Guhde Flooring America has the freshest new styles on the floor
By Patricia Nugent
Each year the design cognoscenti at Guhde Flooring America travel to national trade shows to scour emerging trends and be among the first to witness the latest product introductions.
This year—after returning from The International Surfaces Event in Las Vegas—they brought back all the new styles they thought would be a good fit with the Cleveland market.
Here’s a little debut of the inspo-worthy looks they loved the most.
Floating Luxury Vinyl Plank
“Over the past several years, this has been our fastest growing flooring,” says Office Manager Monica Guhde-Rosa. “It’s virtually indestructible, waterproof and stunningly beautiful.”
Now that so many homeowners are going this route, the manufacturers have created “floating” styles, meaning they can be laid over existing floors without any floor prep, saving people time, hassle and money.
“Laying planks in a Herringbone pattern is also a hot trend now, and you can easily do that with these four-inch by 24-inch planks,” says Sales Manager Shawn Rosa.
One of the manufacturers, Karndean, is known for its boundless pursuit of authenticity, going so far as salvaging wood floors from a French Chateau so they could recreate them in vinyl plank.
“They even replicated a rare species of acacia wood from Hawaii, called Kilauea Koa, that’s protected and cannot be harvested, by taking an image of a fallen tree,” she says. “It’s magnificent.”
Carpeting Swings Transitional
Patterns have become more mainstream, and Monica explains that even within patterns there are added layers of dimension and depth.
“And like hard surface flooring, waterproof elements are appearing,” she continues.
“For instance, the new Rival by Resista polyester carpeting features a waterproof backing that takes the price point down from traditional nylon.”
The Evolution of Tile
“Whether used in an accent capacity or for entire floors, walls or backsplashes, the trend today is bold, graphic designs,” says Shawn. “As an example, I recently used one type of tile to define a bar in a basement. It had an almost area rug effect. I also used a complementary tile to go from the floor up the middle of a shower wall.”
Shapes and textures are the big story, too (think retro), especially within glass-tiled backsplashes, which feature a shape within a shape. They can define the space underneath stove hoods as well, which are becoming their own focal point in kitchen renovations.
“I don’t agree with folks who say glass tiles will eventually go out of style,” adds Shawn. “They are really just evolving, with different textures, finishes and even 3-D designs within them.”
Monica says they are seeing several different finishes within a backsplash, with the same shape and color, for added dimension and a rich look. The hottest hues take a cue from beach glass, with barely-there blues, greens and grays.
“Or the element is the same, such as pearlescent, but in differing shades and laid in an eye-catching pattern, such as Chevron,” she says. “People are definitely not taking it safe or boring anymore with backsplashes. They are really having fun.”
The designers enjoy working with people to incorporate these trends with your vision of a dream space. Come see for yourself all the new displays at the showroom and the Kitchen & Bath Design Center, which features life-sized room vignettes that make for a phenomenal shopping experience.
The family-owned store has expanded its offerings since it opened in 1957 to include everything you’d need for an inspired home makeover, from flooring to cabinets, counters, backsplashes, even paint and cabinet hardware.
Guhde Flooring America is located at 1880 Mentor Avenue in Painesville Township. Hours are Monday, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Call440-639-1990 or visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com.