Features

Vinyl Visuals: Staying on Top of the Trends

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Oak and ash, what the Europeans call oiled wood flooring looks, are trending — products that look like untreated freshly cut wood with a very natural, matte feeling. CFL’s FirmFit comes in blonde and natural-looking tones.

As design trends continuously evolve, vinyl stays on top of the game. Whether it’s glue down luxury vinyl tile (LVT), longer & wider planks or lighter tones, the category has everything the consumer craves.

Warm for the Win

“We are continuing to see clean, organic lines and light, blonde tones grow in popularity after nearly a decade of grey,” said Alyssa Cole, senior content marketing manager, Novalis Innovative Flooring. Cool, grey tones are now a thing of the past, as “the overarching theme is all about texture, minimalism, and an overall airy feel,” she said. Ten years ago, darker and more rusted colors were very in style, she noted adding that in the past three to five years, she’s seen consumers gravitate towards lighter and more neutral tones with a clean and contemporary European style.

“Warmth is the key word,” stated Natalia Smith, director of design at HMTX Global. Natural wood tones, warm browns and taupe, in a sophisticated rustic plank with clean graining and more subtle knots are popular visuals, she noted.

According to Jenne Ross, director of marketing, Karndean Designflooring, these lighter tones are being driven by the “desire for comfort and wellbeing following the pandemic,” adding that less chaos and clutter simplifies a homeowner’s space while warming it up aesthetically.

Consumers are trying to create a more calm, comforting space during a time faced with confusion and uncertainty, according to Charla Pettingill, director of product design-hard surface, Shaw Floors. “We continue to see demand for WPC for this reason, as it creates feelings of warmth and comfort underfoot,” she said.

Warm, clean wood visuals with minimal character, like Shaw Floors’ Floorté, Paragon HD + Natural Bevel, continue to trend as customers seek warm, cozy interior aesthetics.

HMTX Global’s “Cozy Cottage” design direction is inspiring flooring designs that are characteristic of pastoral and simple living, a peak consumer design trend. “Cozy Cottage” includes Metroflor's Inception Reserve product offering, installed here in a home office space.

Warm greys with variation and some lighter highlights are consistent. Also popular are caramel and honey browns and mid-tone warm browns in both clean and lighter reclaimed visuals, like NovaFloor’s Dansbee Collection in Urban Oak.

Common Taste

Social media is considered a huge driving factor behind the consistency in trends across regions. “We find that the looks that work in one area of the country work throughout,” offered John Mcelroy, senior buyer, MSI.

“There are certain regions where certain wood species are still popular like ash (Europe) or maple (Canada) or hickory (USA),” noted Barron Frith, president, CFL North America. However, as customers are viewing the same content and trends online before even entering their local flooring store, he explained, purchases seem to be a lot alike amongst different areas.

As for plank sizes, Jamann Stepp, vice president of hard surfaces, The Dixie Group, explained, the bigger sized planks are the closest to realism. “Wider and longer planks have caught on, as [companies’] big planks outsell their smaller ones,” he said.
Wider planks allow spaces to appear larger while bringing in the soothing feeling of the outdoors. “7˝ x 48˝ continues to be the most popular size,” according to Ana Torrence, hard surface category manager, Engineered Floors.

Oak and hickory visuals have also been trending in vinyl. “Rigid core products also allow you to create differentiated aesthetics, often impossible in hardwood or considered custom and very expensive,” said Brian Parker, vice president product management, AHF Products. Tile formats are also on the rise in rigid core. “Offering wood look planks and stone like tiles allows a seamless installation; still playing on the nature theme that continues to drive interior trends.”

But it doesn’t end with tile. Biophilia has growing significance within interior design as it helps keep consumers happy and positive by providing healing and satisfaction. “Organic, natural visuals like stone and marble add depth and help us feel a bit more connected to nature,” said Novalis’ Cole.

Mohawk’s luxury vinyl tile, plank and sheet vinyl is durable and protected against stains from family pets. It is available in the currently trending light and clean tones.

Organic, natural visuals help consumers feel more connected to nature. The Dixie Group’s TRUCOR provides this sense of biophilia.

The use of standard width planks (5˝ to 6˝), like the ones seen on this floor from Karndean Designflooring, is a growing movement as stay-at-home orders made homeowners appreciate the privacy of walled rooms versus the open floor plan.