Did you know that you can change the whole look of your home beautifully by installing different floor types for the different rooms?

It’s very possible to achieve unique scenery such as tiles in the bedrooms, stones in the hallway, terrazzo in the bathrooms and wood in the living room among others.

This can help you to personalize your home.

Elsewhere, if your eyes are bored with that floor which has lasted for years but you don’t wish to change it all, feel free to add an alluring patchwork of different materials in separate rooms.  

Meanwhile, to some people, having different floor types colliding with one another not only looks mismatched but also cluttered.

But it’s ok to differ the floors since all rooms serve different purposes in the home.

However, according to Christine Tendo, an interior designer with Divine landscapes located in Bweyogerere on the outskirts of Kampala, a homeowner can achieve an appealing work of art if they ensure a safe transition of floors from one room to another.

“Explore your design imaginations while choosing flooring as long as the décor flows around personal taste, home-style and the rule of three,” she opines.

The rule of three means that you should not exceed 3 types of floors at any one point in your home.

However, you can use the different shades, patterns or textures of a particular type.

For example; you can choose to use different shades of wood, tiles, stone and more for different rooms.

On the other hand, Mariah Kiwagama, another interior designer with Amari Interior in Naguru advises being cautious while working on open plan spaces to avoid ruining home beauty.

“Integrating different floors in such places can be a complex puzzle that needs to be handled with care lest the aesthetic value of the house is compromised,” she explains.

For uninterrupted continuity in large spaces, stick to flooring of the same type or at most, not more than two types.

Living room/ dining room

Kiwagama says that almost all floor types work for the living room but the most outstanding are wood, stonework, tiles and carpets.

Ensure the colour of this floor blends well with that of the entryway, which ushers guests to the home interior.

One should flow into the other and if the living room is vast, bring in a colourful area rug or carpet to break the monotony.

“In case the lounge and dining are open to each other, choose the same flooring like wood, tile or carpet to create a unified look,” Kiwagama suggests.

For warmth and elegancy, choose similar shades that are not too busy.

Away from that, Kiwagama is of the view that if you wish to create two rooms that are visually distinct, go the softer way. You can put a wall to wall carpet in the living room and use area rugs in the dinning for continuity instead of breaking down the floors.

Simply ensure the rugs and carpet are married in colour.

Meanwhile, due to chair movements, food and drink spills that characterize the dining room, hard flooring such as stone and tiles come in handy.

Entryways

Interior designers suggest using stonework or tiles for the entryways especially if the living room has a wooden floor. Apart from standing the moisture and mud from outdoors, these floor materials can easily pick up the tones from the wood hence looking good when installed together.

They advise that if you settle for tiles, choose those with large designs to unclutter the space. For colours, browns and creams should be considered because they coordinate with the wooden floor.

In the same way, if you choose wood for the hallway, tone it with stone or tiles in the other rooms.

Kitchen

Just as it is the case with dining rooms, Kiwagama asserts that a hard floor works best in a kitchen as well.

Feel free to choose between slate, terrazzo, tiles or concrete among others but ensure you keep within the colour scheme of the kitchen and the spaces it flows into like the pantry, dining room, corridor among others.

She advises to ensure the room floor is uninterrupted but not chopped up. Use colours that can easily pull off a good visual appeal and if necessary, bring in an area rug that blends well with the flooring.

In case you choose to use wood, make sure it is hardwood that won’t get damaged quickly by the spills and high traffic in the kitchen. Besides, endeavour to maintain it well.

Bedrooms

Oftentimes, some homeowners prefer to have wall to wall carpets in their master suites to enjoy warmth and elegance. Much as others prefer tiles or wooden flooring. The choices for bedroom flooring are unlimited.

The type of floor you choose for your bedroom doesn’t matter as long as the colour doesn’t crush with the floor adjoining spaces like the corridor.

Additionally, the master suite flooring should also connect with that of the en suite bathroom and toilet.

For example, if it is a wall to wall carpet room, tiles, terrazzo or slatestone in well in the bathroom. 

In the children’s bedrooms, creativity is key. If the rooms have hard flooring, add an area rug on which kids can comfortably spend their time.

Be sure to;

*Obey the rule of three; Only use up to 3 types of floors in your home

*Know your budget and the floor that fits in

*Avoid confusion. Don’t use more than 2 materials of floors in one room.

*Give each room an appropriate floor like cement for laundry room, carpet for lounge

*Be cautious about the durability of the flooring material

*Concentrate on continuity. The designs must flow into different rooms

*In large spaces, stick to the same type of flooring.

*Consider your sense of style before selecting flooring material.

*Be careful with the hues. Respect the colour palette

*Choose a floor that can be able to stand on its own and enhance the other design elements.

*For easy cleaning choose hard floors and for comfort go for carpets.

*Consider lighting. If you opt for dark tiles, install good bright lighting so that the floor doesn't appear dark and dull.

*Cleaning and maintenance of the type of floor matters. Carpets are hard to maintain especially with kids so these can be used but in limited spaces.