18 Feb Commercial Flooring Trends
NEW COMMERCIAL FLOORING TRENDS AND HOW THEY’VE CHANGED OVER TIME
TEXAS COMMERCIAL FLOORING TRENDS
They say everything’s bigger in Texas. Commercial flooring trends are no different… Some of the largest companies in the U.S. are headquartered in Texas, including but not limited to: AT&T, Keller Williams Realty, American Airlines, YETI, Dell, Whole Foods Market, H-E-B, Omni Hotels & Resorts, and more. According to businessintexas.com, Texas’ key industry sectors are advanced tech and manufacturing; aerospace, aviation and defense; biotechnology and life sciences; energy; information and computer tech; petroleum refining and chemical products. All of these industry sectors need flooring.
According to the Center for Sustainable Systems:
- “By 2050, [U.S.] commercial building floor space is expected to reach 126.1 billion square feet, a 36% increase beyond 2018.“
- “Education, mercantile, office, and warehouse/storage buildings comprise 60% of total commercial floor space and 50% of buildings [in the U.S.].”
PAST FLOORING TRENDS IN TEXAS
Texas has grown tremendously over the past decade, especially Austin, TX. Austin, TX leads the nation for fastest-growing cities, and half of the top 10 list includes cities from the Lone Star State according to the U.S. Census Bureau in May of 2019. Flooring Solutions, Inc. (FSI) has also been recognized as one of Austin’s 50 fastest growing businesses. In the past couple of decades (and beyond), we’ve seen trends come and go… And come back again…
- Simple.
- Low-maintenance.
- Wall-to-wall carpet.
- Linoleum.
- Each decade seems to teeter back-and-forth between neutrals and colors. It’s how they are used and put together that makes all the difference in defining a decade’s style.
Thankfully, architects and interior designers now have more to work with in versatility, technology, eco-friendly, and durability with flooring today.
TOP 5 NEW FLOORING TRENDS IN TEXAS
Now leaders in the tech industry, surpassing even Silicone Valley, office buildings have been popping up everywhere to accommodate the new tech capital. That doesn’t mean they’re ditching their values to accommodate the boom. Designers and general contractors alike are being asked to use eco-friendly materials, meet LEED requirements, and create Green projects. Thanks to the creative architects and interior designers we work with, we’ve seen a few trends making their way to the forefront for 2020…
- Environmentally conscious flooring products.
- Graphic tiles and hexagonal shapes.
- Waterproof, stain-resistant, and durable carpeting. This includes carpet tiles!
- A combination of materials. Transitions from tile to wood to resilient flooring creates a beautiful textural element to large open areas helping divide up the space: reception, waiting areas, halls, and more. The mix of materials not only offers a creative element, but also helps with the flow of a space. We’ve even seen specialty astroturf flooring used in creative office spaces and locker rooms.
- Feature walls! Capturing the attention in entry ways and waiting areas, these feature walls (usually tile or stone) help elevate a space for memorable first impressions. We’ve even worked on an entry water feature.
NATIONAL FLOORING TRENDS
PAST FLOORING TRENDS
In the past decade trends moved away from beige and into the world of gray. Here are a few of the trends we’ve seen over the last decade:
- The color gray
- Dark cabinets
- Luxury vinyl tile and carpet tile
- Green materials
- “Rubber still rules as resilient flooring in hospitals.”
- Tile moved up in the world, literally. Moving to the walls as well as the floors.
- Techniques and resilient flooring materials improved, reducing maintenance needs and finishes.
Sources: Building Design & Construction Network and Realtor.com.
TOP 10 NEW FLOORING TRENDS
Leaders in the commercial flooring design industry have picked up on the evolving materials and advanced technology available. A single product can now fulfill multiple requirements without having to forsake LEED certification or even budget.
According to Realtor.com, DiClerico, and other home design and improvement experts, here are some of the top trends of 202!
- Wood-look porcelain tile
- Marble-look porcelain tiles
- Waterproof vinyl plank flooring
- Stained concrete
- Terrazzo
- Large-format tiles
- Black-and-white patterned tile
- Slip-resistant flooring
- Engineered wood
- Responsibly sourced and natural materials
TOP INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS OF 2020
Floors are said to tie a space together. Filling a space so everything complements one another helps tell a story and create the “feeling” of a space. Emotion is a large part of design and the interior designers we work with know how to master this storytelling concept. Here are some of the trends capturing our emotions and soothing our anxieties for 2020:
- The 2020 color of the year: Blue.
- PPG went with a calming shade of blue as a rich jewel color: Chinese Porcelain.
- Sherwin-Williams also went with a relaxing blue: Navy Blue. And, the industry leader in color,
- Pantone went with Classic Blue brining “a sense of calm to our fast-paced, technology-filled world.”
- Other trending colors: although on the decline, gray is still in, and so are…
- Neutrals like sage and blush or pale pink according to Valspar, which was acquired by Sherwin-Williams in 2017.
- Behr announced their own 202 color palette as warm, earthy colors.
