Wondering what types of flooring are used in rich people’s homes or modern commercial buildings? Or are you thinking about your luxury apartment floor plans? Whatever it is you are curious about, we are discussing timeless luxury flooring ideas in this article.
For those who are seeking uniqueness, elegance, and a great first impression of their place, high-end flooring designs will meet their expectations. So, let’s go and take a peek at what’s going on in the world of luxe flooring options and what else can make your floor look even more opulent.
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What Is High-End Flooring?
When you enter a place, the floor is one of the first things you notice. That’s why it is a significant part of any style of décor. Now if you want your place to exude opulence and luxury, you have to consider high-end flooring ideas. These include:
- The flooring material: A luxury floor needs premium materials, such as high-end hardwood flooring, natural stone flooring, and top-of-the-line porcelain/ceramic tiles. These are the most expensive flooring materials in the market not only for their beauty and luxurious looks but also for their exceptional durability and strength.
- The design and pattern: Aside from the material, a luxurious place comes with a custom-designed floor that enhances its aesthetic appeal, brings out its best features, and helps to create a desirable ambiance and effect. Besides, you can see some unique flooring patterns and special finishes.
- Craftmanship: This means how well the flooring is installed. Because even if you have the best materials in the world, if your flooring contractor is not skilled and experienced in luxury flooring installation, you will end up with a mediocre floor. There even have been cases where the contractor totally wasted the materials.
So, if you are after elegance, sophistication, opulence, aesthetics, and exclusivity in a flooring idea, you should consider all the above-mentioned factors before getting started.
Below, we’ll discuss luxury flooring ideas in detail. We’ll introduce the best flooring for high-end homes and commercial establishments, design considerations, and other elements and factors that can make your place look more luxurious and expensive.
Luxury Flooring Ideas: Materials, Designs, and Other Decorative Elements
Luxury flooring is often used in upscale houses and apartments as well as high-end commercial spaces, like expensive hotels, fancy restaurants, exclusive offices, and modern retail stores. Such places can benefit from the timeless beauty, longevity, and class that luxe flooring types bring about.
The Most Luxurious Flooring Materials
Luxury flooring options can be categorized into three main groups based on the materials.
- Hardwood
- Natural stones
- Porcelain or ceramic tiles
All of these options are costly due to their excellent natural beauty and durability. Let’s go over them separately.
1. Hardwood High-End Flooring
Hardwood floors can be made of various wood species (Read our guide on ‘Choosing the Right Wood Species for Hardwood Flooring’ to learn more.). Although a hardwood floor is an expensive and classic choice in general, certain types are considered as hardwood high-end flooring.
Premium types of hardwood include:
- Oak: The prominent grains, variety of colors, and strength are only a few advantages of oak flooring.
- Walnut: It is mostly sought after for its rich dark color that gives the place a luxurious look.
- Cherry: The fine straight grains in cherry hardwood and its warm reddish-brown color are the best features of this type of high-end hardwood.
- Maple: With its light colors and subtle grains, maple flooring is a popular choice for contemporary styles of décor.
- Mahogany: An exotic hardwood species, mahogany is famous for creating a luxurious atmosphere with its unique lustrous reddish-brown appearance and straight and uniform grains.
- Teak: Another exotic species, teak hardwood is perhaps the most luxurious option with its golden-brown color and distinctive grains. It is also resistant to water and pests.
Why Go with Luxury Hardwood Flooring?
Here are some of the advantages of luxurious hardwood floors that have made them a go-to option for high-end applications.
- Hardwood offers great versatility and can complement different styles of décor, from traditional to contemporary.
- It is easy to customize and create your desirable ambiance with unique patterns, exquisite finishes, and various textures.
- Hardwood adds to the value of the place and makes it more prestigious.
- You can enjoy a hardwood floor for decades because of its high durability. What’s more, refinishing brings back its original look by removing the surface damage. So, it’ll feel like a brand-new floor.
- Most woods can be stained (painted) if you wish to change the appearance of the place after some years or match it with a new interior style.
- Expensive hardwoods are crafted with the highest standards and, if installed properly, the floor will be seamless.
Click to learn more about our hardwood flooring installation services in Manchester and nearby cities in New Hampshire.
2. Luxurious Natural Stone Floors
Another durable, natural, and timeless flooring option, a high-end stone floor is always a popular choice when considering luxury flooring ideas.
Like hardwood, each tile or slab of natural stone flooring is one-of-a-kind due to its unique veining and texture; A feature that elevates its luxurious and sophistication level.
In addition to its aesthetic appeal and strength, natural stone flooring is versatile and can be used for different applications. For example, it is not only a good choice for any part of your home (kitchen, living room, bathroom, etc.), you can even install it in outdoor spaces. These stones are even used for walls, fireplaces, etc.
The most expensive natural stones for deluxe flooring include:
- Marble: Marble flooring is usually used in upscale buildings to achieve elegance and sophistication. You can also find a good variety of colors and veining patterns.
