“For a long time, we would see people with parquet floor, and they always wanted it ripped out,” says Toronto interior designer Alana Fletcher. “Today, it’s a completely different situation.” Fans of the ornate will be happy to hear that personality-heavy flooring has replaced the minimalist designs that have dominated showroom floors.
Statement floors are back. “A statement floor means taking a functional surface and making it a focal point,” says Fletcher. “It can set the tone for a single room or the entire house.
” She considers the trend a pushback against the super-generic builders-home look that has prevailed in recent decades: plain baseboards, white walls, no moldings and a total absence of anything intricate or detailed. “People want to infuse character and charm into their homes, and flooring is one way to do it,” Fletcher says. One way to get there is with more adventurous materials.
Instead of grey or basic blond hardwood, homeowners are opting for marble, porcelain, tile and mixed hardwoods. Terrazzo, that speckled composite of marble, quartz, granite and glass once relegated to the floors of 1980s institutions like high schools and hospitals, is also finding its way into people’s homes. “ It can be very subtle,” says Fletcher of the once overlooked material.
Now it comes in “bold colours and confetti-like patterns. We recently pitched a client a terrazzo kitchen floor, and we were so happy they went for it.” According to Jordy Fag.