The latest flooring choices are as stylish as they are practical. Think outside the square and know your options before making a final decision with this simple guide.
Carpet
Carpet is perfect for lazing about on during bleak winter days, playing cards, reading, day dreaming.
From sophisticated to casual, there’s a carpet for every interior look: cut pile, loop pile, sisal, woven and shag. Choose from wool, cotton, jute, synthetics and blends.
It provides sound insulation – practical for apartment living and multi-floored homes – and helps retain warmth, saving on energy bills. Oh, and carpet spans all budgets, too.
Floorboards
The world is your oyster when it comes to floorboards. Washed finishes can create a fresh, subtle look.
From left, Provincial Lane laminate in Grey Oak from Choices Flooring. Plantino Engineered Oak timber in Corsican Grey from Choices Flooring. Tarkett laminate in Black/White from Bunnings. Walnut laminate in 4 Whitewashed Oak and 5 Modena Oak from Formica.
(Credit: Brett Stevens and Matt Page)
Classic, stylish and easy to clean, floorboards are a popular choice.
Whether they’re hardwood planks or timber laminate, they combine the beauty of a characterful, natural timber look with practicality and durability.
And there’s a tonne of wood varieties and lookalikes, colours and widths available. A sweep and a damp mop keeps them clean, while tired timber can be refreshed with sanding and a wood finish.
Floor tiles
Vary tiles to create zones, border a room or make a ‘rug’.
Mate chevron porcelain tiles in Fumo from Di Lorenzo. Laneway vinyl tiles in Black Weave (border) from Carpet Court. Italian 1970s chrome and glass dining suite from Our Space Interiors.
(Credit: Brett Stevens)Once the domain of wet areas, tiles now feature throughout the home – often in cool and surprising ways. Porcelain may masquerade as timber (like the chevron porcelain tiles pictured here) or vinyl could be disguised as stone.
There’s lots of choice, with myriad patterns, colours (including grout) and materials available – durable porcelain and ceramic, water-resistant vinyl and beautiful man-made and natural stone.
Make an impact
A swathe of patterned floor tiles can become the hero piece in any room of the house.
Cement hexagon tiles in Vivid Blue/Black from Teranova. Fab28 fridge in Denim from Smeg. New York console and Spargo metal chair from MCM House.
(Credit: Brett Stevens)Exuding personality and an organic, colourful beauty, long-lasting cement floor tiles make a striking statement.
To stop the style from being overwhelming, keep walls and furniture neutral – or don’t, and go all out and clash with other patterns with similar colours for a bold look.
Remember, when choosing flooring make sure it’s appropriate for the room (consider wet areas, sound levels and foot traffic) and look at durability and maintenance.
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