Flooring Looks Lighter When Installed Often, the small sample of flooring on a board looks darker than when it is installed. Once the flooring has been installed, it opens up in the room and looks lighter than what was chosen.
A good rule of thumb is that more delicate pieces of furniture go well with lighter floors, while heavier pieces match better with dark woods. This will help you preserve balance in the room so that everything gets its chance to shine within the space.
Light color flooring tends to brighten up a space and make it feel larger. Bright and creamy floor tones can help modernize a small room, adding an element of airiness. Be sure to snag as much natural light as you can or install warm artificial lights to make your small space as attractive and inviting as possible.
1) Light and dark flooring
Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring. These attractive, light and neutral colours give a room an open and airy feel, making it appear larger, whilst also drawing in the natural sunlight from outside.
In a room that is very bright or light, the dark floor can actually make the lighter shades stand out, and even make the room seem bigger. The only time it definitely makes the room seem smaller is in small, dim rooms, particularly those without natural light.
Choose Light Colored Flooring
A light hardwood like pine or oak will add plenty of appeal to a darker room and expand the space to feel more open. Many homeowners feel that lighter hard surface flooring coordinates with a more contemporary design, but it can also work with a traditional look.
There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to whether your floor should be lighter or darker than your cabinets, but as a general rule of thumb, use darker floors with light cabinetry and vice versa. When it comes to striking the right balance between your kitchen cabinets and your floor, contrast is a useful tool.
Neutral colors like beige, grey and greige are especially timeless and pair nicely with a variety of decor styles. For a classic look, opt for warm tones such as honey brown, deep cherry, or espresso. Cooler tones like ash grey, natural oak, and white can add a modern flair to any space.
Floors with a white finish go with almost everything. A light burlap-like color is a great choice because you still get a light floor, without installing a truly “white” floor. You can use a variety of wood species to create a light floor.
The overall feel of your room is vital to think about before deciding on a floor color. If cool-toned, darker flooring creates a formal feeling, while dark colors with warm tones can create a cozy atmosphere. Alternatively, pale, cool-toned floor colors will make your room feel airy and bright.
Flooring Looks Lighter When Installed
Often, the small sample of flooring on a board looks darker than when it is installed. Once the flooring has been installed, it opens up in the room and looks lighter than what was chosen.
When a space is in need of additional light, it's best to choose light-wood flooring to brighten up the room. “A lighter floor contrasted with a colorful wall can help to 'push the walls out' and make the space feel larger,” McBournie says.
There is absolutely no need to change flooring from room to room. We often work with homeowners who feel the urge to pick a different flooring for every room of their home, but there is absolutely no need to do this. Your home will look best if you create one consistent look that travels from room to room.
It's unsurprising to us that the most popular color for floors is grey, and in particular, grey wood, like that shown above. Grey flooring is the ultimate neutral – easy to co-ordinate and color scheme around, dark enough not to show the dirt, and yet pale enough to reflect light.
Durable, stylish, and timeless, any home looks more open and connected with hardwood floors through the main living spaces. But where dark, polished wood was once the in-demand design, light wood floors are now in style.
Dark wood flooring can make lighter wood furniture really stand out, whilst light wood flooring provides the perfect balance for darker furniture pieces. In fact, when you try to match wood shades in the home, if it isn't a perfect match it just looks like you've unintentionally failed.
Carpet. Carpet is a classic choice and has been used in homes for decades. It is comfortable and typically easy to install. One of the biggest advantages of carpet is there are more colors and textures than any other type of home flooring.
So, what flooring looks cleanest? Typically, lighter color woods show less dirt and dust. Dark floors can easily show dust, while lighter floors mask it.
Neutral and Natural Colors:
The minimalist trend is still going strong and this applies to flooring too. Neutral tones like honey, cream, and white will be top choices in 2023. These colors will work well with almost any decor style.
Brown Hardwood Flooring
Best known as the traditional color of hardwood flooring, shades of brown are still as popular as ever. Much like tan-toned hardwood, brown flooring is suited for any aesthetic. Lighter tones can set the basis of a neutral design, while deeper tones have the power to convey depth and luxury.
Hardwood floors work with almost any style — year in, year out. Given that flooring is the biggest expanse of product you'll see in your new space, designer Christina Fluegge of Greige Design recommends going with a high-quality hardwood that allows you to refinish as time goes by rather than having to replace.
Light colors are more reflective than dark colors and they will make your kitchen appear bigger as well as more open and airy. Light blues, greens, or pale yellows are other great colors to make your space look larger than life.
Mix, Don't Match!
When it comes to floors and cabinetry in a kitchen, you might think you have to find materials that are an exact match. However, as interior design experts recommend, the idea is to mix complementing materials, not match them.
Create drama with darks
'If you want to create a really dramatic effect, then opting for a dark floor is perfect as it'll help to make the room feel really moody,' says interior designer Shalini Misra. 'You can even pair dark cabinets with a darker floor in similar tones to make a real statement. '