Carpet has come under fire because of the allergy/asthma reactions. Carpet can hold dozens of pounds of human skin/dust/mites in it. It can never be fully cleaned nor can the dust be completely removed. Because of this, many people are looking for solid flooring options which reduce allergens, reduce asthmatic events, are easier to clean and last longer. High end carpet (the stuff that is worth more than hardwood) still has its place in high end homes - often times in luxury bedrooms/luxury appartments (noise issues have to be taken into consideration) but on the whole, the general public is shying away from wall-to-wall carpets. Cork flooring is seeing a huge increase in sales because it "takes over" for carpet. Soft, quiet, warm, easy to clean, hypo-allergenic, antimicrobial, instect resistant. It is the "go-between" type of flooring for people used to carpet who need to move to solid surfaces for their health. As Canadians, we love this flooring because it is so warm.

Hello people, Question time again. Im trying to match indoor and outdoor colour to my project around the living and pool area. I have 10 Meters of space to work with which includes 5 meters width of the living area. If i break the colours indoor v's outdoor it will make my area look smaller, more confined ? If i use polished concrete inside and try and match the colour outside, the surface will get hot. Soooooo... I have added some photos here. I went and purchased a box of man made granit tiles 80x 80cm. Keeping the shiny for the inside and tried "honing" the surface of the other tile as a test so i could use it outside and keeping the surface of the 'honed tile" slightly textured to ensure not so slippery and matching the inside colour. After coating this honed tile it has gone slightly darker which is ok. What im wanting to know, is this ok to do ? will there be any down the line effects of the tile if its outside in a wet area ? it maybe only wet for 3 months of the year for a few hours at a time. My challenge here is price V's product / Styling / practacality -Timber is too expensive for outdoor application / requires maintenance -Marble expensive -Natural stone expensive also if anyone has any solutions / kmowledge / advice it its ok to hone an indoor tile and add a protective coating for the outside. this would be much appreciated. Thanks Houzz'ers! Justin :)

Your layout for you kitchen looks really good and would fit well with the mixture of black and white cabinetry. With the lament bench top, we would suggest melamine (entry level cabinetry) or acrylic bench top, which can come in high gloss feature or matt. The matt surface would go lovely with your choice of bench top, and acrylic is also a affordable cabinetry material. Below are some examples of how Reno4u has incorporated both black and white cabinetry together, without making it to dominantly dark. We feel as if these examples would be perfect for your layout, and depending on if you want more black cabinetry or white you can go either way. This design above is an example with more black than white, can be made matt or gloss with different handles/splash back and wallpaper. With a u shaped kitchen similar to yours, however from the pictures you provided your style may include different design below the island bench. Another kitchen designed by us which shows more white than black, with a bar built in which may suit your design better. We hope this helps you, please feel free to call us on 03 423 9067 and we can provide a free quote for materials and kitchen design, and help you finalise your design further. :)

Wanting to know what the best options are foor flooring in lounge, dining and kitchen. l was thinking of wooden or similar look to wood. Can anyone give me ideas of materials they have used. Not keen to use polished concrete (although it looks good) I have two small children.