When you’re barefoot at home, do you find yourself tiptoeing over the flooring, or sinking your toes into lush textiles and silky smooth tiles? When you first walk into a room, you might be looking at the furniture, the soft furnishings, or even the wall art. But when you’re barefoot, you’re feeling the room. You can feel the coolness of the floor surface, the softness of the carpet ply, and the ridges of the slate.
Beyond the tactile impression of the floor, you need to also consider the color of the floor. This is often your base color and can say a lot about your character and design tastes. Flooring is rarely a single block color. Think about the grain and lines in wooden flooring. Even when waxed, varnished, or painted, you can still see and feel the natural beauty of the tree. Carpet fibers both man-made and natural will also pick up the light and offer you a sea of beautiful colors from just a single shade.
Your choice of flooring might be practical. You probably wouldn’t go for carpet in a kitchen or bathroom due to stains and excess moisture. Instead, tiles or slate might be the preferred choice. Wooden flooring can be engineered to be ideal for almost any situation. Now it can be harvested sustainably, wood has become a popular choice. Still, most of us love the texture and tactile allure of a living room or bedroom carpet pile.
Cleaning is also another huge consideration when you’re choosing the flooring for your room. Man-made fiber carpets are quite stain-resistant these days. Still, you might need to follow some basic tips for hygienic cleaning of your carpet. A good, powered vacuum can lift the pile back up to make it look and feel like new. However, to ensure any bacteria or pet hairs are easier to lift, you might consider brushing your floor steamer over the surface. You can vacuum when it’s dry to remove everything that was trapped. The steam kills the bacteria too.
Some lofts have amazing concrete floors that have been sand blasted, buffed, and polished. This can provide a smooth, shiny, and elegant surface. This can offer a wonderful cool surface in the height of summer and yet is warm enough for the winter months. It can also offer a bit more sound protection from the neighbors below. Of course, this isn’t really an option you can choose if you don’t already have concrete floors.
Dressing your floor is quick and easy to do. Rugs and coverings come in all shapes and sizes and will suit hard, stone, or carpeted surfaces. Make sure all of the colors meet your palette choices for the room. Usually, picking up one of the accent colors can be a stylish choice. Should you choose a machine washable rug? Sometimes this is easier if you have babies using it, or pets. However, there are some great cleaners that can make light work of most spills. Check the backing will prevent slipping on your floor surface for safety. Love your floors.
