Summer is here!  It’s the season for spending time outdoors.  As long as you will be outside anyway, why not make this summer the year you put in those new floors you’ve been thinking about?  Are you unsure where to start? Here are some of this summer’s hottest flooring trends:

  1. Brighter Days, Lighter Shades

Many people reach for medium and dark wood shades for wood flooring.  The conventional wisdom says that the floor will fade into the background and make your decorative elements stand out.  However, lighter shades of floor such as pecan and blonde are gaining popularity.  These lighter shades make small rooms feel more spacious.  You can find lighter shades in a range of materials including bamboo, laminate, and oak.

  1. Inside or Outside?  Why Not Both?

You could spend the summer outdoors, but what if you live in a hot area of the country?  Just because it’s 110° outside doesn’t mean you can’t bring the feeling of outdoors, minus the heat, right into your home.  Consider using an outdoor-friendly tile or polished concrete floor that continues out the door and into your home.  Connecting your indoor and outdoor spaces is another way to make your rooms feel larger.

  1. Who’s Afraid of Patterns?

Anyone who lived through the 80s remembers the ridiculous patterns that we used on everything from our school supplies to our clothes and even the floors.  Parquet flooring is making a comeback; only now we call it handcrafted, artisan flooring.  Feel free to mix classic patterns with bold colors that will really stand out.

  1. Eco-Friendly Materials

Many of us have become more aware of our impact on the environment in recent years.  While you may feel you can’t make much of a difference in the face of global climate change, you can choose an eco-friendly floor.  This can take the form of quick-growing materials like cork and bamboo or natural materials like stone.  Either way, you can have a home that looks stylish without damaging the environment.

  1. Greys

It seems like you can’t watch a home renovation show without seeing grey floors, whether they are high-end hardwood or low-cost laminate from the home center.  Based on online search activity, the popularity of grey floor seems unlikely to end soon.  Grey flooring works well because it is so adaptable.  Whether you want to decorate with shades of white, earth tones, pastels or bright colors, they all work well against the backdrop of grey floors.

Is this summer the right time to update your floors?  No matter what look you’re after, it’s easy to find an on-trend, stylish look that will keep your home feeling, functioning and looking the way you want it to.