Hey Good People – Rob here.
One of the great things about hardwood flooring is that even though it’s one of the oldest choices in floor covering, it has ridden the trendy wave in the last few decades. And because it is such a well-established choice, it also avoids the flash-in-the-pan aspect of what the word ‘trendy’ often includes too. I think this may be because unlike a lot of ‘trendy’ trends, consumers are looking for a sense of history, not necessarily the Next Big Thing.
In reading an interview with Mark Bienenfield, the CEO of Prema floors in Napa Valley, he makes the point that the variety of choices in hardwood flooring easily allows him to ‘give the people what they want’. What this means nowadays, according to Bienenfield who’s been in the business for 30 years, is handscraped surfaces. This is of no surprise to me at all since this is what I’m attracted to as well speaking as a consumer, and not just as a marketing guy. I’ve got handscraped floors myself, you see.
I like that the floors look like they’ve always been there, that they give my property a sort of stately feel. And handscraped hardwood flooring adds another dimension too; texture and light. Each board is contoured, which adds a textural dimension to the floor as a whole. My floors look different at different times of the day, thanks to the way the light hits the contours in each board.
Bienenfield also says that darker colors are in, which I can also vouch for; my handscraped flooring is dark too – American walnut. Our sales guys here at BuildDirect talk to customers everyday about this preference for dark flooring. This may also have something to do with contrast too; bright décor versus darker flooring brings out the beauty in both. I’m no interior designer, but this seems to make sense.
A lot of this depends on personal taste, obviously. But, it’s hard to deny that there’s a pattern lately in choosing hardwood flooring. What about you, Good People? Are you into the dark handscraped look too? Or is it the traditional unstained oak, maple, or cherry that floats your boat? Do tell!
Cheers,
Rob.
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