The definitive guide to most popular hardwood flooring trends for 2023.
Keep in mind that regardless of hardwood flooring trends, a hardwood floor is a solid investment for a home as you can sand and re-finish it for years to come and it increases the value of your home.
Hardwood flooring has a natural inherent character and beauty that is often unsuccessfully mimicked in other flooring products such as laminate and luxury vinyl tile.
Hardwood flooring forms part of the 'shell' of the design.
The 'shell' of a design refers to the surface finishes such as floors, walls and lighting.
Because hardwood flooring is such a big investment and because it will cover a large area of your home, it's a decision you want to get right!
Paint colours, interior trends will come and go, but a hardwood floor will always be a timeless classic
HARDWOOD FLOORING COLOUR TRENDS
Overall hardwood flooring trends have shown that lighter wood floors have proved slightly more popular over the past twelve months, as well as cooler tones over richer colours such as cherry and teak.
COLOUR TREND 01
MATT WHITE WASH
By applying a matt white lacquer to a hardwood floor that has had a wire brushed finish, allows for the grain to show up through the white coating.
Lacquer is a very protective finish and that helps tremendously with a light colour such as white.
By adding a white pigment to an oak floor, it helps to stop it turning yellow over time.
COLOUR TREND 02
RAW TIMBER
The natural unfinished colour of oak is a light pale-blonde tone.
You have to apply either a hard-wax oil or a lacquer in order to protect the wood, but now manufactures have developed a clear finish that does not change the colour of the natural wood.
COLOUR TREND 03
WASHED GREYS
Hardwood flooring trends have shown a shift towards light, grey washed wood floors, with a chalky appearance.
There tends to be a slight blue undertone with light greys once they are applied to flooring, for the best design results, pair with other cool tone colours in fabric and textiles.
COLOUR TREND 04
TAUPE GREYS
There has been a demand from clients in last couple of years for warmer, brown-grey toned floors.
This colour tone is great as it can be used throughout the house and lends itself to interior styles like Japandi and Modern Organic.
COLOUR TREND 05
DARK GREYS
Keeping with the grey tones, for those who want darker, steel greys, you have plenty to choose from.
This colour is ideal for a modern interior and the colour is versatile too, making it a popular choice for a family home.
COLOUR TREND 06
THERMO TREATED
Dark floors always make an interior feel sophisticated, the darker the floor the more formal the space.
Opting for a thermo treated oak gives a dark colour but it has more depth than a stained black floor.
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HARDWOOD FLOORING TRENDS: SURFACE TREATMENTS
There are many different surface treatments that you can apply to hardwood flooring.
These include processes such as distressing, brushing and band sawn effect.
These effects will work better with some colours than with others.
SURFACE TREND 07
DISTRESSED EDGES
In order to distress or age a hardwood floor, the flooring is put into a long barrel and spun around with nuts and bolts that will create a random indentations to the surface of the wood.
This finish is especially good if you are after a traditional look or if done in a white, a shabby chic style floor.
SURFACE TREND 08
DOUBLE BRUSHED
To create a brushed surface, a series of wire brushes remove a minimal part of the softest surface to emphasise the grain and knots.
This lifts the grain and gives the floor a sublime texture.
SURFACE TREND 09
SAWN & SANDBLASTED
This surface process enhances the grain down the length of the board, combined with the marks left by the sawing to create a cross grain detail on the floor, adding character and unique detail.
SURFACE TREND 10
HANDSCULPTED
This exclusive manual process is performed by master craftsmen using chisel blade planes.
The result is an evocative interweaving between the marks left by the sculpting and the grain of each individual board.
Oak is often used but Hickory is another popular choice because of its hardness.
HARDWOOD FLOORING TRENDS: PARQUET PATTERNS
There is a vast selection of hardwood flooring parquet patterns available on the market.
Choose something classic like a herringbone or chevron pattern or opt for geometric pattern a modern design.
Designs even now incorporate metal and marble into their designs because of the growing demand of this hardwood flooring trend.
PARQUET TREND 11
PRIME CHEVRON
Opting for a chevron in a prime grade puts a modern twist on a classic design.
Having the chevron floor finished in a light colour and a brushed finish is perfect for a contemporary interior.
PARQUET TREND 12
PRONOUNCED BEVELS
Bevels refer to the planks profile, usually bevels are described as micro-bevels and are slightly rounded at approximately 0.4mm.
Having a larger bevel makes the edges more pronounced and featured, making this traditional parquet feel more current and cool.
PARQUET TREND 13
MANSION WEAVE DESIGN
A few years ago this design was nowhere to be found but is definitely a big hardwood flooring trend this year.
Mansion Weave offers a glamorous parquet option to those who want their floor to be a feature.
Having a two line border around the perimeter of the rooms helps to give this pattern proportion.
PARQUET TREND 14
METAL INSERTS
Specialist manufactures are now offering designs that can be accessorised with a selection of metals such as brass, brushed chrome and antique bronze.
This hardwood flooring trend is popular because the metal designs can be all over the floor or be used to zone a certain area in an open plan interior, like a dining room.
You are not limited to the lotus flowers either as there are many designs available.
PARQUET TREND 15
CARRARA MARBLE
Similar to the metal inserts, marble is being used in conjunction with hardwood flooring parquet, giving the floor an unexpected feature.
This style of floor is perfect for really high end properties and hospitality spaces where a durable but beautiful floor is required.
PARQUET TREND 16
INLAY PARQUET PANELS
This inlay pattern is achieved using 3 different geometric shapes providing a continuous parquet pattern.
There are many different inlay patterns available and the most popular material used is oak and north American walnut.
Mainly used for period properties, inlay parquet has seen a fresh rise in popularity recently with the most client requests coming for the Middle-East.
OTHER TRENDS IN HARDWOOD FLOORING
Below are a few other hardwood flooring trends that have proven popular this past year.
TREND 17
BOARD WIDTH
The width of board is important as it will change the feeling in the room.
In general I recommend a board width of between 180-220mm/7-9inches, however there has been a shift to client's opting for 220-260mm/9-10inches on average, any of these widths will make the area feel more spacious.
TREND 18
WOOD GRADES
Rustic grade with a lot of knots was a popular for a long time, but now with interiors moving to more paired back, simple designs, flooring grades in Prime and Character are proving more popular amongst consumers.
TREND 19
PARQUET BORDERS
Adding a border to your parquet floor gives it an additional layer of sophistication to the design.
Using a two line border is a favourite amongst interior designers and is often seen in interior magazines.
TREND 20
METAL TRANSITIONS
Normally a wooden threshold would be installed in doorways when a new hardwood floor is installed.
However, I always find them so bulky and not the most attractive, so instead I recommend using a metal profile to mask the gap in the flooring.
These profiles are smaller and much neater and attractive than their wooden counterparts.
HARDWOOD FLOORING TRENDS ARE GREAT BUT CLICK HERE TO GRAB MY POST ON THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE INVESTING IN A HARDWOOD FLOOR
It's important to remember that although it's interesting to know what trends are in general, you need to choose a product that you like.
You have to live with it and when it comes to flooring, it is an aspect in your home that you won't change often.
Take a cue from trends but ultimately your choice needs to represent you and be suitable for your home.
If you would like further information on hardwood flooring trends or any of the products featured, please visit my consulting page or feel free to contact me on hello@studiojeandre.com
Jx
