home & lifestyle / HoMedesign
I By Lee NeLsoN I
Putting Your Foot Down Identifying The Newest Flooring Trends
Just like in fashion, flooring comes and goes in waves of color, style and materials.
And every home is different with unique needs. “At the end of the day, we try to match our clients up with the best flooring for their individual wants, needs and desires,” says Gary Titiner, president of Family Flooring America in St. Charles. “We want people to not only enjoy their floors’ beauty, but to be able to live on them the way they like to live.” Floor coverings should match a homeowner’s lifestyle and the things going on in his or her home, flooring professionals say. Those who have young kids and animals might want to
pick something very durable and easy to clean. Those who live a little more sophisticated and quiet lifestyle can find a variety of products that set the mood of elegance. Flooring choices continue to grow with time, exemplified by options of carpet made from corn, luxury vinyl that looks like wood or ceramic, and floating floors.
Lisa Carlson Nelson, owner of Carlson’s Floors Inc. in Geneva, advises buyers to take into account a few things before settling on a product. “They need to figure out how long they are staying in the home and the investment that they want to make,” she says.
6 Hardwood floors are popular in today’s homes, says Lisa Carlson Nelson, owner of Carlson’s Floors Inc. in Geneva. (Photo provided by Carlson’s Floors Inc.)
MoSt popuLar
Right now, hardwood floors, carpeting and luxury vinyl tiles are popular in today’s homes, Nelson says. “Living in a mostly traditional area, we still have a lot of people wanting oak hardwood floorings, but we are also experiencing a desire for exotic hardwoods and other species such as hickory,” she says. Her store also is seeing requests for acacia hardwood. It is a shorter tree from the Mediterranean, so the