It’s commonly thought that you should only use one type - and colour - of flooring throughout your home, mostly to save money and also to create a seamless look if you are going for a minimalist interior style.
However, a hot new trend is to mix it up a bit; by using more than one type of flooring you can not only create interest and texture, but you can also designate separate areas for different activities.
Here are some stylish examples of mixing and matching different types of flooring to create your own bespoke and personalised home.
Mix Two Types of Timber
In this Jaya Tower apartment, the newly opened-up balcony has been floored with an interesting faux timber tile to contrast with the lighter timber parquetry flooring in the original living space to create a more indoor-outdoor resort style vibe.
Image Credit: Free Space Intent
Mix Timber with Tiles
Tiles are often used in kitchens as they are more durable and resistant to water and other liquids, so why not use tiles in your kitchen and mix it up with timber for the rest of your living area floors? In this Pasir Ris apartment the colours tone in, but don’t match for more contrast.
Image Credit: The Interior Lab
The flooring of this Serangoon apartment mixes up timber and tiles of various patterns throughout the open plan main room, to create designated areas for hanging out, eating and the entryway.
Image Credit: Fineline Design
Tiles are great for outdoor areas, like a balcony space, and look great when mixed with timber flooring like in this Neptune Court apartment.
Image Credit: Fifth Avenue Interior
The timber flooring in this Kopi C apartment has been used to separate out an area for relaxing and hanging out, from the more formal kitchen and dining area; note that the built-ins are in the same timber tones as the floor to tie the design together.
Image Credit: ROOOT Studio
Timber and tiles can also be used in a decorative way, like the unique tile ‘rug’ of the kitchen and dining space in this Grand Duchess apartment.
Image Credit: Fuse Concept
Two types of timber flooring
The flooring of this Pasir Ris apartment has been done in two different types of timber; the colours have a slight contrast to help separate different areas for different uses thoughout the house.
Mix up two types of tiles
Mix vinyl and tiles
Looking for more useful interior design tips? Read our story about which side of the island is the best place to live - East or West; discover our tips on how to make your HDB apartment feel larger; and learn how to add more colour to your home’s walls.
For more home inspiration, click here.