Photo: Derinn Hall

Flooring is a key element in the overall design, feel and functionality of a room. Aside from the paint color on the walls, your floors have the largest visual influence in a room — setting the tone for the entire look of the space.

Yet new flooring doesn’t necessarily mean new furnishings — so it’s important to choose flooring that will complement your existing design elements to create a successful and harmonious aesthetic.

Find our What You Like

Start with this simple question. Have you always imagined rich dark hardwood floors? Perhaps you long for plush wall-to-wall carpeting? Begin this process by determining what you really like. There are so many different hardwood flooring ideas. We can figure out later if it will actually work for your needs and lifestyle.

Photo: Homes & Antiques

Choosing new luxury flooring for your home is both enjoyable and stressful. The thought of a fresh new home update is exciting — but sometimes the amount of choices can be a bit overwhelming. Hardwood flooring is an investment, and you don’t want to make a mistake.

Consider Your Lifestyle

Think carefully about how you intend to use the room. Rooms with heavy foot traffic require different flooring than a barely used guest bedroom. Ask yourself questions about the space. Do you spend hours cooking every day? Tile can be hard on a chef’s feet. Do your pets track in mud and spill their water bowls? Best to avoid hardwoods. These are all possibilities to consider.

Photo: The Lux Pad

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#cfac15″ class=”” size=””]BDB Tip: The right tile flooring can change the entire look and feel of your kitchen, whilst adding durability and functionality. Whether you’re looking to create a farmhouse style kitchen with wood-look tile, or a more traditional aesthetic with a marble or travertine — there is a tile for every style and budget. A new tile floor also presents the perfect opportunity to add underfloor heating to the space – ideal for bare feet and long winter months.[/perfectpullquote]

Swatch Yourself Silly

After you have weighed the importance of both taste and functionality — it’s time to examine the coloring and style of your existing furniture. Are your furnishings on the more traditional side, or do they sway towards a modern aesthetic?

Photo: Decor Pad

Take advantage of swatches to see potential flooring in your space, and don’t be afraid to consider out-of-the-box options. The best way to know if you like a particular floor, is to live with it a few days. As with all trends — they come and they go. What’s most important is that you find the right flooring for your home, lifestyle and budget.

Bring back the shine to your hardwood, marble, or tile floors and make your home look brighter, more spacious, and instantly updated. If  you are stuck with dull looking floors and are thinking of doing a whole flooring re-do – think again, all you may need is a little buffing up! As stated by US Essays Writers, when you are a student who is writing different paper works or a person who is working at home you need to be inspired by the environment around, and it is important to restore the space. Here’s how you can restore the shine to those dull floors, the easy way:

How to Make Hardwood Floors Shine

To bring back the shine to dull, worn out hardwood floors all you need is a little vinegar and warm water. First, clean your floors properly by vacuuming up any dirt, dust or particles to avoid scratching your hardwood while shining. Fill a bucket up with hot water and depending on how large your space is add 3/4 – 1 cup of vinegar. Soak your mop and squeeze out as much water as you can – you want your mop to be damp not wet. Mop up your floors and continue dipping it into the water/vinegar mixture to bring back as much shine as possible.

How to Shine Ceramic Tiles

Restore the shine of your ceramic tiles first by vacuuming up all the dirt, grime, and dust. In a bucket, add one gallon of warm water and mix in one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. Dunk your mop in the solution, and squeeze it out until your mop is damp. Mop up your floors adding a little pressure to wipe away grime and better restore the shine. Dump your water/alcohol solution and refill the bucket with clean, warm water. Rinse your floors using the clean water and your damp mop. To avoid blotchiness or any water marks, dry the floor with a towel.

How to Restore a Marble Floor’s Shine

Unlike hardwood, vinegar should never come into contact with marble. Anything acidic such as orange juice, soda, or other kinds of fruit juices will strip off the natural shine and make your marble floors dull forever. Instead, fill up a large bucket with warm water and 1 tbsp of dish soap. Get out your floor cleaning equipment and sweep or vacuum  up any dust or debris. If you have a large space to clean, hand scrubbing can be a pain, so you may want to invest in some heavy-duty equipment like those from J & J and Services. Dunk a large sponge into the soapy water, squeeze out the excess and rub down your marble floors. Then, take a damp cloth and go over the marble once again to clean off any soap.

Hardwood flooring has never been more popular than it is this year, and it’s not hard to see why! Its surface is stylish and durable and perfectly complements any decorating style. So what does the future hold for this unique and natural style? Here are 5 trends to look out for this year:

Black Hardwood Floors

To create a sophisticated and modern look, why not consider a dark hardwood floor? A great example of this type of style is black European Oak finished in hard wax oil to give it a dark, glossy appearance. 2014 also loves the look of herringbone floors from the same wood and finished in a similar way for a monochromatic, and dramatic look.

Crisp Architects

Darker Stained Floors

The trend for 2014 is moving away from light colored floors to more darker, richer shades. Think of luxurious American Black Walnut and European Oak stained in a deep Mocha shade. Dark floors not only look more sophisticated and expensive than lighter floors, but they also give your home an enormous face-lift.

Group 3 Designs

Grey Flooring

We predict an increase of interest in grey flooring, especially in kitchens where a sophisticated and subtle finish is required. European Oak that has been stained to create a pewter effect is a classic example of this look. Also consider wide planked character oak, and remember that the natural grain contrasts perfectly with the metallic look of the grey floor.

Croma Design

Exotic Choices

Sophisticated, and fascinating, exotic hardwood flooring not only looks and feels great at your feet, but it’s also a great bragging right. Who wouldn’t like to tell their guests that their home has durable Tigerwood from South America? Or what about the warm reddish brown or reddish purple hue of the Brazilian Hardwood from Macaranduba?

Kate Jackson Design

A Traditional, Aged Look

A final emerging trend is one in favour of the traditional look. Many modern lovers of hardwood floors like them to show their age. Think of wide planks with scuffs, scratches, tool marks, and that stressed grain pattern that comes with age. Consider a reclaimed pine wood floor from Ted Todd, specially washed to make the grain more pronounced. This look really can never go out of date. After all, hardwood floor have been part of human life for thousands of years and look set for a good few millennia yet.

Dave Fox Design