Whether you’re redecorating, changing old carpet for hardwood flooring, or longing for fresh paint and some new accents in the living room, design trends this year are all about texture, style and surprises.  Sara Babinski, a designer for Armstrong Flooring, offered her view of the top design trends of 2018.

Inspired by nature.

Earth tones are big, in everything from accent pieces, to linens and walls, to flooring. Think natural-colored solid hardwood and rattan dining chairs. Also, breezy, uncomplicated seaside styles that incorporate natural aquatic blue and green.

“We are seeing an ode to the elements in interior design – walls and flooring that look distressed or weathered, and an ongoing demand for the look of reclaimed wood,” said Babinski.

A trend hot in the ’90s is making a resurgence: faux stone, and designers taking artistic license with depicting natural stone in decor, flooring, and walls.

Diamonds are a floor’s best friend.

What may appear to be a hardwood floor is actually luxury vinyl or LVT. Thanks to advancements in printing technology, these are no longer your grandma’s floors. A perfect example is Armstrong Flooring’s vinyl or engineered tile floor with Diamond 10 Technology, a proprietary flooring innovation that infuses cultured diamonds into the floor, providing the ultimate in scratch, stain, and scuff resistance.

If you want hardwood with the same protection, consider Paragon Solid Hardwood, which incorporates the same technology. Paragon floors are made from 100 percent solid Appalachian hardwood.

Stimulation of the senses.

Hardwood flooring in 2018 will celebrate wood’s natural beauty, showing and highlighting knots and natural imperfections, including varying plank sizes, colors, and widths. Artisan styles will also be popular this year, with hand-brushed and -scraped patterns.

The “raw meets polished” trend is all about high shine versus ultra low gloss. This may include reclaimed wood furniture, updated with modern, shiny metal hardware or the aesthetic of using both low gloss and medium gloss on your floor.

Also on tap is mixing metals, especially in the kitchen. “Warm-toned fixtures can now live harmoniously with stainless appliances and with the latest appliance trend – a beautiful black finish. Copper, rose gold and oxidized metals are especially popular,” Babinski said.

Cultural influences and animal prints.

Globally, Babinski sees trends of warm minimalism (warmer shades of gray, blue and brown evoking Hygge), and on the flip side, bold maximalism, a mix of bold colors and patterns balanced with gray walls and blonde hardwood and wood-look floors.

Cultural influences in accent pieces continue to trend. A hand-woven basket or a lamp with a Moroccan design adds global style to your rooms.

Although exotic hardwood is going out of style in favor of American domestic species, Babinski is still seeing fun pairings with animal prints in furniture and accessories, such as area rugs, which pair perfectly with natural-material floors.

Victorian and antique.

The reemergence of Victorian and antique decor translates easily to flooring trends like Millwork Square Solid Hardwood parquet and strip hardwood in Prime Harvest.

Also in 2018, patterns are meant to be broken, especially in floors. Herringbone-patterned flooring is trending, and floors will incorporate different colors, textures, glosses, plank widths and lengths.

“Flooring can even go on the walls, as seen by the continuation of the wood-on-walls trend,” added Babinski. “Overwhelmingly, though, hardwood floors will continue to be low-gloss and ultra-matte.”