If you have kids you know that in reality, the very heart of a home is the kitchen. It’s where the kids come to get snacks after school, where you spend your time cooking family meals and where the most amount of busy work is done. Think about it, the washing machine, dishwasher, microwave and oven all live in the kitchen, so there’s constant foot traffic going in and out of the room. It's where you spend most of your time, so it deserves some special treatment!
Style With Substance
Kitchen floors do need to be hardwearing, practical and as grippy as possible but as long as you’ve got those covered, there are many different types of wooden flooring to choose from. If your home is open plan, or has a combined kitchen/dining area choose flooring that will complement the other areas so not to look jarring. Why not pick your flooring at the same time as designing the rest of a new kitchen? By choosing your cabinetry and floor style at the same time, you’ll be able to make sure that everything matches. Look carefully at different materials as you’ll want it soft enough to walk on but also scratch proof, stain proof, and water resistant as well as being super easy to clean.
Pretty Patterns
If you have a neutral colored kitchen in say a soft beige, off white, maple and cream a patterned floor can provide much-needed contrast. With patterned flooring, if you wish, you can create a unique feature floor, an area with different colors, or even other tiles to act as a focal point to the room. However, be aware that a splash of color is often more effective than say tiling a large area, busy patterns can tend to give guests, and the owners, a bit of a headache after a while so think carefully if patterns are for you.
Luxurious Laminate
Laminate is seen in many a modern kitchen and look sleek, shiny and sophisticated as well as being another wallet-friendly option.This glamorous, glossy look fits in perfectly with monochrome cupboards, stainless steel appliances and modern fixtures and fittings. Laminate is also super water resistant as well as being suitable for underfloor heating and is an excellent choice for families, keeping it clean is a doddle as all you need to do is grab a flat mop, give the floor a thorough going over and then leave it to dry!
Keep It Natural
Stone or sanded wood floors can look beautiful in the right setting as long as you consider how you plan on heating the room. Consult your supplier before making a final decision as although most stone and porcelain tiles are fine, with underfloor heating wood can start to warp over time and thus ruin your expensive design. Digital technology now offers prospective buyers the chance to have a natural looking finish but at a fraction of the price, so now wood, rock, stone, slate and concrete style products are being produced that are more hardwearing but less costly.
