When it comes to creating a luxurious feel throughout your home, there are many important design aspects to consider and from furniture to fabrics, there are numerous ways to add warmth, create a pleasing atmosphere and inject a little glamour.
One consideration you might not immediately think of though, despite being one of the most important, is the flooring – and though for many it feels like a boring and obligatory element of transforming your home, do it well and it can create a huge amount of aesthetic appeal.
Rather than making it an afterthought, it’s wise to choose your flooring before anything else – and design rooms around it to ensure a complementary and streamlined effect. It’s not just about the aesthetics, though – it’s important to make your choices based on durability, too. Luxury flooring can last for decades if it’s well looked-after, but opting for a high-quality material is essential.
From 3D structures to vinyl floors, and jaw-dropping wooden designs, there are a wealth of options to consider. To help you make the right choice, we’ve broken down some of the best.
Resin flooring
A beautiful choice for a high-end home, resin flooring can add interest to any room in the house. Comprised of two polymers that fuse seamlessly with the concrete underneath, it’s a great option when considering longevity, too.
Providing a tough, chemical resistant floor finish, it’s suitable for use in a range of different environments and can be used throughout your home. Stronger than concrete, it dissipates loading and can even increase the weight bearing limit of the base concrete. Make no mistake; this stuff is built to last.
Vinyl flooring
Vinyl flooring is particularly popular in kitchens and bathrooms thanks to its water and stain resistant qualities. A synthetic cousin of linoleum, it provides excellent durability for the cost, and is available in two different types. Sheet flooring is quick and easy to lay, and comes in sheets of six or 12 feet wide and is the most water resistant of the two. However, vinyl tiles are often conserved to be a more aesthetically pleasing choice, replicating the look of a ceramic tile floor and coming in a range of different attractive designs.
Ceramic flooring
According to history, the use of ceramic flooring dates back to Victorian times when, they became a widespread choice amongst home owners. A functional choice for any room of the house, it’s most often found in kitchens, bathrooms and hallways. But, if you’re fortunate to live somewhere with a warm climate, you could easily get away with laying it throughout your entire home.
Hard and durable, it’s an easy surface to clean, although because of its smooth finish, it doesn’t attract much dirt or dust particles in the first place.
Hardwood flooring
Wood flooring remains a popular choice in luxury homes, and is often seen in hallways and cloakrooms, as well as living rooms, kitchens, and even bedrooms. Although they generally cost more than carpeted floors, they also require less maintenance – thanks to their sealed surfaces, they are also more stain resistant than most other types of flooring.
Although they do get scraped and scuffed from time to time, they are easily repaired. Flooring in high-traffic areas of the home may be at particular risk, but can be sanded, smoothed and refinished in just a few hours, leaving them looking as good as new.
Hardwood floors are also a more sustainable choice than most, so if you’re moving towards creating a more environmentally friendly home, then it’s a good option in that respect, too.
Carpet
Although a more traditional choice, carpets remain popular – and there’s nothing like a sumptuous thick pile to add a little opulence to your home. Adding warmth to any living space, they are softer on the feet, too – but of all the choices you could opt for, are the least stain resistant and the least durable.
Carpets are very susceptible to wear and tear, and require more frequent hoovering to keep them looking and feeling their best. But spillages can spell disaster – red wine on a cream carpet is not something you’ll want to contend with when guests come around.
Over the past few decades, home flooring choices have continued to evolve, and today, there are more options than ever. While there are some key considerations when it comes to use and functionality, ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and taste. So, if you DO want that cream carpet in your living room after all, then go for it – but don’t say we didn’t warn you about the wine!