspired interiors with a great range of textures and tones from pale and knotfree to a more rustic grain timber,’ says Suzie.
Another noteworthy trend is the use of wider planks, a subtle increase from, say, 2in to 5in can instantly make a space feel more contemporary and even larger.
INNOVATIVE
New manufacturing techniques and innovations have brought the vinyl tile from yesteryear into the high end market. Rid your mind of your granny’s peel and stick variety of lino, these days it’s all about the luxury vinyl tile.
Commonly referred to as LVT, they have the natural look of stone, marble, wood or ceramic tiles and are so realistic that you would be hard pressed to spot the difference. But they have the added benefit of the resilience and durability of hard-wearing vinyl flooring.
Kennedy Flooring, based in Dublin, is the Irish distributor for the Luxury Vinyl Range from Project Floors.
Another brilliant imitation wood option is porcelain. It’s less expensive and wears just as well as the real thing. There are many options to choose from, from small tiles to long, linear planks and companies like Surface Tiles (surfacetiles. com) offer numerous colours and textures, including popular onecolour combos.
At the higher end of the market is the Digital Art ceramic range of tiles from Ceramica Sant’Agostino. The range is made using inkjet digital printing techniques.
Especially designed for the ceramic industry, this technology allows endless possibilities for reproduction of any artwork, natural or artistic to the edge of the tile. – see ceramicasantagostino.it for more.
PARQUET
Parquet has made a real comeback. Of all the patterns trending in flooring, the herringbone and chevron patterns associated with parquet are huge this year.
Originally made famous by Louis XIV (who replaced all the marble floors in the Palace of Versailles with parquet flooring), these classic patterns can be adapted for modern interiors by adding a dash of colour, or by using different materials as Italian brand
41 Zero 42 (41zero42.com) does in its colour glazed customisable U-Color porcelain tile collection.
RUGS
If it’s a quick update you’re after, rugs are a great option and will spare you the upheaval and commitment of putting down a new floor. The natural world plays a huge influence in the softer side of flooring this season so expect to see plenty of rugs made of organic materials like felt, jute and lamb’s wool on the market.
Rugs inspired by artisan crafts are also a key look. At Marks and Spencer the new season includes colourful Peruvian embroidered rugs, or check out Industry on Drury Street in Dublin – or industryandco.com –for a wide range of Moroccan style Berber rugs ranging in price from €35 to €545 for large format handwoven varieties. They also have an ubercool leather number that is easy to clean for busy households. Bold geometric designs have always found a home in flooring and all the major high street brands offer new season versions from zigzags and candy stripes to retro circular numbers and triangles.
And while they may be found in living room departments all the cool kids are laying them under their beds!