Carpets, whilst a popular home flooring option here in the UK, are not currently in vogue. The fashion these days is to create a clean, more minimalist and sleek design, such as recently featured in Remodelista Magazine. Carpet, simply does not fit this aesthetic. They absorb smells, stains and can at worst give a home an instantly dated feel. Hence, far more people are finding themselves drawn to alternatives.
Twenty years ago the only alternative available to many people was in the form of linoleum which just was not as hard wearing and failed to live up to the hype. It tears, buckles, dints and its ‘affordable ‘ price tag rather than proving its ‘unique selling point’ and cementing its popularity meant that a home featuring linoleum rather than appearing smart, simply and instantly screamed ‘bargain budget interior’.
Whilst the emergence of laminated flooring options changed all this in recent years, laminate or ‘wood look’ flooring can too quickly become a rather aesthetically ugly reality after a few years of being traipsed over. Not being ‘real’ wood, chips and dints rather than adding character to a laminate flooring, just add up to a mess. As such, and like linoleum, laminate flooring options are often regarded as ‘quick fixes’ or appropriate within student digs and rented accommodations.
The fact is there is no substitute for the real thing. Unfortunately, modern homes are rarely built featuring stone or solid wood floors. In fact, unless you commission the build of your own home, you are unlikely to ever move into a newer or newly built property which makes use of stone or ‘real’ wood floors. Fortunately, this does not have to mean resorting to carpet, laminate or linoleum substitutes.
Stone flooring is a prudent investment within any home. By far the hardest wearing, natural stone flooring has never gone out of fashion – it can’t; natural stone flooring is just too versatile and high quality to ever fall from home interior grace. One just has to take a quick look at the ever growing options in terms of natural stone flooring, such as that provided by quality suppliers like R F Interiors, to see why. What is more, natural stone flooring has never been so affordable. Yes, it is one of the more ‘high end’ options, but it is also one of the most cost effective because of its enduring durability and effortless aesthetic appeal; suffice to say, however expensive your carpet was it will do little to add value to your home, unlike stone flooring.
To add warmth to a natural stone floor is also both easy and fun. Quite simply, consider a carpet or rug, which can be updated as your interior home design tastes alter and fashions move with the times.