A simple guide to choosing the right flooring for your home

Floors are great. You can stand on them, sit on them, lie on them, tap dance on them and jump up and down on them. All they ask is to be hoovered regularly and for your lady friends to remove their stilettos at the door.

Perhaps it’s their undemanding nature that means they’re often neglected in favour of the fancier surfaces that litter your house: your shelves, your bedside cabinets, your dining tables. Is the floor resentful of your favouritism? No, it lies down and lets you walk all over it. Shame on you.

It’s time you do something for your most supportive friend. So why not revolutionise your style from the ground up by taking a fresh look at flooring options? The ground is at your feet.

Carpeting

Don’t fear patterns – bold stripes look fantastic on stairs and subtle shade shifts can be great for areas where spillages may occur. As long as the rest of the room is fairly muted, there’s nothing wrong with having a statement carpet.

You’ll need thin, durable carpets for hallways or areas with high footfall – but in bedrooms and upstairs corridors, indulge your feet with luxurious thick pile in creamy whites and greens.

Wood floor

Wooden flooring can be everything and anything to a room – modern or traditional, versatile but lasting. Look out for hard wearing floors if you have a big dog or an avid tap dancer amongst your number.

You might think that something like oak flooring is above your budget or is too staid and traditional for your modern home – think again. Engineered wood flooring comes in slats that fit together, giving a tight neat finish that’s easy to adjust. Pale boards create a clean, Scandinavian feel when coupled with earthy colours and if you’re bored of brown why not look into finding a good wood stain? A dark blue floor looks stunning with a dark wood sofa and light greens and blues give a beachy feel to sandy pine furniture.

Rugs

Rugs are sometimes unfairly classed as outdated. It’s true – they can give a room a cluttered, old-fashioned feel if size and design aren’t taken into consideration but don’t write them off, by any means. A rug in a single, bold shade can be dramatic without overwhelming – pastel patterns can add interest to a room with bland décor and make a space cosier. Experiment with layout and colour schemes without committing in the same way you have to if you buy a carpet. Wherever you put them, they’ll be practical to clean and tender on the toes.

Tiling

Look abroad for inspiration – houses in Greece, Mexico and Morocco all have distinctive national styles based around tiling. Go Grecian: dark blues and whites with oil-effects are clean, nautical and easy to accessorise.  Recreate a hacienda with yellows, reds and clay tiles.

Sporadically punctuating a base colour with bright individual tiles will break up your bathroom’s décor, and make your room seem more spacious.

Linoleum or Vinyl

Many people class plastic or rubber flooring as a 70s throwback; not so! The sheer variety of styles available means it’ll always roll with the times – its practicality and durability are timeless and make it perfect for kitchens and bathrooms. If you’re changeable by nature, play with designs without getting tied down: try a classic black and white checkerboard floor for a quirky ‘20s look or a marbled pattern as a warm alternative to stone. It’s childproof, too – less hard on little knees than tiling and any spills will wipe right off.