10 Most Creative Floors Ever Built
How often do you take your flooring for granted? After all its just a medium to walk on, what more can it be? Modern materials and methods can mean your flooring takes on a whole new dimension, ranging from the downright amazing to simple and effective ideas you can use in your own home.
#10 FINSBURY AVENUE SQUARE
In the middle of Broadgate business district lies nearly 400,000 square metres of office, leisure and living space that’s been transformed into an innovative light show.
No longer just a boring old square, where people wander around aimlessly, it’s taken on a whole new identity that is mainly down to the use of unusual and attractive lighting. A grid of glass strips backed by LED lights come up from the ground and form part of the areas public seating.
There are more than 100,000 LED lights and they change colour, dim and can be programmed to display 10 different scenes. These scenes range from subtly changing during the time it takes to cross the square to a turbulent Tsunami scene and Matrix scheme. This dynamic lighting incorporated into a simple grid like floor has made the area an inviting public space and put Finsbury Avenue Square firmly on the map.
#9 PUZZLE FLOOR
An odd new addition to the idea of hardwood flooring. Traditionally hardwood flooring comes in strips, planks or parquet shapes and is often nailed into place. This innovative puzzle flooring, as its name implies, is available in interlocking puzzle pieces that are installed on top of an adhesive pad that is cushioned, called Elastilon.
Unfortunately it isn’t the cheapest of options and can be difficult to keep clean. If you’ve a large enough budget however, it provides an eye-catching and interesting floor that would look good in your home.
#8 COPPER COIN FLOOR
The Standard Hotel in New York has used a penny or two in the construction of their floor. A warm and shimmering effect is provided by a floor made up of thousands of pennies. You could even use up some of your own unwanted coins in one of the smaller rooms of your home.
#7 GLASS FLOOR
Sears Tower in Chicago still has great presence even though countless other tall buildings have now been constructed all over the world. This is due in no part to a glass floor, that allows you to look down at the city of Chicago from one hundred floors up (460 m).
Another example of an amazing glass floor is the one designed by Hernandez Silva Arquitectos.
They created probably the scariest bathroom floor in the world in Guadalajara, Mexico. The bathroom is located atop an unused 15 story lift shaft in a penthouse. The crazy owner of the apartment uses this even crazier bathroom every day.
Would you dare to go inside and sit on the toilet seat for a minute?
#6 HARDWOOD FLOOR
Hardwood flooring evokes charm, richness and a classical look in any home. Board widths are available in a variety of sizes and the type of wood they are made from is almost endless. Colours run the gamut from the lightest blond to black and can be mixed and matched, according to your artistic ideas, to create an awesome look for a room, that is easy to clean and hypo-allergenic.
Moreover, the specialists from a famous floor sanding London company state that your hardwood floor will last more than 20 years, if cared properly(sealing, staining, polishing) After that, you will have to sand your wood floor and polish it with a good lacquer once again when you perform its restoration. Longevity is an important characteristic of each floor type and should be considered when choosing flooring for your home.
#5 PRESSURE SENSITIVE FLOOR
You might think it’s impossible but this type of flooring changes colour when walked upon or touched. This makes it attractive for all ages because it’s interesting and fun to play with. Pressure sensitive tiles can also be used to operate certain items in the room such as switching on the lights or sound system, an idea which is definitely possible for the ordinary home.
#4 CONCRETE FLOOR
You’re probably thinking that a concrete floor is pretty boring but nothing is further from the truth. It’s become a very trendy and stylish flooring material as it can be finished in a variety of ways, using colours, staining and aggregate as well as buffed for a glass appearance or given a textured surface. When it is properly sealed it’s water resistant, easy to clean and extremely durable. This type of flooring is an incredibly “green” solution as doesn’t deplete natural resources, its production requires far less energy and it’s usually poured locally. It can also be recycled.
#3 POWER GENERATING FLOOR TILES
This amazing “sustainable dance floor” is located in Rotterdam, Holland. Its unique technology is patented by Energy Floors company. It is perfect for dance clubs. The more people dance on the dance floor, the more energy they produce.
For your home you might only be able to power a Christmas tree light or two, whereas in large public spaces they would be a worthwhile consideration.
#2 PARQUET FLOOR
Now, let’s take a look at one of the most stylish parquet floors in the world. It’s located in the lobby of the famous hotel Palomar in San Francisco and is truly a masterpiece!
Traditional parquet flooring has taken on a whole new twist as it’s now available in an exciting range of colours, finishes and shapes. It can be manufactured from high quality woods such as oak and finished to your own specifications using flooring paint. This allows you to introduce attractive patterns into flooring which is durable and long lasting as well as easy to clean. And don’t just use parquet on the floor but introduce an amazing wall feature by installing it on a wall.
#1 OPTICAL ILLUSION FLOOR
Your eyes can be fooled into playing tricks on you with an interesting 3D look. It is best appreciated from high up and is a good way of grabbing peoples attention, rather than just another drab place to walk. Optical illusions can be fun in the home as well, where you could create the look of a fish pond in your bathroom, if you know someone with a bit of artistic flair.
The Brazilian artist Regina Silveira has created a very realistic 3D floor installation called “Depth”. It was installed in a gallery in Lodz, Poland in 2010.
Now you have found out a bit more about the 10 Most Creative Floors Ever Built you might be tempted to give one or two of them a try. Don’t be restricted by what you think are conventional styles and materials and give your artistic side room to flow.
A floor is not just for walking on it can also be a work of art and a surface that can wow any visitors to your home or business premises. Modern materials and methods have opened up a whole new area of your home enabling you to make it more individual and a place you can showcase your ideas.
