Top 10 Hardwood Flooring Trends 2022

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GERMAN

Trends are constantly changing. Therefore, it isn't surprising that our top 10 hardwood flooring trends have changed again this year.

Although some positions show similar popularity to last year, isolated trends have been pushed out of the top 10. Thus, new (and also some older, more well-known) developments have made it into the rankings.

THE TOP 10 HARDWOOD FLOORING TRENDS 2022:

10. Smoked Oak

9. Unique Plank Formats

8. The Classic Single Plank

7. A Single Uniform Floor Covering Throughout the Property

6. Hand Planing and Explicit Finishing by Hand

5. Herringbone and Chevron Laying Patterns

4. Natural but Rather Dark Wood

3. Customized Hardwood Flooring

2. Calm, Knotless Wood Surface

1. The Top Trend of 2022: ???

Compared to the last few years, the ranking has changed significantly. Suddenly, trends that used to be at the top are lower on the list and vice versa.

However, this does not have to be an obstacle for you. In our ranking, positions in lower places are not necessarily less attractive. Often, they are placed this way because they have been popular for a long time.

In our analysis, we give more weight to new, emerging trends than to those that have been strong for years but might be beginning to weaken.

In last year's article, we reported our research process and how we came up with our list of trends in detail. If you are interested, you can find out more here.

But first things first. We are happy to present you with the top 10 hardwood flooring trends for 2022:

10. Smoked Oak Parquet

Smoked oak parquet has long been popular due to various reasons. The smoking process emphasizes the grain of the wood, giving a hardwood exposed to smoke an incomparable look.

Oak parquet, in particular, is often smoked these days. Oakwood contains a lot of tannic acids. These acids - also called tannins - react with smoke and make the wood very contrasting.

The wood's growth rings become more emphasized, and the classic characteristics of the oak are enhanced.

We constantly register many inquiries and sales of smoked oak parquet. But the trend is declining. But why this is so, we cannot answer conclusively.

Presumably, this has to do with the (rather unfounded) ecological concerns or the increased occurrence of valid alternatives. But these are only guesses.

In any case, you will not make a mistake if you choose a smoked oak floor in 2022. That's for sure. On the contrary: you would even be choosing flooring that is still very popular.

Position 2021: 9th place | 2020: Not placed

9. Unique Plank Formats

Classic formats are increasingly a thing of the past (but not quite yet). Plank formats that are outside the norm are now modern.

On the one hand, rather narrow but relatively long planks (e.g., 140x2400mm) and on the other hand very wide, imposing chateau planks (e.g., 300x3500mm) are in demand.

Apparently, people stop choosing the same standard formats repeatedly. Parquet enthusiasts are increasingly interested in more extravagant styles - creative floor coverings (especially hardwood floors) have become an interior design trend.

We are also seeing increasing interest in formats that are not boringly rectangular. Rhomboids, pentagons, hexagons, or even Versailles panels are increasingly inspiring our visitors.

More specific laying patterns and bonds arouse more interest - what a surprise!

Position 2021: Not placed | 2020: 8th place

8. The Classic Single Plank

Although more unique formats gradually flood the hardwood flooring market, the classic plank is still the king of parquet formats.

The familiar, slightly rustic look of a country house single plank floor is always a good choice - and will probably remain so for a long time to come.

The trend may have flattened out slightly in 2021 and given way a little compared to more special formats, but this weakening is unlikely to cause a long-term paradigm shift. At least not in the near future and certainly not in 2022.

People who see their hardwood floor as an investment that should increase their property's value will fair well with a classic plank floor for a long time to come. All you have to do is pick the right quality when choosing a product.

Position 2021: 5th place | 2020: 6th place

7. A Single Uniform Floor Covering Throughout the Property

Whether kitchen, bathroom, office, or bedroom, a single uniform floor covering is laid everywhere in the property - in our case, this is usually a hardwood floor.

This trend has been gaining ground for several years and seems unlikely to be stopped. We can say with a clear conscience that most of our customers choose a uniformly laid parquet floor.

Sometimes specific parquet prospects have a wooden floor laid in the kitchen but do not (yet) dare to do the same in the bathroom.

We can assure you: Parquet in bathrooms and kitchen is harmless (with regular use) - especially with the latest innovations in surface treatments.

