2023 was a big year for us here at Stirling Carpet and Flooring. We hired Kim and Brian’s son Justin, Mya moved from part time to full time hours, and our office family grew by four paws with Justin’s puppy Merlin joining us just after Christmas.

 We also saw a shift in lots of flooring and design trends. Some were shocking and others we saw coming a mile away.

 In this article, I am going to address some of these shifts while making predictions about the trends in the coming year. Next year in January, we will come back to this post and see whether I was correct or not.

So without further ado, here are the 2024 Ins and Outs

IN

Surface Drenching

 This is a term that I was unfamiliar with, but once I knew what it meant, I started seeing it all over the place, even in small town Stirling! Surface drenching is when more than one surface, typically connected, are covered in the same material. This happens mostly in bathrooms, but a similar process called colour drenching can be done with paint and flooring colours. Covering your space in the same material, such as the same ceramic tile, creates a sleek space that is cohesive and really leans into the minimalist style that is in right now. It also tends to result in a room feeling larger and brighter. We completed a master bathroom ensuite recently that showcased this trend really well. This bathroom featured 12×24 marble printed ceramic tiles on the shower walls and floor, as well as the same tile in a 24×24 size on the rest of the bathroom floors. some people may choose to do the counter tops, or even the backsplash in the same material, but the goal is always calm, clean, cohesion.

Marble-esque Tile

 This piggy backs on the pictures above. Marble-esque (or fake marble) tiles are very in this year. Natural stones, especially marble, need to be resealed frequently and are known to be softer stones. They can often be more trouble than they are worth, especially in busy houses. But the visual of marble tile is SO appealing, it’s clean and timeless, so the people have found a solution. It’s quite simple really, keep the look of marble, but adopt the durability of ceramic or porcelain. So, many tile companies are hopping onto the fake marble trend because there is a demand for beauty AND durability. Nowadays the artists designing these marble-esque tiles are extremely talented and will have you scratching your head trying to figure out which one is real marble and which one is ceramic. So no one has to sacrifice style for practicality.

Natural/Neutral Wood Visuals

 The name of the game this year is clean and calm. Naturally, (excuse the pun) neutral wood visuals are the way to go to achieve this look. It doesn’t matter if you use vinyl, laminate, hardwood, or any other type of flooring, natural looking products go hand in hand with The rest of the design world at the moment. The trend in almost any industry right now, and predicted for the year to come, is to bring life back into your home. Natural life. Things like large windows, minimal furniture, Scandinavian influences, and neutral colours help to keep your home peaceful. This gives certain statement pieces, such as artwork or countertops, room to breathe and speak for themselves. We are going to see lots of bright floors in 2024

Laminate Floors

 Laminate is making a huge comeback in 2024. We have seen a significant rise in sales over the past year, and in the last six months, we have sold more laminate than vinyl plank, which is incredibly surprising, because of the chokehold vinyl plank has had on the flooring industry for the last ten or so years. With the growing demand for eco friendly flooring, vinyl is becoming a no no. People want to stick to products that are made of less and less plastic. And with inflation, high quality vinyl plank prices have skyrocketed, so laminate ends up being a more cost effective option. Laminate is tough, stylish, and as of the last few years, nearly completely waterproof. We are huge fans of Mohawk Laminate, both Pergo and RevWood. These laminate lines are incredibly durable, wet-moppable, and they have so many multifunctional accessories, that you can install them anywhere in your home. We wrote about the many great qualities of RevWood when it first came to us, so check out our blog post to learn more. https://whatsunderyourfeet.blog/2021/04/01/waterproof-laminate/

Out

Grey Wood Look Floors

 They are finally on their way out! When I got into the flooring industry, I could see that grey was a fad. Grey wood floors done well, are gorgeous, and will last for years to come. But everyone wanted a grey floor, and as soon as everyone wants something, it is bound to go out of style FAST. As I said before, natural woods are coming back in, and minimalism is still the leading aesthetic. Grey was great when minimalism leaned towards cool, sterile environments, but now with minimalism going natural and warm, grey doesn’t fit that, unless it is a light naturally faded grey, like a weathered barnboard, but even that colour has had its time. You will still see lots of grey tile and carpet, but it is on its way out in terms of wood style flooring.

Décor Heavy Tile Floors

 I will always be a fan of bold tile, especially when it is colourful, so this one hurts to admit. Décor tile looks like it’s taking a backseat this year. I know! It’s shocking to hear that less and less people are choosing a busy artsy tile for their homes. It is true, that because styles change so often, it’s hard to ensure that the pattern of your tile will stay current. A lot of people don’t want to take that risk, especially when it comes to reselling the house. A lot of people also want their things and furniture to do the talking, as opposed to their tile, while minimalism is the huge trend this year, clean maximalism is having it’s moment as well. This could include décor tile, but typically its either a bold tile, or bold décor. Because tile is so much more difficult to change out, changing your décor usually wins out.

Dark Espresso Coloured Woods

 The dark espresso wood floors that were really popular in the early 2000’s, and made a resurgence with the rise of farmhouse chic homes are gone, and perhaps for good. Light bright floors are the way to go. Dark floors show scuffs, scratches and dust more than any other floors. Everyone wants a clean home, and having dark floors make that difficult to achieve. Plus, there is something distinctly retro about espresso floors. Lots of people want vintage, but these floors can quickly become cheesy. Stick with the trend, stick with the bright floors.

 So there they are, my predictions for the 2024 flooring trends. Visit us again in January of 2025, and we will see if I was correct!

 Until then, check out our other blog posts, or our Facebook page. Keep up with our activities, and maybe even reach out with questions or flooring inquiries! We would love to know, “What’s under your feet?”