Interior Inspiration Part Three: Fabulous Flooring

Welcome to the third installment in my home decor series. NEWSFLASH. My home office makeover is coming along nicely and I’m now considering replacing my mundane carpet with wood flooring. I’m not going to lie, my main inspiration for this is the idea of creating Insta-worthy flatlays. So, let’s take a look at the options. There’s the chic flooring trends of 2017, those that I’ve seen plastered all over Pinterest and those that were destined for greatness but didn’t quite cut the mustard. I have my predictions on which trends will carry over and which have lost their edge. Let’s get to it.

One of my favourite trends that has really made a comeback over the last 18 months is Parquet flooring. This type of flooring first became popular in the early 60’s and although it was once seen as the outdated floor in school and church halls it has had a massive facelift and is now a staple part of the Chabby-Chic style. The funny thing about Parquet is that it was actually developed centuries ago! It was first used in fancy banqueting halls and manor houses, initially to replace the marble floors so it is seen as quite an exquisite floor option. In the last 12 months it has been highly sought after, with many people straying away from traditional patterns and sizes instead seeking bespoke sizes and finishes. The great thing about Parquet is its ability to work in both a modern and a rustic setting, meaning it’s easily adaptable for the kind of style that you have in your home. If you’re searching for a floor with wow factor then this is the one for you.

It seems that customers are now actively searching for environmentally-friendly furnishings for their home and with that there has been a real shift towards bamboo flooring. Bamboo is a very special kind of material because unlike wood flooring that is made from trees, bamboo is actually a type of grass and it only takes around 5 years to reach full maturity, as oppose to waiting forever for trees. This is one of the reasons that it is so eco-friendly, it grows fast and also regenerates on its own, so there is no need to replant bamboo like trees. In regards to the popularity of sustainable floors, I can only predict these will continue to remain popular, especially given that we are all fans of going green these days.

So what do I think is on the way out as we head towards 2018? Well, it has been reported that grey is finally coming to an end *sobs* which lets be honest has been coming for a while. Although this may not come off I think it’s fair to say that we’re seeing this trend fizzle out, slowly but surely. Replacing grey floors is said to be floors with earthy tones, think natural browns and beiges.

This does lead us nicely on to our next favourite trend that has really taken off this year; Scandinavian decor. This minimalist way of designing our homes has ironically made a huge impact and with it comes some stunning wood floors. I am in love with the beautiful summer shades that blonde and lighter boards bring to the home. Not only this but lighter floors seem to have many effects on a room, one of the main ones appealing factors is that it can make the room seem brighter and the space seem larger than it actually is. Perfect for my home office which is a little on the small side. Pale floorboards make a perfect accompaniment to almost any decor but they look especially good with bold colours, giving you a crisp and clean finish.

The above are just a small selection of whats hot and what is not for the coming months. If you have any favourite flooring trends from this year let me know in the comments and leave a link to any posts about office makeovers!

*This post was written in collaboration with Luxury Flooring.