One interesting hardwood flooring trend in 2019 is not actually a flooring trend. You could call it a “walling” trend. Many homeowners have begun matching their walls to their hardwood floors. If you’re having a new hardwood floor installed, you could do this by measuring your floor and then measuring a wall as well. You could then order enough square feet or hardwood flooring to cover the floor and one of the walls. Typically, those who install hardwood walling only install the hardwood on one wall. Putting hardwood matching the floor on all four walls might become a little clustered and cabin-like. However, choosing a different size plank or a different wood could change the look enough that it might work.
Which Walls?
If you already have the hardwood floor and would like to buy more planks to match it, you might have a problem. If you have prefinished hardwood flooring or engineered hardwood, you could find planks to perfectly match the floor. The idea in that case is to create an illusion that your floor is seamlessly transitioning into the wall. So, you would lay the flooring up the wall in the same rows as the wall to create unbroken rows from floor to ceiling. In that case, you should probably only put it on one wall.
The illusion created will greatly enhance the feeling of space. The room will instantly look larger because the floor looks somewhat larger. Which wall should you choose? That depends on the wood. If it’s a dark shade of wood and you want the room to remain warm, a wall away from the window might be ideal. If you want to boost the amount of light, choosing a lightly colored wood and/or a wall near a window will work.
Different Woods
For a range of reasons, you might not be able to find the exact same wood planks as your floor. It can be difficult to determine which wood floor species you have! Alternately, you might want to choose a different wood. Designers choose a different wood for their wooden walls for many reasons. The most prominent reason is simply aesthetic. Instead of creating the illusion of an endless floor, adding a different wood will enhance the warmth in the room and the softness without drawing attention away from a hardwood floor.
Many homes and cabins in Northern Europe, the Northwestern United States, and other snowy climates have wooden interior walls as well as wooden ceilings. Adding some hardwood flooring to the walls can help you emulate that style.