When you install new flooring or carpet, you want something that fits your lifestyle and that will last. But wouldn't you like something stylish as well? Well, there’s no reason you can’t have both! When you shop, you want a floor that’s practical, but you’d also like a floor where you’ll be delighted with how it looks.

One of the big flooring trends this year is light colors. And not just any light colors! Grays had a great run for several years, but lately the movement has been to warmer and more nature-oriented beiges, light browns and various interpretations of white.

Also, a lot of folks are opting to run the same flooring throughout the entire main level. They’re becoming more aware of transition points and sometimes erasing those points with continuous flooring. It creates a more open flow than selecting carpet or hard flooring room by room.

Carpeting Continues Its Comeback

It wasn’t so many years ago that the hot “carpeting trend” was to tear it out and put in something else! Now the pendulum is swinging the other way, and people are rediscovering the warm hominess of carpets. They feel cushy underfoot, muffle sound, retain heat in cold weather and are great to sit and play games on. They’re usually less expensive than hard flooring, and they come in about any color and style you can imagine.

As with hard flooring, the recent trend has been toward light colors. Even white carpets are showing up in 2022 homes. The softer colors create a calming presence that will continue to set the right mood for years!

However, there are decorators who are still drawn to bright colors and patterns. These can be artwork for the floor and set a tone for the whole room! Patterns are striking on carpeted stairways, particularly those that are centrally located and highly visible. Bolder carpets also work well in small rooms.

Carpeting is still a favorite for basements due to its warmth and noise reduction. Also, many basement floors are uneven, and if you’re going to lay vinyl or laminate, you’ll have to level the floor first to prevent cracking. Not a problem with carpet!

Hard Flooring Trends

The watchwords today for flooring are lighter and cleaner. That’s true for natural hardwood as well as luxury vinyl and laminate. Airy light browns and off-whites dominate, although some people opt for the cozier feel of a medium brown. Flooring sometimes offers hints of other colors, but many experts recommend against choosing a sample with a lot of red, yellow or orange tones. Such flooring risks becoming dated and limits what colors you can use elsewhere in the room.

Timeless Hardwood

Real wood is beautiful! It can be refinished repeatedly and will last for decades, and it can even increase a home’s resale value. On the other hand, it’s expensive and high maintenance. Water damages it, and it dents easily.

White oak is all the rage these days! Low-sheen matte floors are prized for their natural look and underfoot feel. Some people choose whitish shades to achieve a coastal look.

Engineered wood is a reasonable compromise. It consists of a natural wood surface and a composite core. It’s less expensive than solid hardwood, but there’s a limit to how many times it can be refinished.

Luxury Vinyl Continues to Dominate

Vinyl technology keeps getting better and the graphics more realistic! Luxury vinyl flooring can be created to look like stone or tile, but the wood look leads the way. It’s water resistant or waterproof, depending on what you buy, low maintenance and a great choice for families with small children and pets. It continues to be the most widespread choice for hard flooring!

Homeowners should be aware that there’s a great range of quality in vinyl. Look for a thick wear layer to protect the graphic pattern. Also, many luxury vinyl planks these days have rigid cores, which lead to greater durability and stability.

White oak is popular in hardwood, and the white oak look is also attractive in synthetic graphics. It’s one of the many light, clean choices that’s covering modern floors.

While luxury vinyl is a durable product, homeowners should understand that it can scratch and dent.

The Case for Laminate

If you think of laminate as outdated and lacking in the looks department, it’s time to think again! Technological improvements have increased the water resistance, and the best laminate flooring trends mimic real wood in their graphics as well as luxury vinyl does!

Laminate is a composite of compressed wood fiber on top of a wood fiber core. As with hardwood and vinyl, homeowners are choosing light browns, beiges and off-whites. Modern laminate image layers have bevels and textures that imitate hardwood. A far cry from the artificial looks of yesteryear!

Today’s laminate is amazingly durable! The best products resist dents and scratches better than luxury vinyl. However, while water resistance has improved, the product will never be waterproof like vinyl.

Flooring for Every Lifestyle

It’s always fun to keep the latest trends in mind as you select your next generation of flooring. However, it’s important to choose a product that’s compatible with your lifestyle. For example, white carpet is gorgeous, but it’s best reserved for homes where residents and visitors are tidy adults!

Still, there are so many great choices that you won’t have any trouble finding something that fits both with current trends and with the way you live at home!