The era of big, dominating trends in floor coverings is over, according to the industrial and product designer Stefan Diez.
He chaired the panel of judges at the recent Domotex floor covering trade fair in Hanover, Germany. The designer says smaller trends are influencing flooring in European interiors. Many are hard to differentiate, but rather they are all influenced by each other.
"Natural floor coverings remain a theme," says trend analyst Gabriela Kaiser. That can often been seen in floor colourings: beige, brown and soft green tones are trends to watch out for. Pastel tones are important for adding a touch of colour to flooring, according to Kaiser.
Natural themes are also to be found in carpet patterns, including landscapes, according to Jochen Koeckler from the Deutsche Messe trade fair company in Hanover, which organized Domotex.
The feel of floor coverings is also following a more natural trend.
Several designers have chosen to make their carpets so that footsteps remain visible for some time in the pile - as if walking through a grassy field or a forest.
"You can see what your feet are walking on and you feel the ground beneath you," says designer Piero Lissoni. Deep-pile carpets have had this effect for a long time, but it can now be achieved with flatter pile by using coarser fibres, explains Kaiser.
Floor coverings have also become more sustainable and kinder to the environment.
Several companies are using recycled timber from factories or kitchens to make new flooring. The recycling process turns what was old wood into a very fine, luxury product.
There's also a movement towards flooring that is easier to lay. Koeckler says designers have been busy refining click-system flooring. One trend is to mix and match different types of wood to make a floor. Diez says this has even gone as far as to achieve a "pre-stressed" look with imitation saw marks.
Once again that matches the trend towards a more natural look, instead of clean-cut industrial-made lines. Koeckler says that carpet "tiles" are also undergoing a renaissance, since squares are easier to lay and glue than body carpet in rolls.
Vinyl floor coverings that look like parquet or tiles are growing in popularity.
"The industry is expecting to see more growth here," says Koeckler. That's due in part to the improved quality of this type of flooring. "Every year they get a little bit better," says Diez.
There are even elastic floor coverings that imitate wood grain perfectly. The big advantage with this type of vinyl covering is that it is relatively easy to put down. Vinyl is also very robust and doesn't need much care, adds Diez.
Nevertheless, this type of designer floor covering does not come cheap and can cost almost as much as the real thing it imitates.
Manufacturers have put great effort into making high-end floor coverings that are cleaner to make for the environment, according to Diez. Most of the expensive varieties don't contain any PVC and carpets are made in part from recycled fibres. Kaiser says that a few even contain old newspapers and pieces of leather.
One type of parquet flooring is even made from old housing material.
Homeowners are also paying more attention to the transport costs of production, preferring locally produced above all else. "You can see that clearly, because many people are asking where the flooring is made," says Koeckler.
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