Thresholdless laying of flooring between the rooms is very popular. There should no longer be any transitions between rooms under the doors, and the flooring pattern must increasingly go over seamlessly from one room to another.

Position 2021: 6th place | 2020: 10th place

6. Hand Planing and Explicit Finishing by Hand

This trend is brand new and unexpected, but it dropped like a bomb; Hand-worked surfaces are shaking up the world of parquet.

Hand beveled planks and planed knots of otherwise sanded or brushed floorboards are a hit. Hardly anyone who visits our showroom finds hand-finished parquet unattractive.

The feeling you experience when you walk barefoot over hand-planed parquet is both indescribable and incomparable. You have to feel it to understand it - you can't explain this sensation.

People absolutely love it. However, there are two arguments against hand beveling:

• The floor becomes slightly uneven. In extreme cases, table legs and other furniture might need to be adjusted.

• Due to the explicit manual processing of all planks individually, such a floor is (understandably) more expensive than one that has not undergone such selection and post-processing.

Nevertheless, more and more of our customers choose a hand-finished parquet. Arguably, the process gives the floor that certain something.

Position 2021: Not placed | 2020: Not placed

5. Herringbone and Chevron Laying Patterns

What turned out to be last year's top trend was now thrown out of the top three ranks. But even though interest in laying patterns such as chevron or herringbone is strong, the actual sales figures tell a slightly different story.

This probably has to do with the fact that angular installation patterns are more complex – and therefore more expensive – to lay (among other things). Although many of our customers visually prefer angular designs to the classic single plank floor, they still opt for the latter.

Most likely, however, it is the case that we are still too early in the phase of change. The trend of angular parquet patterns might still be too new to effectively stimulate customers' buying behavior.

We predict that herringbone and chevron flooring will remain trendy not just this year but for years to come. In any case, properties with an angular flooring pattern will continue to delight people for a very long time.

In the distant future, we can even see a trend emerging that has so far only been popular in selected design-conscious circles in the USA: artistically designed parquet patterns made of end grain. But more on that in a future article.

However, what is clear is that modern interior design is keen on more unique parquets and special laying patterns.

Position 2021: 1st place | 2020: 7th place

4. Natural but Rather Dark Wood

People like wood. To be more precise: people like the look and feel of genuine, authentic wood. After all, the whole reason for choosing a natural product is the experience of nature, right?

More and more customers are asking for natural-looking hardwood. Some think the days of the white-oiled parquet floor are numbered. Well no, we don't want to go that far just yet.

Even though we see a clear decline in the demand for white oiled wooden floors, it is still too early to say that the trend of the last ten years is over. That won't be so for a long time.

We are now observing a shift in demand towards rather dark but still natural-looking wooden floorboards. Smoked parquets (as described under position #10), naturally oiled, are a great example of such flooring. The preserved, natural look (though slightly darkened) is very much in vogue.

In most cases, these darkened wood planks should have a brushed surface and a slightly matt finish so that they resemble natural wood as much as possible.

Increasingly, customers even go so far as to opt for a gray-oiled parquet. Such wood floors appear aged and exposed to UV rays, which on the one hand, also indicates naturalness and, on the other hand, goes well with a greater variety of furnishings.

Position 2021: 10th place | 2020: Not placed

3. Customized Hardwood Flooring

The customization trend continues. And it doesn't seem to be weakening - on the contrary! Global and industry-unspecific, "customization" or "personalization" is the non-plus-ultra of recent years.

We, too, are seeing a constant demand for personalized parquet; Over 95% of our orders fall into this category nowadays. Obviously, we're delighted about this.

The ability to personalize a significant investment seems to resonate with customers. This fact has never surprised us up until now and probably won't in the future either. Those interested in hardwood floors apparently want to be able to determine exactly on what they spend their money. Why shouldn't they?

We are pleased that other flooring and parquet companies have not yet followed this trend. The ship has sailed – and at the moment, only Ryser Böden is on board the vessel.

If you want to know more about Customizable Parquet, we invite you to read our dedicated article (in german). You will definitely (like over 95% of our existing customers) be enthusiastic about the concept.

