Hardwood flooring has a timeless and elegant appeal that can add value to any home. To increase the beauty, and interest to any space, install hardwood floors in a pattern and instantly enhance the area.
Plank Hardwood Flooring
Plank style hardwood flooring can be installed in many ways. Whether the planks are wide, farmhouse style, or thinner and more modern, laying the planks in different directions, or patterns can help delineate and set off any room.
For narrow spaces, try laying wide planks in a diagonal to the corners of the room. This will help draw the eye out to the corners of the room, visually widening it, while adding interest to the floor. To separate the space from adjoining rooms, simply use a wooden threshold in the doorways.
Herringbones and Wooden Rugs
For large open spaces, or for areas in a room that have a specific use, such as an eating area in a kitchen, try separating these areas off by forming a “rug” with the floors. First, border off the area, by laying the hardwood flooring in the shape of a rectangle or square, this will help to even out the edges of a room, in the case of different shaped areas. Fill the center of the area in with a herringbone pattern.
Small rugs scattered through an entryway or foyer can help lead the eye into the home, while making the most of a wide open area. Larger patterned areas can be made in dining rooms, or entire kitchens, by laying hardwood planks two or three deep around the perimeter of the room before filling in the center. This also help transition one room to the next in the case of wide doorways, or open floor plans, where a threshold will not be practical.
Concentric Circles
Another way to add interest to a room laid in hardwood flooring, is to use the planks to create a “bulls eye” in the center of the room. Follow the edges of the room with planks to even out and square off the room. Then lay planks in smaller and smaller rings toward the center of the room, finishing with one small piece in the center.
This is a traditional pattern seen frequently in older and historic homes. Try setting off a formal area of the home, such as a living room or dining room with this pattern, and keep the rest of the hardwood floors to a more standard broken joint pattern.
Mix Percentages of Sizing
Hardwood floor planks can come in multiple widths and lengths. Try giving extra interest to a floor by mixing sizes, and changing the percentages of each size per room. For example, use a mixture of wide and thin planks in a kitchen, where the ratio is 40% wide planks and 60% thin. Moving into the dining room, increase the number of thin planks to 70% and decrease the amount of thick planks accordingly.
Or try mixing the lengths of the planks, and changing the direction in which they are laid when moving from room to room. This can create interest and movement in a subtle way, so as not to arrest the eye, but to still add visual appeal to a space.
In addition to true hardwood flooring, it is also possible to use vinyl planks or porcelain tiles in wood grain patterns in these ways. If opting to use vinyl or porcelain in a high traffic area like a kitchen, while the rest of the home is laid in hardwood, try laying the vinyl or porcelain in a different pattern from the rest of the flooring, so as to not draw comparisons between the two materials.
If using a very busy pattern or many thin planks in a pattern, try to use a wood with less graining or patterning to it. This can lead to an overly busy or confusing floor. Consistent woods, like maple, may work better in these cases.
Try mixing the layouts and patterns of hardwood floors today, and watch the floors and rooms of the home come alive with interest.
 |
 |
