2013 Home Expo: Adventurous flooring the big trend of the new year

According to the organizers of the 2013 Home Expo, a traveling fair of interior designer exhibits that display the latest trends in residential decor, homeowners are going to be approaching traditional materials in a less-than-conventional way this year.

When it comes to flooring, for example, classic hardwoods made from species that have long been considered premium will be popping up in new and refurbished homes. However, these floors may not be immediately recognizable, as homeowners will be embracing color on these surfaces in favor of a traditional staining that exposes the wood's natural tonality.

Some artists at the Expo have traditional wooden planks on the floors of their exhibit that have been stained to bring out their natural luster only to then whitewash the wood with traditional wall paint. The result is a floor that embraces the "Arts and Crafts" school of design, as the white paint doesn't evenly settle into the grooves of the floor, and the richness of the stain beneath peeks through, giving the floors a more rustic look.

While carpeting has long been the go-to method of inserting a blast of color into the floors of living rooms and bedrooms, many of the more adventurous designers at the expo simply painted the floors with vibrant blues, like navy or cobalt, even going so far as to create patterns over these surfaces.

One of the more eye-catching designs involved an artist actually using a different tone on each of the planks in the floor of their exhibit - resulting in a dizzying yet fluid tapestry of colors.

Homeowners can take a page from these flooring experts and throw some color down on their hardwood stair parts.