Pattern on the Floor
The other day, I was looking at some photos of a bed and breakfast (that shall remain nameless) when I thought, "How boring is this room?" The furniture was all very pretty and period-appropriate, and the art and accessories were nice - those weren't the problem. The problem was the floor.
The floors were hardwood and had a beautiful finish, but in the sparsely furnished room, they looked empty and boring. They needed something - a rug, a little paint, some type of design. Anything to spice up the space.
I'm not saying, of course, that hardwood isn't nice (it's all over my house) or that it's always boring when it's unadorned. Unfortunately, sometimes it is.
These floors, though, are anything but boring:
The floors were hardwood and had a beautiful finish, but in the sparsely furnished room, they looked empty and boring. They needed something - a rug, a little paint, some type of design. Anything to spice up the space.
I'm not saying, of course, that hardwood isn't nice (it's all over my house) or that it's always boring when it's unadorned. Unfortunately, sometimes it is.
These floors, though, are anything but boring:
I'm fascinated by this floor - the people who created this room certainly are daring! I love the pattern, but I have to admit that I'd be worried about commiting to such permanent color.
The first time I saw this rug, it actually reminded me of the floor in the photo above. Starting with a rug would be a good way to decide if a pattern is something you can live with. Then you could break out the stencil and paint!
I'll always have a soft spot for traditional black and white floors. They're grand and elegant and remind me of fabulous parties.
I like this floor for its subtle pattern - it's interesting in the way that clouds are cool.
This is a similar floor in a different space. It seems to work best with modern fixtures and furniture.
A little zebra is exactly right going up the steps. Zebra is a pattern that can cross over into kitsch pretty quickly - but this is just the right amount.
I like that this room is very simple, except for the rug. That gives the room's owner a ton of flexibility to change the whole space just by swapping out the rug.
I once lived in a house with a small wall (at the top of steps) mosaiced with broken mirrors. It was so cool and made me love mosaic forever.