- Granite: High-end buildings with high foot traffic usually opt for granite among other natural stones because of its resistance to heat, moisture, and scratches as well as its beauty. Besides, it comes in different colors and patterns.
- Travertine: Stone floors may look cold and uninviting but not travertine. Its porous texture and softness have made it a good choice for creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that looks a bit rustic. However, it’s possible to achieve a high sheen for a more contemporary style.
- Limestone: Limestone flooring offers versatility due to its wide range of colors and textures. It is also durable when maintained properly.
- Slate: A great choice for those who are looking for natural shades of green, gray, and purple in stone flooring. Slate floors are also used in high-traffic areas in luxury buildings.
3. Luxury Porcelain and Ceramic Tile Flooring
Porcelain and ceramic are other luxury flooring options whose beauty and versatility of design and application can’t be ignored.
They are available in numerous colors, patterns, and textures which allow an easier customization of design. They are also used as decorative elements on walls in interior design due to their aesthetics.
What’s more, they are low-maintenance and do not need sealing. Plus, both ceramic and porcelain tiles are resistant to water and heat. These qualities have made them an excellent choice for different applications, such as bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and even outdoor flooring.
All these, and they are usually more affordable than natural stone and hardwood.
So, you can achieve a combination of elegance, aesthetic appeal, and durability at a lower price if you go with luxurious porcelain/ceramic tiles.
Did you know you could have a luxurious floor only with carpets? See how high-end carpet installation.
High-End Flooring Designs and Decorative Elements
Design is an indispensable part of luxury flooring ideas. Now that you know about luxury flooring types, let’s learn a bit about some floor design considerations.
Generally, a good design creates focal points and visual interests with the use of intricate patterns, colors, and textures. Through this you not only make the floor more opulent and sophisticated but also you can create a desirable ambiance, sense, and effect.
For example, some businesses use flooring designs to align the atmosphere of their commercial spaces with the brand image and have a lasting impression on customers.
A Few Luxurious Flooring Ideas and Techniques to Get You Thinking:
- Grand foyers and entryways are a good place for an intricate unique design to make a statement, a good impression, and set a tone for the space.
- Incorporating the logo (or any other icon) of the company in the floor design can elevate the elegance of a commercial establishment.
- Using the right combination of colors is a basic but important technique in setting the right tone for any place. For example, warmer colors can make your living space look welcoming and cozy.
- Textures can also contribute to the overall ambiance of the place. For example, in hardwood luxury flooring ideas, sometimes exquisite finishes, such as hand-scraped or wire-brushed finishes, are used to give the place a unique character and create depth.
- Except for the flooring, other elements can also enhance the visual interest of the floor. For example, lighting, natural or artificial, plays a significant role in how visitors feel in a place. Such as, whether the place is warm and inviting or serious and professional.
- One of the biggest decorative elements are rugs and carpets. For instance, in luxurious living rooms, you can sometimes see an expensive Persian silk rug as a centerpiece that greatly elevates the elegance of the place.
Overall, the right flooring materials with stunning designs that are installed with care and attention to detail can exude opulence, make your place memorable, and add value to your property. So, although it can cost a lot, having a high-end floor is in fact a long-term investment.
Luxury Flooring Ideas FAQs
Now, let’s answer some of your frequent questions.
What Are the Most Popular Luxurious Flooring Trends?
High-end hardwood flooring, luxe natural stone floors, and premium porcelain/ceramic tiles are the most commonly used flooring materials in upscaled buildings.
How Can I Make My Floor Look More Expensive without Spending Too Much?
Well, high-end flooring materials are expensive. Also, incorporating an intricate pattern into the floor design can cost you more. However, instead of these expensive materials, you can install luxury vinyl plank flooring that is much more affordable but mimics the appearance of natural wood or stone.
Another cost-effective option is carpeting. Wool carpets add a sense of luxury to any space but they cost less than hardwood and stone flooring.
Are There Any Eco-Friendly Luxury Flooring Options?
Yes. Many high-end hardwoods come from sustainable forests and they follow environmentally friendly practices. Also, recycled materials are sometimes used in producing high-quality ceramic and porcelain tiles which make them an eco-friendly luxury flooring type.
What Is the Most Durable High-End Natural Stone Flooring?
The most durable choice among luxury natural stone flooring options is granite. It is dense, hard, and resistant to water, scratches, and heat.
What Are the Most Expensive Hardwoods?
Brazilian walnut, teak, and mahogany are among the most expensive and luxurious hardwood species due to their natural and unique beauty and longevity.
High-End or Low-End, Minuteman Floors Offers Flooring Services for All Budgets in the Area of Manchester, NH
No matter how much you are ready to invest in your flooring project, our craftmanship and experience upgrade your residential and commercial space and make a whole new look for your place.
We’ll pay a visit to your place to examine it and discuss your ideas. You’ll get to know what options are best based on your budget, desired aesthetic and style, and the specific requirements of the place. So, our flooring experts make it easier for you to make the right decision.
Above all, you don’t need to come to us, give us a call at (603) 782-1942 and we will come to you.