TAKE TO THE FLOOR Transform

TAKE TO THE FLOOR

Transform your home with the latest trends in wood, tiles and a host of eco-conscious materials, writes Arabella St John Parker

We should not underestimate the power of flooring in our homes and how it can help make us feel, well, at home. Consider the floors beneath your feet as you walk across them in the height of summer, or in the depths of winter, when one of Matthew Williamson x Obeetee’s new rugs would be the ideal winter overlay (matthewwilliamson.com).

This season’s new flooring designs are tactile and natural, perfect for creating homes that feel warm, inviting and comfortable. Your spirits will lift at the sight of the Morroccan-style terracotta tiles in your kitchen (such as CTD Tiles’ Varadero collection), for instance, or the seagrass matting that turns the sitting room into modern rustic retreat (try Kersaint Cobb, kersaintcobb.co.uk).

WOOD

The cocooning effect of warm-toned woods set against boldly coloured patterned walls are a fabulous combination, says Darwyn Ker of Woodpecker Flooring (woodpeckerflooring.co.uk). And for boards with the right amount of warming colour, opt for darker woods like oak, walnut and teak – try Berry Alloc (berryalloc.com) and Quick-Step (quick-step.co.uk).

Think outside the box when it comes to laying the boards. “Herringbone or chevron patterns add warmth and character to a space and they’re always popular formations,” says Robert Walsh, founder of Ted Todd (tedtodd.co.uk), “but we’re seeing more intricate patterns being included in design schemes, particularly in townhouses, where owners tend to prioritise keeping that charm.”

Walsh notes that “in apartments, herringbone or planks continue to be very popular but the lighter tones are increasingly being used for a more contemporary effect; they make the interiors feel bright whilst bringing in that touch of the great outdoors”. To give an open-plan space a sense of definition, he suggests using the same type of flooring throughout but with a combination of formations – long, traditional planks for the living area that merge into a chevron pattern in the kitchen.

STONE AND PORCELAIN

Herringbone and chevron formations (see New England Floor tiles by Imperial Bathrooms, £11.98 per tile, imperialbathroom.com) are effective when used with porcelain floor and wall tiles and will give both your entrance hall in particular a fresh new look this season.

“The patterns add texture and character to a room, and as a contemporary take on traditional parquet flooring, they work in both period and modern homes”, says Jo Oliver, director of The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse (sacw.co.uk).

Terrazzo returns this autumn, from the authentic, with marble chips and concrete ground to a durable and colourful finish (diespeker.co.uk), to terrazzo-effect porcelain tiles featuring another of this season’s growing trends, the XXL large-format look which, in the case of terrazzo, takes the form of oversized shards (Flecks White, porcelainsuperstore.co.uk). You can even have a terrazzo in timber form thanks to the R&D team at Havwoods which has created Foresso® (£294.95 sq m, havwoods.com), boards made from sustainably sourced timber offcuts with graining set in a 0 per cent VOC binder and coated with a hardwax oil to protect the decorative surface.

UNDERFOOT Clockwise from left: Woodworks by Ted Todd Parquetry sapphire geometric panel; Varadero mint hexagon tile by CTD Tiles; Matthew Williamson x Obeetee Oh So Sisco rug in orange

ECO-CONSCIOUS MATERIALS

In the drive to reduce our impact on our environment, the need for ethical and sustainable sourcing and production methods is just as important as using materials that are healthy, safe and sustainable to use in our homes. Look for wood products that are made with no semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and low in VOC (a mixture of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which evaporates into a gas that is harmful to humans).

And think outside the box. Granorte® (granorte.pt/en/), for example, specialises in flooring made from commercially grown plantations of Quercus suber, or cork oak, the only tree which can regenerate its bark after harvesting, which can be done up to 12 times in the tree’s lifetime and needs to be done by hand. The cork can be used in its natural state – it is naturally hypoallergenic, bio-degradable and recyclable, lightweight and impermeable, durable and insulating – or it can be printed upon so it can even be made to look like wood or stone. L