10 Fabulous Flooring Options for Your Home
When it comes to flooring, what works best for you – carpet, concrete, timber or tiles? Find out here...
Apart from aesthetics, the choice of floor surfaces must take into account durability, ease of cleaning, safety and cost. Here are 10 options that cover all bases…
2. Mosaics
With colour fused into the back to give a sense of depth, clear glass tiles have become de rigueur for contemporary floors and walls. Since they’re non-absorbent, they’re easy to wipe down and maintain.
GREAT FOR: Bathrooms, wet rooms and fans of colour.
With colour fused into the back to give a sense of depth, clear glass tiles have become de rigueur for contemporary floors and walls. Since they’re non-absorbent, they’re easy to wipe down and maintain.
GREAT FOR: Bathrooms, wet rooms and fans of colour.
3. Large-format tiles
Extra large stone slabs not only make a space appear larger, there are also fewer grout lines, which will keep down the cost of installation. Here, a diamond format adds an extra design element to this room with a view.
GREAT FOR: Indoor-outdoor spaces.
Extra large stone slabs not only make a space appear larger, there are also fewer grout lines, which will keep down the cost of installation. Here, a diamond format adds an extra design element to this room with a view.
GREAT FOR: Indoor-outdoor spaces.
4. Carpet tones
While carpet defines an area’s space, it also works as a key decorating tool – its style and colour palette can set the tone. Overall, darker colours make a room feel smaller and more intimate, while lighter colours reflect the light and create a sense of spaciousness.
GREAT FOR: Living and entertaining areas, as well as home offices.
While carpet defines an area’s space, it also works as a key decorating tool – its style and colour palette can set the tone. Overall, darker colours make a room feel smaller and more intimate, while lighter colours reflect the light and create a sense of spaciousness.
GREAT FOR: Living and entertaining areas, as well as home offices.
5. Deep-pile carpet
In a low-traffic area, such as a bedroom, a medium-duty carpet provides warmth and softness – a must-have when your feet touch the floor first thing in the morning. And, if the bedroom is upstairs, there’s an extra bonus – deep-pile carpet provides great sound insulation.
GREAT FOR: Low-maintenance areas such as bedrooms and living areas.
In a low-traffic area, such as a bedroom, a medium-duty carpet provides warmth and softness – a must-have when your feet touch the floor first thing in the morning. And, if the bedroom is upstairs, there’s an extra bonus – deep-pile carpet provides great sound insulation.
GREAT FOR: Low-maintenance areas such as bedrooms and living areas.
6. Area rug
A patterned area rug gives a living area a shot of colour. A common mistake is to purchase a rug that’s too small for the room. Sofas and armchairs should sit at least partially on top of the rug to ground the space.
GREAT FOR: Defining the living or dining area in an open-plan space.
A patterned area rug gives a living area a shot of colour. A common mistake is to purchase a rug that’s too small for the room. Sofas and armchairs should sit at least partially on top of the rug to ground the space.
GREAT FOR: Defining the living or dining area in an open-plan space.
7. Sisal
Natural eco-friendly fibre, such as this sisal flooring in the living area, gives an earthy feel to a space. The vibrant colours and a mid-century aesthetic lets the sisal flooring work as a low-impact flooring. This floor covering is great for heavy-traffic areas due to its strength and resilience. It can last for about 15 years, even in a busy hallway or on a staircase.
GREAT FOR: Living zones or high-traffic areas such as hallways and playrooms.
Natural eco-friendly fibre, such as this sisal flooring in the living area, gives an earthy feel to a space. The vibrant colours and a mid-century aesthetic lets the sisal flooring work as a low-impact flooring. This floor covering is great for heavy-traffic areas due to its strength and resilience. It can last for about 15 years, even in a busy hallway or on a staircase.
GREAT FOR: Living zones or high-traffic areas such as hallways and playrooms.
8. Hardwood timber
Long-lasting and environmentally friendly with a heap of character tossed in, timber flooring acts as a natural insulator that keeps you toasty during winter and cool throughout summer. Here, the blackbutt flooring boasts an array of hues, almost overtaking the understated country-style kitchen. When selecting Australian timber, check it’s sourced from sustainably managed state forests.
GREAT FOR: All rooms. If using in wet areas, such as bathrooms, it must be well sealed.
Long-lasting and environmentally friendly with a heap of character tossed in, timber flooring acts as a natural insulator that keeps you toasty during winter and cool throughout summer. Here, the blackbutt flooring boasts an array of hues, almost overtaking the understated country-style kitchen. When selecting Australian timber, check it’s sourced from sustainably managed state forests.
GREAT FOR: All rooms. If using in wet areas, such as bathrooms, it must be well sealed.
9. Stone
For a contemporary edge, a patterned tile floor accentuates the variance in colour and hue. In Australia, natural slate or bluestone are popular options, due to their texture, durability and timelessness.
GREAT FOR: High-traffic zones such as hallways and kitchens.
For a contemporary edge, a patterned tile floor accentuates the variance in colour and hue. In Australia, natural slate or bluestone are popular options, due to their texture, durability and timelessness.
GREAT FOR: High-traffic zones such as hallways and kitchens.
10. Porcelain
So versatile and strong, vitrified porcelain tiles are unglazed and can be made to look like any surface from concrete to metal to cobblestones – as seen in this charming bathroom. The popularity of porcelain is also due to its quality – it’s four times harder than granite.
GREAT FOR: Hardworking zones such as bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.
So versatile and strong, vitrified porcelain tiles are unglazed and can be made to look like any surface from concrete to metal to cobblestones – as seen in this charming bathroom. The popularity of porcelain is also due to its quality – it’s four times harder than granite.
GREAT FOR: Hardworking zones such as bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.
In this Sam Crawford-designed house in Sydney’s inner west, the kitchen’s polished concrete floor is durable, long-lasting and easy to clean. If the cool flooring makes you feel a little nervous about chilly winter nights, it’s easy to add underfloor heating – pre-installed, naturally. This form of central heating produces warmth where it’s required most, underfoot, and then radiates throughout the area.
GREAT FOR: Industrial-style spaces, slick city apartments and modern terraces.