Karndean Flooring for Kitchens
Above:Charred Oak VGW102T
Flooring with Karndean LVT
Recently, we published an article with our recommendations for the best flooring for kitchens and made a case for Luxury Vinyl Tile as one of the best all-rounders in terms of characteristics, pricing options and the sheer variety of design and style choices available.
Two of the most popular LVT brands are Karndean and Amtico. At Hamilton Flooring we love both of these products for a variety of reasons. Amtico, although often slightly more expensive is a very similar product to Karndean but created with a different manufacturing process (locally too! Designed and made in Coventry!) and generally takes on more of a matte finish which for some, results in a more natural and realistic resemblance to wood and stone.
Karndean on the other hand tends to have a slightly glossier finish (but not high shine unless that's the design you want!) and is a 5 layer vinyl flooring with two backing layers, a high definition photographic layer, a clear embossed PVC layer, and a PU protective coating (as standard). For more information about the differences, you can read our article: Karndean or Amtico...what’s the difference?
Why Karndean for kitchen flooring?
Karndean, with its distinctive logo featuring Smokey the Great Dane - beloved companion of Mike Walker the creator of Karndean, is a company with a strong message of beauty and function. The company was conceived in the early 70’s when Mike decided he was fed up of selling other people's designs and that the flooring industry just wasn't delivering what it should - beautiful not just practical flooring! After many research trips and years of inspiration driven testing, Mike created a flooring concept. Where in the past flooring was much less flexible in terms of design and combination, Mike created a system which utilised the combination of planks, tiles, borders and design strips (all of which could be cut and adjusted) to allow for unique, custom and personalised flooring to be achieved.
In the 90’s, Mikes daughter Fleur took over the business with her brother, Chris, being involved with sales. This is a company that is built upon an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of family (whether bloodline or not!) which translates into the care and understanding they place in their designs.
Karndeans flooring is designed for living, then envision a floor that can withstand a speeding 9 Stone Great Dane skidding across it or generations of a family gathering in the Kitchen to catch up and reminisce.
Is Karndean suitable for Kitchen flooring?
As we know, the kitchen is a very hardworking part of the home. It is a place where meals are prepared, pets run around, kids fight over the last doughnut and the best parties happen! All of this living can take a toll on the flooring. Even the most careful chef will find wayward grease splashed or sauce eruptions as well as the everyday dropping of utensils, drinks, last minute art projects and the contents of your flower beds on darling suzies wellington boots! Homes are to be lived in and this is something Karndean knows well. Very few people want to live in a showhome, afraid to touch or spill or enjoy the space for fear of damaging it.
This is where Karndean does very well as a kitchen flooring. With Karndean flooring, you can create a space that is stylish and beautiful - fit for a showhome - but durable and lifeproof! Karndean is non-porous and easy to clean, it is incredibly tough, scratch resistant and non-slip. The multitude of designs mean you can find any style to suit your desires, whether that's traditional, timeless, contemporary or outlandishly creative! Furthermore, they are compatible with underfloor heating systems and cushioned underfoot so create a much more comfortable surface than its natural counterparts in wood and stone.
The team at Karndean say:
We spend around 90% of our time indoors, with 65% of this time spent at home, so it’s no surprise we look to the floor to help us improve comfort, health and overall wellbeing.
They have considered the role of sound in wellbeing and home comfort and Karndean Luxury Vinyl Flooring has noise reduction properties that are very welcomed in a bustling home as well as those living in apartments with close neighbours and those with traditional townhouses with higledepigledy room layouts involving upstairs kitchens.
Styling with Karndean
There are many trends in kitchen interiors, some prevailing from previous years, some more emergent. Here are some ideas for your kitchen styling and how Karndean can compliment each trend.
Scandi Inspired
If you dream of uncluttered, clean kitchen design , look no further than Scandinavian influence. Drawing upon streamlined surfaces, clever storage solutions and sleek, light and muted colour palettes, Scandi styling remains stylish and chic for the Kitchen, no matter the size. Add a pop of colour with graphic print in minimal touches for an updated Nordic take on Scandi . Or go a step further and incorporate the upcoming Japandi style which takes a japanese twist on Scandi by including embroidery and small touches of deep ebony coloured wood in a hybrid design of natural minimalist and dramatic yet austere homage to Japan.
