Selecting the color of your flooring shouldn’t be taken lightly because, combined with your walls and ceiling, it will be the backdrop and the canvas of your space, and it will be crucial at the time of complementing your furniture and details.
Picking flooring for your home is a big decision, between the cost of the materials, the time spent on installation and a continued need for maintenance, it’s easy to see why many homeowners are desperate to be certain they’re making the right choice before taking the plunge.
DEFINE THE STYLE:
Defining your interior design style before making the selection is very important, because each design style has different color palettes, materials and texture that define its aesthetic. Having that starting point, you can start finding colors and textures that you have available, according to your style and budget. You have an idea about what you’re looking for already.
For example, if you love a rustic or industrial style, it would be perfect to select a floor in raw materials and textures, like concrete or rustic dark wood. On the other hand, if you love minimalism or a Scandinavian style, a more clean and light color will be great.
COLOR PALETTE:
Define your color palette! Colors should work and complement your floor. Don’t forget the context of your room, especially if you’re doing a renovation and you have defined your furniture already.
Before beginning to select your flooring, it’s always a good idea to have a color palette in place. You should know the general colors and textures you are going to be using for furniture, paint, lamps, rugs and accessories, in order to give yourself a palette of colors to match with. This will allow you to easily narrow your flooring color options down to a manageable number, so think about the elements that form the space and how it looks like all together with the future flooring style that you are looking for.
One of the first things you want to keep in mind is the color of your furniture and decorations. The reason behind this is because you do not want the color of your floors to match the color of your furniture and décor. Matching everything will make the room look boring and without depth. You should go for colors that contrast with each other.
Remember that it’s important that your flooring compliments the colors of your decor rather than competing with them.
LIGHTING:
Always ask for some floor samples and compare them in your home. You will be able to hold the samples up to your walls and compare it to the color of your furniture in different times of the day.
Compare the colors in the morning, noon, nighttime and by artificial light, to make sure you’re happy with the true color because lighting can have a dramatic impact on the how flooring looks in your home. The type of lighting in your room plays a large role with how your flooring looks.
If your home does not have enough natural lighting, opt for a lighter floor to help illuminate your home. If your house is full with natural light, try to go with dark colored floors to create a sense of drama, always keeping in mind the interior design style that you’re looking for.
SIZE OF THE ROOM:
Just as white walls, high ceilings, and large windows naturally make a room appear larger than what it really is, lighter colored flooring will have the same effect. So, if you want to make a room seem larger, opt for flooring finishes in light colors.
Choosing the same color of flooring throughout your home is a great way to make your overall home look bigger. The feel of uniformity that this option gives makes your home seem like it is one continuous area that’s flooded with light and space.
THINK ABOUT FUNCTION:
You need to think of the function of the space even more because there’s a lot of different choices to be used as flooring. That doesn’t mean that one is better that the other, but one type of flooring can be more appropriate for you, depending on the activities that you will do in the space: if you have a dog, or kids, if the space has humidity, if you’re a renter or you’re on a budget, each of these conditions will determine the kind of flooring that is affordable and perfect for your lifestyle and condition.
Some materials may be well-suited for high-trafficked areas while others would not be able to stand up to the same level of wear and tear. Some are water resistant like Vinyl or Til, perfect to be used in spaces like kitchens or laundry. Maybe if you’re a renter, a Laminate flooring for the areas without humidity are great at an affordable price.
So at the time of selecting your type of flooring, keep in mind the characteristics of the space: humidity, cost of maintenance, installation price, wear and tear, how to keep it clean and, obviously, you need to take into account the cost of your flooring material.
Pick one that fits comfortably within your budget, style and lifestyle!
