Concrete living 2017

This year interior trends are focusing on materials in addition to purely colour or texture. Material forecasts typically consider factors such as potential industry growth, economic impact, and newsworthiness to predict the best innovations for the New Year.

The 2017 forecast of significant material trends, offers a fresh take on the industrial styles of seasons past, and hero amongst other, concrete, which undertook a successful path to commercialisation and adoption and now promise to influence the fields of design and construction this year and beyond. Modern advances in concrete mixing and setting have allowed designers to achieve an endless variety of colour and texture effects using this versatile material.

LET’S LOOK AT CONCRETE FLOORING…

In most cases a concrete sub-floor already exists either beneath another flooring material or as part of a new building. As with all flooring materials it is important to understand the good and the bad, before choosing to strip out other floors and go with bare or treated concrete or just not installing anything that could have been placed over it. As long as the concrete is smooth and free from holes, bumps, and defects, you have the choice of installing any floor surface covering that you want over it at a later date in time which offers a lot of design freedom going forward.

However, there are certain drawbacks to natural concrete flooring. The surface of a concrete floor is very hard and it is therefore not recommended for areas which will be frequented by children or elderly people. Concrete floors are prone to cracking if not properly sealed. Also, keep in mind that concrete floors do not retain heat very well thus the surface of the floor is going to feel chilled against bare toes. If you’re keen on the look of a modern concrete floor but require the warmth and slip resistance of a Linoleum floor underfoot, we recommend you consider Marmoleum Concrete from Forbo, a “to order” product from FloorworX.

The solid marble design of Marmoleum Concrete differentiates itself from the classic Marmoleum flooring with its subtle concrete structure. The color palette is neutral with both warm and cool tones, yet with an extension of 6 bright colors for creating a powerful accent in your floor design.

E-mail info@floorworx.co.za for more information regarding Marmoleum Concrete or visit the FloorworX Marmoleum Webpage here. (Link: https://floorworx.co.za/product/marmoleum/)

NOW LET’S LOOK AT CONCRETE ACCESSORIES…

Not only has retail establishments seen a huge influx of concrete accessories, but also complementing accoutrements such as botanical house plants are in full stock. Green is the perfect partner to the modern ambience of concrete’s grey connotations and the vibrancy of botanicals are always a great addition to the home; so bring them in with abundance!