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Embrace a Few Beautifully Weathered Surfaces for a Happy, Durable Home
You don’t need to worry so much about scuff marks and dings when you accept the character and beauty of wear
Living in a beautiful, well-designed home that suits our needs certainly enhances our quality of life. But if a house includes too many precious surfaces and furnishings, the experience can slip from uplifting to exhausting from the effort required to maintain its pristine condition. On the flip side, could a house that forgoes perfection for durable surfaces and intentionally weathered pieces elicit a more relaxed approach to living within its walls? It’s an idea worth considering as we design and decorate. Materials that stand up to wear without unnecessary upkeep just may be the secret to more thoroughly enjoying our homes.
Terra-cotta flooring is a hard-wearing and visually warm selection. A solid wood tabletop is durable, and furniture chosen for its charmingly chipped paint is virtually indestructible.
Heavy-duty solid pine floors, rustic shiplap walls and painted wood furniture add up to a pleasing mix that will continue to look great as years go by.
Countertops receive a great deal of wear. Reclaimed wood or butcher block countertops can be easily refinished, making them a smart and beautiful option, as we can see in this Victorian row home in Philadelphia.
How to Clean and Care for Your Butcher Block
How to Clean and Care for Your Butcher Block
Engineered quartz countertops are hard to beat if you’re looking for a surface that requires minimal maintenance. This material stands up to stains, scratches and heat, and as a bonus, it doesn’t require sealing. It’s a great choice for any room requiring a countertop, such as the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or mudroom.
Kitchen Counters: Stunning, Easy-Care Engineered Quartz
Kitchen Counters: Stunning, Easy-Care Engineered Quartz
Polished concrete countertops combine with reclaimed wood flooring and rustic cabinetry in this home in Big Sky, Montana. Concrete countertops are a successful visual match to these hefty surfaces. They’re likely to get stains despite sealers or waxes, so they’re a good choice only if you can embrace the idea that wear will lend character rather than spoil their look.
Amazing Ways With Concrete Countertops
Amazing Ways With Concrete Countertops
Floors get more wear than just about any other surface in the house, and they’re one of the most expensive to install or replace. Here, antique distressed grade flooring mixes red and white oak; its nail holes, knots, and high and low spots add to its visual interest while making the possibility of marring its surface nearly impossible.
When selecting wood floors, lean toward solid flooring if the budget allows. However, engineered floors have come a long way, particularly the higher-quality planks that feature a thicker layer of wood veneer.
An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
When selecting wood floors, lean toward solid flooring if the budget allows. However, engineered floors have come a long way, particularly the higher-quality planks that feature a thicker layer of wood veneer.
An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
Brick is a particularly long-lasting flooring choice, and many people find it more attractive as it ages. Full of character and visually warm, brick floors are suitable for many rooms, including the entry, kitchen and mudroom.
Brick flooring can be laid in several patterns and is available in a wide variety of styles and colors.
Brick looks great paired with shiplap, another material that stands the test of time and looks just fine with a less-than-perfect finish.
Brick Floors: Could This Durable Material Work for Your House?
Brick looks great paired with shiplap, another material that stands the test of time and looks just fine with a less-than-perfect finish.
Brick Floors: Could This Durable Material Work for Your House?
Tile and stone are additional heavy-duty flooring materials that work in any room and come in a near-endless array of styles and characteristics. If their lack of warmth is a concern, these materials work well with radiant floor heating, an efficient system to heat a home.
The cool-toned slate flooring in this bathroom is a durable material that coordinates beautifully with the rustic antique cabinet that was refitted to work as the vanity. Both will continue to look handsome with age.
Painted floors are another smart option and can be a great solution when old floors are too worn for yet another refinishing job. Keep in mind that painted floors will enjoy the highest degree of success when the scuffs and nicks to follow are factored into the design upfront.
How to Paint Your Hardwood Floors
How to Paint Your Hardwood Floors
In this home, the wood floors have been intentionally distressed with a brush after being painted. With the wear and tear already built in, the homeowner doesn’t have to fret about it later.
Slipcovered furniture is also handy in a house where ease of wear is the goal since the covers can be removed and cleaned when spots appear.
10 reasons to try slipcovers
Slipcovered furniture is also handy in a house where ease of wear is the goal since the covers can be removed and cleaned when spots appear.
10 reasons to try slipcovers
Furniture pieces with intentionally worn painted surfaces make good choices for rooms that will get a lot of use — the finish just can’t be ruined. Look for available items finished in this manner or paint one yourself. Updating a thrift store find or an existing piece is a fun DIY project.
Although most of us probably won’t want a house full of chipped character pieces, one or two that are thoughtfully placed can lend themselves to more livable and visually appealing spaces.
Weathered furniture looks appropriate in both cottage-style homes and tailored and sophisticated spaces.
And if you’d like to layer area rugs over those durable floor options, consider sisal, sea grass or jute, which contribute warmth and texture while being durable and stain resistant.
And if you’d like to layer area rugs over those durable floor options, consider sisal, sea grass or jute, which contribute warmth and texture while being durable and stain resistant.
Vintage rugs offer another smart choice for rooms where comfort and ease of living are priorities. Of course, there’s virtually no limit on what an area rug can cost, so be on the lookout for vintage or thrift store rugs with the character that comes with wear. Or consider a new rug that has intentional wear built into the design.
When building, remodeling or decorating a house, it’s easy to get mesmerized by a gorgeous counter material or a shiny piece of hardware. Just make sure to contemplate how each selection will wear and affect day-to-day living in the newly designed spaces.
Tell us: Have you embraced the lovely (and durable) look of wear? Please show us a favorite space or piece of furniture in the Comments.
More: 6 Great Places for a Natural Fiber Rug
When building, remodeling or decorating a house, it’s easy to get mesmerized by a gorgeous counter material or a shiny piece of hardware. Just make sure to contemplate how each selection will wear and affect day-to-day living in the newly designed spaces.
Tell us: Have you embraced the lovely (and durable) look of wear? Please show us a favorite space or piece of furniture in the Comments.
More: 6 Great Places for a Natural Fiber Rug
In this Tybee Island, Georgia, home, Squall slate floors run throughout the main level, hard-wearing shiplap lines the walls and bright red metal stools (that will continue to look fantastic as they acquire nicks and scratches) are as stylish as they are sturdy.