When we (truthfully: my hubby and father-in-law, I technically installed three floorboards. I can show you which ones, if you like) installed hardwood on the upstairs level, dark hardwood floors were more in style but we picked light maple floors. First and foremost, we picked maple to match the existing maple on the mainfloor. But equally important to us: because its a townhouse, our house doesn't have that many windows and the light floors and walls we have bounce more light around, making the space feel larger and brighter. We don't "do" area rugs except in the front hall because I hate them. I have allergies and apparently don't lift my feet when I walk (I'm a shuffler), so between the sneezing and the tripping, rugs and I aren't friends.
Well, guess what? We're in style now! Canadian House & Home listed their reno trends for 2011 and this is what they had to say about flooring:
Floors go blond
"Wood flooring continues to lighten up, but without last year's grey tones. Now, we're seeing pale yellow floors that, when left uncovered, make rooms feel bigger and brighter" p. 52 (January 2011)
Hells ya.