If you are looking to create a Scandi style kitchen take inspiration from cool natural colours found in the Scandinavian landscape, think whites and cool greys with the palest of blue or green tones thrown in for good measure. Texture is key with Scandi styling so consider adding depth with fabrics and detailing. Touches of metallics bring a contemporary touch to Scandi styling whilst maintaining a minimalist feel.
Karndean Flooring for Scandi Kitchens
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Reclaimed wood: but not as you know it!
Reclaimed wood has been a huge interior trend for the past couple of years. It is one trend that is set to stay especially with homeowners becoming more and more eco-conscious. Now, reclaimed wood is not an ideal choice for kitchen flooring but with Karndean you can achieve the feeling of reclaimed and distressed wood without any of the pitfalls of the real thing! This is a wonderful way to pull together a theme across the whole home, whether you have incorporated reclaimed wood in elements of your kitchen or across you home in various features. Distressed and reclaimed wood creates a strong ambient feel to a room and can add warmth, elegance and uniqueness to your space.
Karndean creates all its inspired by wood LVT with uniqueness in mind and features elements of knots and texture that would be found in the real thing…you would never know the difference!
Karndean Flooring for Distressed Wood Inspired looks
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Traditional and Heritage Styling
There's a modern twist on traditional and heritage styling that is shaking up kitchen interiors. Dark cabinetry and dramatic, maximalist decor mixed with all things luxe has been brought into the 21st Century. Perhaps in part down to the popularity of period dramas (we can talk about the rise of tweed and a correlation with viewership of Peaky Blinders!) but also down to mustard and deep rustic greens being listed as colours of the year. One way to keep heritage looking modern rather than dated is through interesting floor laying patterns such as parquet or herringbone which are timelessly traditional but utilising a combination of different finishes or non traditional types of wood effect. Classic herringbone and parquet pattern kitchen flooring is on trend and gives a classic and elegant look. Patterned flooring adds depth and texture to a kitchen and is visually interesting.
Karndean flooring for traditional kitchens
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Industrial has had a makeover!
Industrial trends have been huge in residential and commercial design for a couple of years but the newest iteration is known as tough luxe! Tough Luxe is a softer version of industrial, moving away from the harsher and colder elements, making it more suited to the home. With similar foundations to industrial styling, it takes a lighter touch drawing on elegance and sophistication with some of the raw elements remaining. Materials such as metals and concretes feature throughout and can be paired with softer elements such as rich luxurious colours and fabrics such as velvet.
An industrial style floor is a perfect addition to the kitchen and Karndean has some great options available to take industrial into luxury. Adding a touch of scorched wood effect, concrete effect LVT or faux weathered metal adds a deep moody yet warm element to a kitchen that will stand the test of time.
Industrial Luxe with Karndean for Kitchen flooring
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Geometric Statement flooring for Kitchen flooring
This is a bold choice but can be as extreme or muted as you like! A strong design for you kitchen flooring can really elevate the rest of your decor and create a dynamic design scheme. Geometrics have been popular in interior design for a while now and with countless options available the skys the limit. Karndeans combination concept means that designs from across the collections can be laid to create a unique and bespoke geometric statement kitchen floor
Kaleidoscope: Cubix KAL03 - Fiore, Corris & Canberra
Kaleidoscope by Karndean Designflooring includes cubes, chevrons, hexagons and woven designs and can be laid to create contrast texture or even 3D effects for the bold! With the geometric trend, pair this down with subtle features in the rest of the kitchen with minimalist lines but plenty of colour! Of keep it simple with more of a traditional checked retro feel to your flooring. Geometric and statement designs are a really fun way to add personality into your kitchen.
Karndean: A Geometric Statement!
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Kaleidoscope: Pennon KAL04 - Corris, Gallatin & Fiore
Karndean Kitchen Flooring
Although we have talked about a few of the Kitchen Flooring trends of the moment, at Hamilton Flooring we believe that there shouldn't be any rules when it comes to designing your kitchen floor (apart from avoid carpet at all costs!). So whether you want traditional, contemporary, muted, bold, geometric, stripy or anything you can think of - our expert flooring specialists are here to help! Whether Karndean is your flooring product of choice or any other of our outstanding flooring solutions we can advise, design and install the flooring that is perfect for your kitchen. We offer bespoke and custom flooring options as well as endless colours, materials, designs and styles. For a consultation with one of our flooring specialists, contact Hamilton Flooring - your local flooring experts.
Unless otherwise stated, Images are used for illustrative purposes and do not represent work untaken by Hamilton flooring - examples of work completed can be found in our Gallery