Wood floors

If you want to create a sleek interior, a new wood floor can add considerably to the overall look. You can choose between soft wood, hardwood or veneered wood (also called engineered floor), but before you pick your floorboards from a catalogue carefully consider the following issues: traffic, style, maintenance and price..

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Rubber Flooring

Rubber floors have been used for years in hospitals, schools and factories because rubber is hard-wearing, practical and easy to clean. Rubber floors are made from polyurethane..

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Polished Concrete Floor

Polished concrete is the one of the must materials to use in a modern interior. Yet it’s a very old finish, the Romans used it extensively. It is an ideal choice for creating a sensual and seamless floor, particularly if you want to connect an inside space with an outer space. Finishes vary from high gloss smooth to ridged and textured – also you can add glass, cobbles, pebbles etc. Chemical stains can also be added to create the desired color. If you decide on concrete flooring indoors, install underfloor heating for a warm and sensual feel beneath your feet!..

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Leather flooring

Leather is the latest luxurious material to use for floor covering. It looks good, it feels good, it smells good…but is it practical?..

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Wood is like wine – it matures and improves with age. If you live in an old house and have the original floorboards in good shape – you are lucky. There is nothing more beautiful than old, good–quality floor boards or an old parquet floor. Old floorboards fit or complement any design style, or can be the main feature in an interior. Maintenance is easy – it only needs regular vacuum cleaning and the occasional mop-up. If you spill something you just wipe it off with damp cloth. Long term maintenance isn’t that hard either – every five years or so they should be sanded and sealed with a good quality varnish..

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I keep going on about not using carpets in a home. Why? Because unless you’re a single, obsessively tidy individual, carpets are impractical, unhygienic and require hard maintenance, as they get dirty/spoiled/ burned and wear out easily. So what is the alternative? The best material to use on floors is wood. In the following articles I’ll write about different type of wooden floors. But firstly, I briefly summarise the qualities and properties of wood and why it’s so suitable under our feet..

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Why use bamboo?

Because bamboo is one of the most environmentally friendly materials we can use for building, furniture making and floor covering. Bamboo is not a tree – it’s a grass. It grows very fast and matures in five years. Comparatively, hardwoods grow slowly and take from 30 to 100 years to mature. Also, given that bamboo is a grass, the same plant can be cropped many times.

Bamboo is not only eco-friendly but it’s strong, hard-wearing and water-resistant. It’s stronger than many hardwoods such as red oak and maple..

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Bamboo & wool rugs 

Bamboo Rug

Bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly materials because it grows and matures fast and the same plant can be cropped many times. It’s also strong (stronger than many hardwoods), hard-wearing and water-resistant. Read more about bamboo flooring if you want to find out more about it. Bamboo rugs are made of narrow strips of bamboo sewn together with a contrasting thread, or glued on a underlayment.  They are easily cleanable..

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Sisal, seagrass, jute & bamboo rugs have been popular with the ecologically minded for some time, whilst wool rugs have been made for thousands of years to warm and soften up interiors.

Most natural rugs go with almost all interior design styles, adding texture and a touch of nature to a space. Most of these natural fibres & materials are strong & durable and ideal for domestic use. But, of course, there are far too many different types & styles – so which natural rug should you choose?
The following guide will hopefully help you to make the right decision.

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