So, here you are, tired of the old original floor in your home and wishing to change it into something more elegant and contemporary... Well, I had a similar but confused feeling just a few months ago while walking past the entrance of a mid 1800s residential block in Rome. I spotted this glorious floor that in the wrong context would simply look old and tired but here it is, elegantly defying time and trends. How exciting.
Exciting yes, because to see heritage beauties like this one survive is a testimony of the enduring quality of good Design. Contrary to what we are led to believe, not all products and trends are destined to fade as a thing of the past. In fact this particular flooring design has been used for thousands of years. Yes, thousands... surprised? Well, the picture below I have taken in the ancient city of Pompeii, frozen in time by a disastrous volcanic eruption in the year 79 AD, that's almost 2,000 years ago. Isn't it beautiful?
Here is one more image of this same motif I have photographed inside a Renaissance building in the beautiful city of Bologna. This is a 500 year old floor where the hedging is a contrasting motif to optically separate one area from the next in a very large room.
Now, let's suppose you have a heritage flooring you may think old and tired. Do some research before getting rid of it. See how you can bring it into our contemporary times and make it a feature of your home's styling and decor. Avoiding re-flooring will save you thousands of dollars while protecting a valuable piece of history. There are indeed many investors out there who cherish heritage finishes, searching and buying properties with as many original features as possible... give your old floor another chance.
And for those of you that are now intrigued by the 3D Cube motif I can confirm that because good design lasts forever, it can still be found on the contemporary market. Here is indeed a sample of many I photographed at the 2016 Bologna International Tiles Fair.
product by APEGrupo
Have I convinced you to review your opinion on old floors?
James Treble is an ambassador for Planet Ark and firmly believes in sensible purchasing, recycling and creative re-purposing. James has three decades of accumulated experience in the Building Industry, Real Estate and Interior Design and regularly shares his knowledge and experience in adding value to properties through effective design & styling. Watch his free videos on YouTube, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram for more free information.