Position 2021: 2nd place | 2020: 1st place

2. Calm, Knotless Wood Surface

A trend came in second place that was probably not so clearly foreseeable. The opposite was once trendy, but now knot-free parquet is in the limelight.

Exactly - the excessively rustic look, with its innumerable knots and cracks, seems to be losing its appeal. While the demand for rustic grades is far from gone, we're seeing (and Google searches show) a shift in the opposite direction.

We see a significant increase in demand for hardwood flooring less rich in contrast. This means:

• Fewer knots and knotholes

• Less filler material

• Wood-colored fillers

• Planed rather than brushed parquet

Please don't get us wrong; we don't want to say that rustic looks are now "out". We wish to say that there is an increasing preference for calm wood surfaces.

This probably has something to do with the fact that the classic plank (see position #8) is beginning to slowly lose appeal. But laying patterns that appear somewhat restless on their own are becoming increasingly popular.

Imagine a herringbone floor made of light, very knotty, rustic oak. That's just too many lines and spots for a floor.

A herringbone parquet can only develop its effect if the design of the floor pattern is in the foreground. Thus, the look of the individual planks should be kept calm.

Position 2021: Not placed | 2020: 9th place

1. The Top Trend of 2022: Environmental Awareness

It's surprising even to us how much people care about ecology these days. What began as a marketing gimmick about ten years ago in the USA is now a habitus.

If a company is not environmentally conscious, it has almost no right to exist anymore (scary, right?). In Switzerland, it is also developing in the same way. Buckle up! We're in for a bumpy ride.

Pandemics, supply chain crises, and "global warming" have made this trend omnipresent. It's inevitable, and that's a good thing. That's why we've been focusing on ecology for years.

What customers value:

• Sustainability (giving back to the world what you took)

• Recycling / upcycling (using reclaimed wood for wood flooring)

• Local products (short transport routes and local / European production)

• Commitment to the environment (additional costs of operation in favor of the environment)

• Certifications for sustainability (e.g., FSC, etc.)

If you as a company work with natural products, you have to keep one (if not two) eyes on sustainability these days. This is increasingly demanded by paying customers.

Hardwood flooring should increasingly consist of regional, certified wood that has been climate-compensated. Ideally, reclaimed wood was (re-)used for the parquet production.

The company itself should increasingly develop in the direction of e-mobility, renewable energies (e.g., solar power), and other ecological practices.

For a few years now, we have not sold any parquets that come from outside Europe (with very few justified exceptions, of course). This trend will undoubtedly continue in 2022.

Environmental efforts such as our "1 tree per square meter" campaign are greatly appreciated. But what is all the more gratifying is the fact that around 20,000 trees have already been planted on behalf of our customers since we launched the campaign.

After only 8-12 years of growth, a planted tree compensates for the volume of wood used for one square meter of parquet. If only every flooring company did this...

Position 2021: 3rd place | 2020: Not placed

Maximize Return on Investment in 2022

The top 10 hardwood flooring trends are now clear. But what can we do with this information?

The sooner you get ahead of the trend, the longer you'll be part of it.

This is particularly true in the world of (interior) architecture and design.

Use our trend analysis to adjust your parquet selection to developing trends. This helps you generate higher income, especially with investment properties, because you are finally outfitting your property with the trendiest materials.

Doing so will give you the highest possible return on investment (ROI) in 2022 that you could possibly forecast.

And guess what? You can maximize the ROI by combining trends!

COMBINE TRENDS

You get this year's "ultimate hardwood floor" by mixing several (as many as possible) parquet trends together.

This year, you are best off choosing a European-made oakwood floor that is smoked, hand-planed, and naturally oiled. You should have it laid in a rather unusual format and pattern (not as classic plank floorboards) and uniformly and seamlessly throughout the property.

When choosing your flooring/parquet company, always pay attention to their ecological efforts. If you choose the right floor and the right company to carry out the job, it will usually turn out the most beautiful.

And you want it to be beautiful, don't you?

We strongly recommend choosing the trends from our list that appeal to you the most. We then advise you to contact your trusted company with your ideas.

If you don't have a favorite flooring specialist yet, you can find our favorite here.

Thank you for reading. We hope to have helped you with this year's top 10 hardwood flooring trends. If you have any questions, we invite you to email us. We are happy to help.