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Thoughts on Painted Floors

August 16, 2018

When I was a young mother, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning was to lose myself in a great shelter magazine (think… House Beautiful, Elle Décor and House and Garden). This was long before  we had Houzz and Pinterest to savor inspiration.

 

Living room with black painted wood floors

Source: Pinterest

 

I remember vividly falling in love with decoration and design through decorators like Sister Parrish, Albert Hadley and Mark Hampton. They were impactful in solidifying my own design philosophy and they still influence my decorating style today. Elements of their rooms would include beautiful textiles, well placed antiques (some fine and some not) Chinoiserie and porcelain vases and often times a painted floor peeking out underneath vintage rugs or sometimes no rugs at all. I loved those painted floors and even today will paint a floor given the opportunity.

 

 

Living room with white painted floor and blue plaid ottoman

 

The House in which I lived the longest, I painted all the upstairs floors white. I can’t remember a time when there weren’t numerous animals running through our house. Cats, dogs, ferrets, and once even our maimed rooster spent some time upstairs in our bedroom. These floors, always pet and kid friendly,  looked great with a quick sweep and a mop.

Blue and white painted stairs

Source Instagram

 

Bedroom with painted floors

Source: Instagram

 

There are, of course, millions of color possibilities and patterns as well as stencils to achieve most any look but sometimes just the simple act of putting a fresh coat of paint on a floor is enough to liven it up and carry the room.

 

Two baby chicks on white painted stairs

Source: Instagram

 

 
Think of a painted floor as a creative response to traditional flooring and also to rugs: updated, colorful and timeless, all at once.
  
Do you see painted floors in your house?

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Filed Under: What's Underfoot Tagged With: painted floors, painted stairs, rug alternatives, wood floors

About Pam Chatham

Pamela Chatham, an Interior Designer in Durham, North Carolina. She has been helping clients transform their outdated homes for more than 10 years. Her work includes bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, living room decorating and more.

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