Floor Talk!

TRENDS IN CARPET AND AREA RUGS

With hardwood and tile being selected in more living areas and hallways, this is allowing bedrooms and rooms off the hallway to have their own identities and themes. Carpet in the hallway can dictate that the surrounding rooms be the same material because when the doors are all open it doesn’t look so great for the hallway carpet to be seamed to several different colors or pattens of carpet. Hardwood or tile serves as a neutral divider. Because of this, rooms can have patterned carpets that compliment the theme of the room, bedding or drapery or wallpaper.

Natural fiber carpets and rugs have enough texture on their own, but the addition of raised patterns on top of that texture made me want to break out my checkbook and order some!

Carpet companies like Glen Eden are taking advantage of the metallic finishes that are so popular by incorporating them into their patterned carpets. (left)

Because of the continued use and success of hard surfaces in main living areas as well as bedrooms, area rugs are in high demand. Like other colorful accents, rugs are being shown with lots of color, bright and bold colors as well as great patterns that can let the rugs be a focal point of the room.

Trends in residential products include warm neutrals, large and small patterns and soft luxurious yarns. With rooms having their own themes and identities, it’s easier to use multiple patterns and colors. Patterned carpets are becoming focal points and foundations for rooms that are dictating other design choices in the room. (these pictures are courtesy of Flooring the Consumer author C.B. Whittemore who is the Director, In-Store Innovation for Solutia’s Wear-Dated carpet fiber) For more information about carpet trends, see Christine Whittemore’s post on The Carpetology Blog called The Latest in Carpet Style Trends .

(Craftwork) (Shining Allure)

TRENDS IN TILE

This may be the most exciting trend, to me! No longer is the most popular beige or a variation of beige but a celebration of color, range and texture! It’s about time!! By the way, the more color, texture and range a tile has - the more it hides DIRT. Large format tiles are

still on the forefront, but larger tiles and more shapes are coming into play. These multiple sizes allow for more unique patterns. There was one tile that was 24″ x 48″! It was so huge that it was also being used for vanity tops in addition to flooring.

This raised the question to me if home owners are less concerned with resale, taking more risks with color and falling in love with the outcome!

One exciting texture is fabric. Several companies were showing tiles with linen textures, leather textures and patterns. The look is very soft, without being boring. The listellos offered with these tiles were particularly exciting if you only want subtle pattern with a little “pop”. The floor of the Crossvile Ceramics exhibit booth showed a combination of the large floral pattern with the texture of linen. It was very feminine and calming. Another popular texture was a quartz and slate look. These tiles are very versatile and look great on the inside, outside as well as on the walls.

Listellos and accent tiles seemed to be more modern and contemporary. It was refreshing to see so many different style patterns and color combinations. I wasn’t sure if Subway shapes tiles would still be popular…Thank goodness they were. Not only were they still popular, but new sizes that are more linear were exciting! The Subway tiles are so flexible because they can be used in simple traditional settings and also extremely modern settings.

Glass tiles were still on every corner, just this year there were more styles, finishes and textures. Glass tile patterns incorporated with metal, pearl finishes and patterns within the glass give you the opportunity for endless design options.

TRENDS IN HARDWOOD AND LAMINATE

Just like more color seen in tile, wonderful ranges of color were shown in hardwood. Lauzon’s new products were the most appetizing colors. Coffee and chocolate colored stains with a pearl or low luster finish were so refreshing from the sea of golden colored hardwoods.

In the new product pavilion, Harris Wood showed painted hardwoods with the edges randomly sanded to look like old worn painted boards. The beauty of it is, with this product you get the look of painted boards, but with the strength of aluminum oxide on the finish.

Similar to the painted woods are the Olde Paint line from Anderson. They did a great job of making the boards look authentically old and worn. It reminded me of cottages and old historic homes in South Carolina.

Rustic and handscraped hardwoods are even on the texture bandwagon. One company showed a product with the look of texutre, wire brushing, reclaimed and handscraped properties all in one irresistible product. Creatively, they used the flooring boards to create a door. It got so much attention they wised they were in the door business as well!

Surfaces, the trade show that exhibits the most flooring you will find under one roof, has come to and end. This year’s show was spectacular! Manufacturers were there from all over the globe to show off new patterns, new technology and new product styles. It was very interesting to see the common trends between hardwood manufacturers, tile manufacturers and carpet manufacturers. Despite the condition of the housing market, everyone put their best foot forward with gorgeous new products and displays.

TRENDS IN COLOR

Color, Color, Color is the current trend! Bright colors, bold colors, rich colors and mixtures of colors in accent pillows, accessories and area rugs allow home owners to experiment with color without taking the risk of being permanently attached to it. Most everyone showed bursts of patterns: big floral patterns, geometric patterns and accents of color are HOT! In hard surfaces goods, texture, pattern and range create the perfect canvas for these accents of color. Metallics and pealescent finishes are also hot. All of the color made for a very unique and interesting show. The tie between runway fashion and home products has never been closer.

The new product pavilion at Surfaces featured exciting new hardwood, carpet, tile and more. Below are some examples of the new products that are taking center stage for 2008. The pictures you see here cannot do the actual products justice, so ask your flooring retailer for these products by name!

Above: Just one example of BR-111’s Exotic Hardwoods. This photo is Macciato Pecan. Others that are striking and unique are Malbec Walnut and Tiete Chestnut. Ask your flooring retailer to show you more products in BR-111’s exotic hardwood line.

Above: Handscraped painted hardwood from Harris Wood, one of the last US hardwood manufacturers. The exciting feature of this wood is the maple and walnut wood that show through the painted surfaces with a special sanding technique. It looks old, rustic and authentic. The beauty of it is that you get this authentic look with the durability of an aluminum oxide finish.

Above: Beaulieu’s Collection “It’s Hot” featuring “Spice It Up” and “Caliente”

Above: XFloor- Premium Cars Deserve Premium Flooring! This stunning garage floor is interlocking, real aluminum diamond plate and withstands 50,000 pounds of load capacity per tile.

New from Creating Your Space is a tool called Room Maker. This tool allows you to draw a room, choose your type of flooring and then calculate your flooring needs. You can save, share and print your results as well as get a general idea of your budget.