In nature, spring represents a new beginning and some cultures even wait until spring to celebrate New Year. It means you’re ready
for a fresh start, in body and spirit. The same thing goes for your house: feeling comfortable in your home has a major impact on your mood
and wellbeing.
So it’s about time we all left the winter blues behind and allowed a fresh breeze to blow through our interiors. Say goodbye to the Winter King and embrace spring fever –inside and out!
As soon as the first spring flowers bloom, you start
itching to get to work yourself. Physically and mentally,
we enter a new state of mind, in which cheerfulness
and energy are keywords. Still too cold to enjoy a drink
at an outdoor café? Why not start at the beginning:
with yourself and your home.
FRESH START
The spring is not only a new start for nature; it’s often a new beginning for us too. After the party season and the extra kilos, it can bring, the cold, dark days and the sniffles, you can finally start the year properly. The sports centres and fitness classes are full again, everyone is eagerly reading tips for the ultimate beach body and fridges are full of salads and healthy juices. In short: the winter detox
can begin. And the same goes for your interior!
NATURAL SPRING FEELING WITH WOOD
During the short and chilly winter days, we’re mainly looking for a familiar, warm and cosy environment. It’s the spring that brings out the best in us year after year and a wind of change blowing through our interiors is all part of that. Put woollen blankets into storage and replace them with brightly coloured plaids, give the sofa a fresh look with new cushion covers, fill the house with colourful scented
candles.
A complete make-over can work wonders too. Perhaps the look and feel of your home could do with just a touch more luxury? Work with earthy, darker shades and luxurious fabrics like velour and velvet. People who always like their house to be sunny can go for a brightly coloured interior. Think of the Memphis style, a trend in which daring colours and striking shapes liven up a space in a very unique way. Create an interior that meets all your wishes and suits your personality and you will feel more at home than ever. Small changes always bring a sense of the season into the house, but you can increase the effect in combination with wood. You literally bring the ‘outdoor feeling’ indoors. So it’s no coincidence that we are going to start by looking at the basis of an interior:
the floor.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLOOR
Floors make or break an interior. Your whole furnishing is supported by the floor, literally and figuratively. The overall effect will only work if you get the basics right. So start at the beginning. But what floor will suit your interior? It is a difficult choice, but we are happy to help.
Functional: the real thing or an imitation
Parquet remains the top pick: the scent of wood, the feel of the grain, the guarantee of the very best quality… It’s a gut feeling, a kind of nostalgic love at first sight, that makes many people choose
the real deal.
A solid-wood floor is definitely impressive, but it’s not always the most practical choice. Multi-layer parquet from Quick-Step offers a perfect alternative: 100% wood and extremely stable. The composition of the floorboard (different layers of solid wood with a backing of spruce veneer) prevents the floor from warping due to changes in humidity. The quality is enduring thanks to the superior authenticity and the craftsmanship that lies beneath the boards. But imitation is fantastic too: these floors are now unbelievably realistic. The look and feel of real wood or natural stone is effortlessly combined with the advantages of laminate and vinyl. Anyone who wants a floor that can survive a bit of rough use and is also water-resistant will find what they’re looking for in both categories.
Aesthetic: large or small
Every room in your house is different. There are a lot of factors to take into account. The shape and placing of the boards is an important decision, since the flooring has a major impact on the
feel of the space.
If you want to make a long, narrow space look wider, lay your floorboards across the width of the room rather than lengthways. Place the floorboards along the length of the room to create a feeling of depth.
Short floorboards work wonders for a small room! As you need more to fill the whole area, they create the illusion of a larger room. Colourful floorboards with lots of knots and colour variation, also come into their own in smaller rooms, whereas they can appear very busy in larger spaces.
If your room is quite big, don’t hesitate to choose long, extra-wide floorboards. Weathered designs will look best on these boards as well as creating a sense of luxury in your interior.
READY FOR THE NEW SEASON?
Flooring is an important cornerstone of your interior. Making a choice isn’t easy. That’s why Quick-Step has developed the FloorExplorer Tool: find out which floors and interior styles suit your personality and taste in three simple steps. Start preparing for spring now and take a look at the possibilities online!