Home interior is constantly evolving and changing and it can often be a challenge to keep up.

Over the last 12 months alone, interior design has seen styles and trends come and go and we’re sure this will be no different in 2020.

With only a few days left in the year, and decade, what better time than now to look back over the last 12 months, and ahead into what the next 12 might hold - especially when it comes to home interiors and how it relates to trends in wood flooring.

What were the wood flooring trends of 2019?

A huge interior design trend of 2019, and for the last few years in fact, that has only been made more popular by the likes of Mrs Hinch and other social media influencers, has been the minimalistic and monochromatic look. Commonly known in interior design as ‘Scandinavian style’, greys and whites have taken front and centre stage over the last 12 months, which has translated into flooring favourites too.

One big flooring trend was whitewashed wood which is when you add diluted white paint to your wood and then sand it down. This lightens and brightens the wood and highlights its natural grain, giving your wood floors a more contemporary feel and playing into the Scandinavian style that has been so popular with millennials.

On the complete opposite end of the scale, rustic and natural elements were also widely celebrated in 2019 with many homeowners decorating their house with plants and vintage pieces of furniture to create a look known as ‘farmhouse style’ with a modern twist.
Some characteristics of this interior design style include natural textures, simplicity and a balance of old and new to produce a warm and cosy living environment.

As a result, distressed wood flooring garnered a lot of popularity this past year, as it fits perfectly with this aesthetic, especially in deeper, darker colours.

Honorable mentions go out to; wire brushing, which is a technique that enhances the natural colour of the wood and exposes its growth rings making it easier to conceal any damage to the floor, wide planks and matte finishes.

What can we expect in 2020 and beyond?

If you’re planning on renovating or redecorating in the new year, and want to stay on trend, then there are a few options when it comes to your wood flooring.

Greys and whites are not going anywhere any time soon, but there will be an increase in the use of bold colours to create some personality and add some individuality to people’s homes.
This could be synergised with the choice of flooring used in your home, such as introducing patterns like herringbone, or playing with more yellow and caramel undertones in the wood.

The rustic look is also still going to be popular for the foreseeable future. In fact, it’s one of those trends that will never really go out of style and will remain a classic, and a safe choice, when installing wood floors into your home.

Sustainability is becoming more and more important in today’s society, and this will translate into home interiors with us becoming more conscious of the wood flooring that we are putting in our homes.
This could mean that more sustainable woods, such as oak and pine, become the go-to choice for most of us. It may even become more difficult to find other types of wood for your home.

The most sustainable species of wood, and not necessarily the one we first go to when we think of flooring, is bamboo. It’s considered more of a grass than a timber, and it grows at a much faster rate than hardwood trees, meaning that the root does not need to be replanted.
This may see an increase in the popularity of bamboo for wood flooring in the coming years.

In simple and basic terms, the rarer the wood the less sustainable it is, but even with the more eco-friendly wood types, you need to ensure that that responsible forestry management has taken place to obtain this wood.

One more wood flooring trend for 2020 and beyond that may be worth noting is on-site refinishing rather than pre-finished flooring. It definitely looks a lot better as it has cleaner lines and a more consistent colour and finish across the floor, but it does mean that fitting the flooring will take a little longer and cost a little more.

If it is something that you can afford, and time is not of the essence, then you should consider opting for site finished wood; if not for the reasons already listed, then the fact that it is fully customisable, and you can test and mix stains in your home before fully committing to one, should be enough to convince you.