Five Decades of the Best and Worst Flooring Trends

It just takes a flip through a home décor magazine or website to see how past flooring trends influence trends of the future. While some home décor trends come and go, others evolve and even devolve. As new materials are introduced, we also see the technology used to produce flooring become more advanced. This often results in improved appearance and affordability. Here we look at the decades with some of the best and worst flooring trends, and a sneak peek at what’s to come.

1.The 1950s Diner Influenced Tile Flooring

A big trend in the 1950s was linoleum tiled flooring. Featured prominently in diners and family restaurants, checkers became big in family kitchens as well. With a preference for traditional black and white, as the decade continued, more vibrant colours came in vogue. In some cases the tiled floors got a little out of hand. This makes this decade a contributor to both the best and worst for kitchen flooring trends.

2. The 1960s Groovy Shag

Shag carpeting in the 1960s introduced a new, extremely long pile carpeting. It often leaned towards the home décor colours popular at the time including horrible avocado greens and sickly mustardy golds. The open staircases of modern homes often featured the unsightly carpeting on each step, giving them an overgrown look. While they might have been quite ugly back then, shag carpeting inspired some pretty interesting area rugs for modern designs that really add a punch of texture and fun to a well thought out room. Because of this, we give this trend both a thumbs up and thumbs down!

3. The 1970’s Wall to Wall Carpeting

While the idea of wall to wall carpeting sets today’s homeowners’ teeth on edge, back in the 1970s this was a modern look trend-savvy designers loved. In fact, this trend had carpet everywhere and we mean everywhere, including the bathroom. This is definitely on the worst list.

4. The 1980s Pastel Broadloom

This is by far one of the worst trends seen in the past 50 years. Carpet trends leaned towards a short, tight-knit pile, with a new line of colours in faded pastels that were overly feminine. Sickly sweet blues, purples, yellows and the ever-present 80’s dusty rose were all flooring misdemeanours in the era of big hair and bad taste. It was what one might expect in the Easter Bunny’s house.

5. The 2000s New and Improved Laminate

As hardwood flooring came back into style, it was the choice for designers looking to rid homes of the worst floors of preceding decades. However, it proved to be far too costly for the average homeowner. New and improved laminate offered realistic, impressive wood grains, “stains” and textures. Suddenly the laminate floors that looked fake and cheap offered an easy and affordable way to update a home. This is definitely one of the best flooring trends seen in several decades and it continues to make new advancements each year.

Flooring Trends to Watch

Here are the flooring trends to watch:

• Rustic Antique Hardwood Flooring: Since hardwood flooring is not going anywhere, designers are finding ways to make it new. Ironically, the latest trend falls back on an antiquated look with artificially aged finished. It leans towards the rustic, with pronounced features that make floors look older and original to the home.
• Unique Ceramic: Ceramic tiles are ideal for a number of applications including halls, foyers, kitchens, and bathrooms. The trend towards highly creative tiled flooring patterns will provide all kinds of geometrics, faux finishes such as leather and wood and interesting layouts using different types and colours of tile. Off sized tiles are also becoming more common with larger patterns that stray away from traditional subway tile.
• Parquet Flooring Comeback: This classic wood flooring made its first reappearance in new homes in the late 60s and 70s. In this case, the pattern was restricted to small square wood tiles in oak. However, the more elegant parquet floors found in aristocratic French chateaus have taken over with traditional herringbone patterns that add texture. They also come in more shades that can be mixed and matched for an even more textured look.
• Industrial Styles: The industrial look continues to inspire home décor trends including concrete look tiles available in larger sizes to get a more authentic look. Metal effect tiles are also becoming more popular in ultra-modern homes.

Flooring remains one of the easiest ways to update a tired home. There is always something available to suit any budget, which is just one of the reasons flooring trends continue to emerge prominently on designers’ radars.