- Romance by HGTV Home (by Sherwin-Williams) went with a blush pink for 2020.
- Eco-friendly everything!
- Dark and cool toned hardwoods.
- Light and natural floor stains.
- Whitewashed and lightly whitewashed floors.
Sources: The Flooring Girl, and Better Homes & Gardens,
TOP 7 ECO-FRIENDLY COMMERCIAL FLOORING TRENDS
FSI’s eco-friendly commercial flooring products include flooring suppliers and vendors from all over the world using recycled materials, recycling programs, LEED Certified products, environmentally-sensitive floors, and/or environmentally conscious manufacturing techniques.
Don’t limit yourself just because you’re working on a Green Project for your client. Here are some of the eco-friendly trends in the commercial flooring industry:
- Cork
- Bamboo
- Linoleum
- Glass Tiles
- Concrete
- Wool Carpet
- Rubber
Learn more about our Green Flooring Products.
Check out our selection of Green Commercial Flooring Products listed below, Green Commercial Flooring Projects, or our Commercial LEED Services.
- Carpet & Custom Rug flooring vendors
- Mohawk Group (trendy and sustainable products), Atlas Carpet Mills, J+J Flooring Group, and more.
- Resilient Flooring vendors
- Roppe, Congoleum Vinyl, and more.
- Wood Flooring vendors
- Ceramic Tile & Stone Flooring vendors
- Marazzi USA, Pantheon Tile, Porcelanosa Group International, and more.
- Stone & Quartz vendors
- Specialty Flooring vendors
- Bolon flooring products, Construction Specialties, Sports Flooring, Shannon Specialty Floors (or Teknoflor), and more.
LATEST STYLES FOR CORPORATE OFFICES & GOVERNMENT SPACES
Whether they are wide open spaces or cubicle filled, interior design plays a large part in new corporate office builds.
What flooring products to use is determined by your project goals: durability, creativeness, resilience, eco-friendly, or even budget. Corporate offices have to endure high traffic areas and desire low maintenance. In Austin, TX, we’ve seen our fair share of office spaces, but our unique tech industry and booming creative agencies as well as commercial building giants are demanding it all: especially creativity!
We are amazed at our Austin interior designers and what they bring to the table. Bringing your vision to life is what fuels our passion for flooring. Even our universities in Texas are filled with creativity and technology, thanks to you. Check out some of the award-winning projects we’ve been involved in: Featured Commercial Flooring Projects.
TOP 8 OF THE LATEST TRENDS IN CORPORATE & GOVERNMENT SPACES:
- It’s Austin, of course eco-friendly was going to make the list! Don’t forget hypo-allergenic too.
- Brining in the comforts of home: softer more residential-like designs.
- Modular flooring (like Patcraft) that offers high-performance commercial flooring, organic textures, and eco-friendly fibers. The corporate flooring industry has seen an increase in carpet used for individual offices. Carpet creates a more warm and inviting space while also dampening sound for a private and quiet office to work.
- Rubber & resilient flooring for strength, performance, durability, and low maintenance,
- Occupied space installations.
- Creative wall tiles. For example, Crossville with their new Cursive Wall Tile Collection launch offering creative and sustainable design solutions.
- Luxury vinyl tiles, planks, and the latest in safety flooring. Gerflor offers a versatile range of resilient flooring designed for high-impact sports flooring and industries like hospitality, industrial or cleanroom, healthcare, corporate, education, transportation, and retail. “Hygiene, durability and easy maintenance are top of mind for critical care areas, balanced with the soothing designs, sound management and comfort underfoot…”
- Decrease in natural stone due to higher maintenance needs.
Sources: Floor Trends Magazine, and DPM Floor & Upholstery Care.
UPCOMING FLOORING TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Working with interior designers from all over Texas allows Flooring Solutions, Inc. to keep informed of upcoming trends. We love working with passionate architects and designers.
- Pattern is the new black – including carpet, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and ceramic and porcelain tile.
- Color is back! “Bold and colorful carpets, luxury vinyl plank, and tiles are all the rage.”
- Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is growing in popularity, and quickly. The unique and authentic product offers versatility. With LVT you can have tile looks with prints and unique patterns.
- Ceramic and porcelain tile popularity is still growing.
- Bold is beautiful. Taking creative liberties, even in public bathrooms, is on the rise. You will see eclectic multicolored spaces with bold greens and blues with accents of pastels or neutrals.
Sources: Floor Trends Magazine
Flooring Solutions, Inc. & Commercial Flooring Trends
Flooring Solutions, Inc. (FSI) would love to share their commercial flooring knowledge with you. As leader in the commercial flooring industry and one of the fastest growing small businesses in Austin, TX, FSI strives to exceed expectations. We’re here to help you choose the right product to meet your client’s or project’s goals. Whether it be budget or meeting LEED standards, we can assist you in finding the right manufacturer, product, materials, and flooring installation procedure. If the office space is currently occupied, not to worry, we have procedures that work around occupied spaces.
Are you an architect or interior design? Contact us.
We’d love the opportunity for you to share your knowledge with us as well.
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