Pale wood flooring has been around for ages, and is considered a fairly standard choice. So, even if flooring color trends go a bit darker in a few years, you won't have to worry about your home suddenly looking hideous. You'll be able to live with light-colored wood floors for years.
Lighter, Brighter Wood Finishes
Wood flooring with character-rich, lighter stains shows no sign of waning in popularity, says Margaret Donaldson, founder of Margaret Donaldson Interiors. “Homeowners are primarily using white oak, but walnut is starting to surface more, especially with lighter finishes,” she says.
#4: Light Neutral Colors
Another top flooring trend in 2023? Light and neutral flooring. Modern grey wood flooring continues to be popular, as are light floor colors like blonde and beige. A great way to add these lighter flooring shades to your home or business is to use bamboo flooring.
Classic medium-toned browns such as cherrywood, mahogany, oak, maple, walnut, birch wood, and hickory are all timeless colors that never go out of style.
Lighter woods create a more open, airy feel that makes even smaller rooms feel spacious. The extra light that paler woods reflect also helps this. Darker woods, on the other hand, bring a weight to the room that can make the space feel smaller than it is.
While both light and dark hardwood is currently on-trend, if you are looking for a classic finish, it is advisable to select a mid-tone wood, as this will ensure that it does not look dated over time.
Are Light Wood Floors in Style? The truth is that light hardwood floors will never go out of style. However, some shades are more popular than others. One reason is that they are neutral, offering decorators more options when finishing a room.
Examples Of Timeless Wood Floor Colors
Birch – Appreciated for its blonde edges and amber portions. Brow Maple – Well-known for its rich gold, amber, and brown hues. Red Oak – Has unique pinkish salmon-like overtones. White Maple – Provides lighter shades with a clean look.
The Best Timeless Flooring Options
Opt for timeless wood colors such as oak, maple, mahogany, pine or ash. Engineered hardwood is an excellent choice for its versatility and attractive price point.
Brown Hardwood Flooring
Best known as the traditional color of hardwood flooring, shades of brown are still as popular as ever. Much like tan-toned hardwood, brown flooring is suited for any aesthetic. Lighter tones can set the basis of a neutral design, while deeper tones have the power to convey depth and luxury.
If you're looking for cool shades for your hardwood floors in 2023, look no further! Light tans, and browns with hints of grey or white will be popular as well as whitewashed finishes. Meanwhile, yellow-toned shades are moving out of favor.
Smokey Floors
In past years we have seen gray become an extremely popular color for flooring. This seems to be continuing into 2023, but now we're seeing more of a broad interest in “smokey-toned” floors, which includes a lot of grays and browns (or a combination of the two).
Wood effect flooring remains in high demand and the characteristics of Luxury Vinyl Tile make it a great choice for the home (and a great choice for your bank balance!). In 2023 wood effect planks/tile colours lean toward whitewashed, grey, light brown and two tone combinations as well as cool toned darker woods.
Pale wood flooring has been around for ages, and is considered a fairly standard choice. So, even if flooring color trends go a bit darker in a few years, you won't have to worry about your home suddenly looking hideous. You'll be able to live with light-colored wood floors for years.
What is the most timeless wood floor (or wood-look option)? If you've been following my work, you'll know that I often say that pale natural (oak or maple) or medium neutral brown (like oak or hickory) are the most timeless colour options for wood or wood-look floors.
Dark hardwood floors are a classic and timeless flooring option and are a great choice for those who want something that won't become outdated. They are known for their beautiful and rich hue, which adds warmth and character to any space.
Wide plank floors are making a comeback.
Wide plank is on the rise again, and Broxson notes that recent trends include red and white oak wide plank floors. She says we'll see more light and almost bleached tones and dark espresso colors coming back, as well.
Oak. The light, airy feel of oak flooring makes rooms feel bigger. This is by far the most popular species of hardwood flooring.
The satin sheen is the most popular finish for hardwood floors. This hardwood floor sheen has about 40% luster and is easy to keep clean. This level of sheen disperses light and doesn't show all of the imperfections or dirt.
The paradigm is finally shifting, however, and the trend towards light wood furniture is coming into its own with many designers opting for woods on the lighter end of the palette.
White Oak and natural pale woods are still going strong (and with good reason, it's the perfect balance between warm and airy) for flooring and cabinetry. But furnishings in richer, burnished browns and even red tones are bringing elegance to spaces.
Raw and Natural
The warm inviting tones of a natural raw wood finish brings the outside in and this look is quickly becoming one of the top trends for 2022. Yes, even that very trendy bare wood look can be achieved with Retique It®.
If you're going for a more neutral look, a lighter color like greige or beige will work best. To make more of a statement, paint your walls with a cool color like pink, light green, or liven up the neutrality of light wood floors.
Overall, the most common light wood floors include red oak, maple, and birch. Likewise, popular light wood stain colors include natural or a clear coat, golden oak, honey maple, and weathered oak.
1) Light and dark flooring
Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring. These attractive, light and neutral colours give a room an open and airy feel, making it appear larger, whilst also drawing in the natural sunlight from outside.