Home Design Trends: Part 1 Flooring

For a designer, when you are asked to explain design trends your mind could go in countless directions. Design Trends could cover anything from color trends, cabinet trends, furniture trends, decorative accessory trends, media room trends, floor plan trends, stair design trends, exterior brick trends, flooring trends, bathroom design trends, laundry room trends, to countertop trends and much, much more. For the purposes of todays blog, I am going to stick to a few of the categories that MC Surfaces does well; Flooring, Countertops, and Cabinets.

But before we do, here’s a little background. For me, design school started in the early 2000’s. It was there that I learned the first of many design hacks. One thing I learned was that home design is inspired by fashion design. So, if you want to be ahead of the rest in home design, start with the runway! Below for a few example pictures.

On the left, you see a picture from an article by The Guardian summarizing “The six key trends you need for 2021.” You see a darker blue outfit, a green dress, a few light cream and/or beige outfits/pieces, a striped shirt, and a neutral brown dress with black boots. Then, take a look at the bedroom picture on the right. All of these mentioned colors and patterns are recreated in the home design picture from Sherwin Williams. Sometimes there is a texture from a runway show that is recreated for home design. Sometimes a clear vinyl poncho from one designer’s runway will inspire a furniture designer to create a clear acrylic “ghost chair.” That’s the beauty of design; it’s imaginative and creative!

In the years since college, I have gotten to see quite an evolution in design trends and have been privileged to design in both the Dallas/Fort Worth market as well as the Austin market. Homeowners have constantly wanted to choose the next new design idea. And boy, have we had some fun making their new home dreams a reality!

You might be wondering, what is everyone doing with home design now? In the past year or two the majority of homeowners have been spending countless hours in their houses staring at everything they don’t like about it. And, we’re the ones who have gotten in elbow deep with them to plan and design their new space! In today’s post, as well as in next week’s post, we’ll get to learn a little bit about what we’re seeing in flooring trends, countertop trends, and cabinet trends. For today, we’ll just touch on some flooring trends.

Part 1: Flooring Trends

With wood flooring, I have been seeing lighter, neutral, natural toned woods in wide plank widths for quite some time. And, I don’t think this trend is going anywhere anytime soon. Dark wood seems to have all but disappeared. Customers who had previously had dark wood floors complained of seeing dust bunnies, breadcrumbs, and scratches far too easily. So, with light wood floors we went! I have to say, I love it! Lighter floors brighten up a home. They make a space feel larger. They don’t show dust bunnies or breadcrumbs nearly as much! It’s a win-win-win all around. Who doesn’t want that?!

If wood flooring isn’t something you prefer due pets, kids or humidity; have no fear wood-looking-tile is here! And, it’s beautiful! Tile manufacturers have done an amazing job making wood-looking-tile options with the newest printing technologies. Not to mention, some companies have found ways to make the tile itself even more durable than before. Wood-looking-tile makes for a family friendly flooring option as it is easy to clean, is nice and cool under your feet in the heat of summer, and is very resistant to scratches. Keep in mind that nothing is indestructible. But, wood-looking-tile has many homeowners singing it’s praises!

Now, let’s say you want something that is easy to clean, pet friendly, often considered waterproof, is not as cold as tile, and is relatively easy to remove one day if or when you want to redo the floors. Maybe vinyl flooring is the option for you. That’s right, you read that correctly! Vinyl has come a LONG way since the 90’s, my friends. You might hear it referred to as LVP; Luxury Vinyl Planks. It now comes in planks similarly to how wood flooring comes in planks. Vinyl flooring is often a floated product, meaning it does not usually get glued down or nailed down like typical wood flooring options. I highly recommend at least taking a quick look at some LVP if you’re in the market for some new flooring. You just might be pleasantly surprised!

How about all those cute little patterned tiles you’ve seen in laundry rooms, powder baths, and kitchen backsplashes? We got ‘em, and people love ‘em! What’s not to love? It’s a simple way to liven up a small area. I’ve even had customers say, “Maybe laundry will be a little more fun now that I will smile when I go into the laundry room!” Haha! I genuinely appreciate their optimism and am equally as happy that they’re happy!

In the world of bathroom flooring you now have countless options and patterns. Neutral, yet unique would be words I would use to describe a large portion of bathroom floor tile these days. Neutral tile means the tile (or pattern on the tile) isn’t often so colorful that it overpowers the room and the tone can work with many other things in the space. Additionally, some level of uniqueness on the tile will keep the room from being too boring. Here are some examples:

All of this to say, there are many ways to make a home beautiful. These have been some of the most popular trends we see customers asking for these days. Check out our website to see some of the options we offer for flooring! https://www.mcsurfacesinc.com/ Hope to see you next week for part 2 as we discuss cabinet and countertop trends!