[MTheo]

Ok i've had some damage to my flooring so its time to replace it...at moment its beech style laminate... i have a black leather sofa and every other bit of furniture, hi fi speakers are mahogany and trim around the centre of the room is also mahogany.

what colour flooring do people think would work best? my first idea was to get mahogany floor and skirting but i'm now thinking tha'll be overkill and make the room too dark...

ideas?

[Dozy]

It depends a lot on the size of the room - if it's big, it could probably take a dark colour. Also, if you have any rugs on the laminate - light colour rugs would "lift" mahogany flooring.

And what do you think of the way it looks with the beech you have at present? Do you like it - if you do, there's no need to change the colour, just the laminate itself.

Also consider practicality - dark colours tend to show dust a hell of a lot more than light colours do!

[WoodForWood]

Hmmmmmm. Woooooooood!

Yeah, as Dozy says, a little more info needed.

[MTheo]

no carpets, room is pretty standard 16 by 14

i'm really unsure of the current colour....it maybe a bit of a marmite situation lol coz i cant decide if i love it or hate it.

[Dozy]

Originally Posted by MTheo

no carpets, room is pretty standard 16 by 14

i'm really unsure of the current colour....it maybe a bit of a marmite situation lol coz i cant decide if i love it or hate it.

My bold

Are you male, by any chance???

Personally, I wouldn't put mahogany and beech together, mainly because beech can be a tad orangey, which I don't think goes with mahogany at all. When I was looking for laminate, all the beech had an orange tinge, so I plumped for oak, which is lightish and more neutral than beech.

I've got a brown leather sofa and the table, sideboard, coffee table and TV cabinet are all birch - which is very light. I've got a couple of side tables and a storage chest which are waxed very dark brown.

It's difficult to decide on colours without seeing them, though. Some mahogany is really dark brown, some is reddish. Just like some beech is dark, some is very light.

[MTheo]

hmmm yeah i've decided against mahogany.....may have to get some samples as i'm really unsure

[Dozy]

Originally Posted by MTheo

hmmm yeah i've decided against mahogany.....may have to get some samples as i'm really unsure

That's probably the best idea - some people can "carry" a colour in their head, some can't. I'm a definite "can't" and, when I decorated the room, had to cart samples of the sofa leather, the curtains, etc, round with me all the time to make sure I got it right.

[eagleweb]

Hi. Firstly, this isn't a sales pitch, i'm just interested, because i've made my living selling flooring for the last ten years. I come up against this dilemma quite often, that is how wood / laminate floors will contrast with existing wood colour fixtures and fittings. Its not straight forward, because the trend towards wood flooring in this country is fairly new ( unless you include that of the stately homes and mansions which have a long tradition of real hardwood / Oak.)

So you have to rely on your instincts a little bit, and your sense of personal style.

The questions i would ask myself are, what is the overall style im going for; ten years ago sales of laminate and wood were generally more of the lighter woods, beech, maple ,ash, based apon the scandanavian, modern apartment type feel. More recently dark floors have become alot more popular, and kind of representative of a more daring statement of modernity and style.

Contrast to this the other main style of Oak, which is perhaps has more of a traditional feel to it.

I think if you have a little mahogony in terms of your furniture, there is no law saying you must have to have a mahogony floor. Flicking through some brochures, i see photos of cherry, and oak floors alongside dark wood furniture, and it looks good. Also teak and merbau with very dark tables

pm me if you want any more advice.