Homeowners often face a dilemma when deciding on hardwood flooring for their home. With more design choices and stylish flooring options than ever, it’s easy to get carried away with the latest design trends. At the same time, for many of us, the biggest reason we choose wood floors is because of their timeless quality—the fact that they look good for generations to come. Thus, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when choosing a flooring style is whether you want a trendy look or a timeless one.
There’s no right or wrong answer here, but there are pros and cons to each. Trendy wood flooring styles can certainly make your home “pop,” but you also run the risk that today’s trends will look dated in a few years. Meanwhile, a timeless look may not be as exciting, but it will remain consistently fashionable and elegant regardless of other changes you make to the room over the years.
So…which do you prefer? Trendy or timeless? And how do you know which is which? Let’s discuss some of the current trends in hardwood flooring versus the looks that have stood the test of time.
If You’re Going for Trendy…
Depending on the context and your personal preferences, extreme dark or light stained wood floors are both quite trendy at the moment. Dark tones can provide eye-catching contrast with your furnishings and décor. Light blonde or bleached wood can add a sense of brightness and an airy feel. In addition, grey wood floors have continued to be popular for several years now, as have wide-plank floors in almost any shade. If you choose any of these styles, just bear in mind that they are relatively new in popularity, and they may come to feel dated in a few years.
If You’re Going for Timeless…
The best way to identify a timeless look is to pay attention to which types of wood floors continue to look good over time…and in this regard, you can never go wrong with basic mid-tones. In other words—wood that looks like the color of wood. When properly cared for, these floors can look as current in 40-60 years as they will in five. Since wood tends to darken naturally with age, you can also move toward mid-to-dark stains and still be within the timeless category.
Other Considerations…
Obviously, color schemes aren’t the only characteristics of wood flooring that can be trendy or timeless—so let’s look at a few other design decisions to see where they fit:
- Glossy, matte/satin or “distressed” finish? High-gloss finishes tend to move in and out of popularity at different times, so they’re technically trendy even though you may see them in older floors. Ironically, we consider distressed floors trendy, also, because we’re deliberately trying to make them look “old”—and there’s no guarantee that “old”-looking floors will remain in vogue. The matte or satin finish is probably the most timeless of these choices since it seems to stay in play as a popular option year upon year.
- Patterned/multi-color floors or standard planks? Although some flooring patterns have been used for centuries (parquet and herringbone, for example), we still have to think of patterned or multi-color floors as trendy because of their tendency to fall in and out of fashion. For the most consistent, timeless look, go with a standard, single-shade, planked floor.
- Consider the surroundings and environment. Finally, one huge variable in the trendy/timeless debate is context—the surroundings and environment of the home itself. For example, a light-stained or blonde wood floor might be trendy here in Green Country, but it will always feel timeless in a sandy beachfront cottage. Likewise, a distressed wood floor will always seem appropriate in a cabin in the woods. Always consider context before making a final design style choice.
Whether you’re going for trendy or timeless in your hardwood flooring, our team of experts at Renaissance can install the perfect floor for your next home improvement or new construction project. For a free estimate on hardwood flooring in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs or elsewhere in Green Country, give Renaissance a call today at 918-298-4477.