Flooring for a Design-Conscious Mom with a House Full of Boys

Allison Waken

My house is only quiet at bedtime. With two boys, two dogs and friends in and out, I’d be hard-pressed to classify our home as anything but high traffic! This busy lifestyle was at the top of my mind when I started the search for the best flooring choice for my home. 

It began with a hot water leak that ruined flooring in my living room. Instead of replacing the carpet that was ruined with something similar, I decided to use the leak as an opportunity to start the search for completely new (and better) flooring for the majority of the house. Our home is at the age when it’s ready for some renovations and I’m ready to make changes to the house to fit my design style. While shopping for ideas, I came across Shaw Floors luxury vinyl plank. I was impressed with the sheer amount of colors, patterns and styles that Shaw had to offer. I knew that I wanted something that would hide boy dirt and dog hair, and also would improve upon the look of the entire home. With a modern industrial style, I lean towards cooler colors.

It took five days for the removal of our old flooring and the installation of the new floors. It completely transformed the look of our home! The best part is that the color I chose blends perfectly with the house as it is now and will look even better as I renovate more areas to match my style. Floor-first design is essential to any home renovation. Starting this home renovation and design update with the flooring has helped solidify the style and really pull all the rooms together.                                                                                                                                                               

We’ve already had pool parties, sleepovers, dinner parties and doggy friends over with great success. The floor has been easy to clean and maintain – even the boys can have it looking great in no time. There have been food spills, LEGO bricks, dog footprints, a misplaced water balloon and who knows what else already on the floor and you’d never know it.