Floors are tricky. You want to be responsible and cost-effective, but it’s just such a vital element in designing a space that it’s hard to make concessions. In my books, it’s definitely important to invest as much as you can in a product that will ameliorate your space, and make whatever furniture you acquire look better.

My theory on renovation altogether is first and foremost invest in the space itself, while keeping furniture to a minimum. A beautiful space will always pay you back. To this effect, here are five of my most favourite natural floor treatments -- as you many already know, I'm all for natural or bust -- none of which are particularly cost-effective, but all are pretty green, and if nothing else, great inspiration.

Cork Mosaic Tile  

Photo: Domino Magazine

LOVE, love, love this product! You can use it in a ginormous living room or a tiny, galley kitchen and water closet. Cozy, warm, soft and beautiful – a great way to create instant style that will easily withstand the trend turnover. I’ve seen it in design mags for some time, and in a few flooring shops in Canada. See Habitus (manufacturer) for Canadian availability.

Reclaimed Floors

Photo: Reclaimed Antique Woods

An oldie but a goodie. If you can afford it, or have a line on a barn due to come down around your town (tell me too, would ya?) then reclaimed wood for flooring is unparalleled for warmth and instant patina.  No chain-beating or hand-scraping or ‘distressing’ can simulate the look of reclaimed wood floors, which can be easily adapted for both modern and traditional styles.  To find them, look for salvage operations specifically dealing with wood.

Chevron/Herringbone Hardwood

In this case I’m not talking material so much as style/technique. Take any wood (although usually it’s oak), and lay in the classic French chevron (left) or herringbone (right) and anything you put on top of it – I guarantee it – will look like a million dollars. It could be a Bunsen burner and a sleeping bag, but it’ll look like art!  This is the floor of which my house dreams…

Bamboo Tile

Yes! It’s tile and it’s bamboo! It was only a matter of time, really – you can make anything out of bamboo, it’s indestructible. Lay it wherever you’d lay tile, or anywhere else for that matter.

I much prefer this to the look of bamboo planks. I don’t mind the strand-woven bamboo, but so much of it looks flat and uninteresting as a floor -- to me, anyway. But this I really like. It’s innovative, durable and green, and comes in many natural stains. It’s not quite everywhere yet, but you can start with Walker Zanger to inquire about Canadian availability.  

Leather

Photo: Green Root Floors (left), Crest Leather (right)

That there on the left is indeed a leather floor. Leather floors were actually quite common in centuries gone by, and are making a comeback after some time spent out of vogue. How do they wear? I’m not quite sure, but leather tile manufacturers are confident in offering them as bona fide floor treatments.  I love the look of them and the idea of a warm leather floor (a sensitive subject, I admit, if you’re a vegetarian), but perhaps more so for the novelty than for practical implementation. Start with Giovanni's Raw Hides for Canadian availability. Does anyone have leather floors?

Have you other favourite natural floor treatments that you’d like to share?  Think something above is just atrocious?  Let me know!