4 timeless flooring options for trend-free homes

Let’s be honest, constantly adapting your home in line with new design trends can be a real pain, especially if on a tight budget. While many people want their flooring to always be in fashion and up-to-date, there are also many who would prefer their flooring to act as a reliable foundation for any number of different styles.

Some flooring designs are like fashion statements (cork, graphic tiles, terrazzo), some have a cyclical life-span and make comebacks every five years (parquet, whitewashed wood, shag carpet), while some will never become outmoded. Of course, none of these designs are more or less suitable than the other – it all comes down to your personal preferences and how often you are willing to renovate. In this post, though, we’re going to focus on the latter: timeless flooring options that are able to complement any kind of decor at any time.

 

Hardwood floors

Real hardwood flooring has been around all throughout history and right the way up until the present day, making it the most obvious choice for a timeless style of flooring. Wood will never look outdated in your home, so you don’t have to worry about its timelessness being restrictive in any way. On the contrary, it’s an incredibly versatile choice: available in a vast array of shapes and sizes, acceptable to use in any room of the house, and capable of being modified and refurbished in line with modern trends.

There are kinds of wooden flooring, however, which are susceptible to fluctuations in popularity. Distressed textures, intricate parquets, dark colours and reclaimed driftwoods have all dipped in and out of fashion over the years, making them less appropriate choices if you’re shooting for stability and timelessness. For hardwoods that stand the test of time look at classic materials such as oak, maple, ash and mahogany, and consider more natural mid-tone colours that aren’t too bright or too dark.

 

Carpets

For a carpet to be truly timeless it needs to have colours and patterns which aren’t likely to go out of fashion any time soon. Just look at houses that still have 60s-style retro carpets: deep piles with abstract patterns coloured in burnt orange or mustard yellow, you know the types! Well, despite being totally groovy at the time, they are now a bit too loud and garish for modern sensibilities.

Simplicity is the key to keeping carpets in vogue. Solid colours with neutral tones are able to complement almost anything, while gradients and multi-coloured palettes are more likely to clash with things over time (even if you can make it work perfectly with what you’ve got now, that may change too). You may find such colour schemes boring and stale, and if you feel the need for something more vibrant and out-there then perhaps the timeless choice isn’t for you. Just bear in mind that you can drastically change the aesthetic of a room without ripping up the floor and changing designs every couple of years: a lot can still be added by way of furniture, rugs, wallpapers and cushions. Just saying, it’s certainly a lot less effort!

 

Tiled floors

Having been used in floors from ancient Greece to medieval Europe, tile is guaranteed to give your home a timeless look and reduce the need for trendy updates in years to come. In more recent times, ceramic tile is often chosen for its physical and stylistic durability, making it a staple of bathrooms and kitchens the world over. In particular, rooms with large monochrome tiles can be adapted to a range of different interiors, whether traditional, rustic, urban or modern.

Generally speaking, it makes more sense to avoid complex blends of shapes, patterns, and colours when going for a timeless look as it’s a lot more difficult to match with. That said, you don’t have to limit yourself to familiar off-the-shelf options. Your home will always be a lot easier to adapt with classic tile flooring, even if its patterns and colourings are a little more unique.

 

Vinyl floors

Despite being the most modern option on this list, the beauty of vinyl is its ability to replicate and adapt to a great number of different styles. Whether you end up opting for a wood or stone effect, vinyl gives off a timeless feel with an up-to-date twist.

Make sure that whichever designs you choose are able to easily complement changes and additions elsewhere in the room. As with carpet design, a vinyl floor that looks cool and edgy in relation to the current aesthetic of your home might begin to stick out like a sore thumb as your interior evolves over time. Sit on an idea for a while if you’re in any doubt, just like you would with a tattoo or a career change.

Looking for the perfect timeless floor and feeling a bit lost? Feel free to get in touch with a member of the Hudson Flooring team and we’d be delighted to help you out.