Move over wall-to-wall carpeting; vinyl flooring, custom rugs are new trends in flooring

by Emily Canning-Dean

Wall-to-wall plush carpet was the desirable choice for flooring in Northeast Ohio once upon a time, but now homeowners in the region seem to be gravitating toward different options.

“One of the biggest trends we are seeing is people moving away from carpet and toward vinyl plank and vinyl tile,” said Larry Callahan of Callahan’s Carpet One in Hudson. “Vinyl plank has the look of natural hardwood but is much more durable and low maintenance.”

Callahan said that in the 1990s, it was more common to see hardwood in the foyer and the kitchen, with carpet throughout the rest of the house.

“But now it is very common to see people pulling the carpet and wanting to match the existing hardwood in other places in the house,” he said. “I think it is more of a lifestyle thing. Many moms like the flexibility of it if the toddler spills something on the floor or the puppy has an accident, you can just wipe it up and you’re done.”

While vinyl flooring can make maintenance easier, Callahan does remind that incidents like flooding can still cause damage to the floor underneath.

“That can cause some confusion,” he said. “The vinyl flooring is waterproof in the sense that spilling a drink isn’t going to ruin it, but, for instance, if we get storms like what we had earlier this summer and water gets in the flooring underneath, that can cause damage.”

With wall-to-wall carpet less common, Callahan said he has also witnessed the trend of custom rugs and stair runners.

“Clients have more of an interest in custom rugs that will fit the shape and contour of a room instead of the standard 6-by-9 foot manufactured rugs,” he said. “Decorative and bold patterns with pops of color are also becoming more popular.”

While carpet is becoming less popular, Callahan did add that some clients still prefer carpet, especially in areas like the bedroom.

“It can be softer and more cozy and quiet,” he said. “If you have your television up, the carpet can muffle the sound.”

For homeowners who do still choose carpet, style and color preferences seemed to have changed in recent years, Callahan said.

“For a long time, gray was a very popular carpet color, but the bigger trends lately have been taupe and earth tones,” he said. “People are opting for more warm tones and sometimes like more of a tone on tone with maybe say a dark beige and light beige together. We are also seeing more textured patterns become popular as opposed to the standard issue plush carpet.” ∞