In many countries around the world, you can tell its summer as the sun is cracking the flags, temperatures are constantly climbing and ice creams fly off the shelves faster than you can say 99 and a flake please”. However, here in the UK, our relentless rainfall means we have to rely on other signifiers to remind us of the change in seasons and one of those is the coming and going of interior design trends. So although it might look no different to a bleak day in October outside right now, I’m pretty sure the solstice must have fallen because there’s a brand new trend on the block and it goes by the name of Rough Luxe.
What the Luxe?!
I say ‘brand new’ but that’s not strictly true. This trend has been in existence for a good while already after it was established in 2008 by a hotel in London, which aimed to strike a balance between half rough, half luxury”. It’s certainly doing the rounds again right now though, that’s for sure so think reclaimed wood, exposed brickwork, painted cement, iron, brass, tarnished metals and threadbare fabrics to start getting your head around this creative contradiction.
Born out of the financial struggle that came with the 2008 recession, this trend is all about embracing what is already there and personalising it with your own little artistic luxuries. Raw and stripped back but rich and magnificent at the same time, Rough Luxe is the perfect contrast. Don’t confuse this rich marriage of opulence and dilapidation with the surface superficiality of it’s ‘Shabby Chic’ sister though. Rough Luxe is more like a lifestyle; an authentic way of living and designing. It’s two fingers up to the rules and regulations that tell us our paint must be smooth and our curtains must co-ordinate with our upholstery. It’s time to go back to the basics and look towards raw materials, natural textures and the regeneration of old pieces to create the textures and designs of the season.
Come on now, let’s be practical...
As with most interior design trends, you can either go full throttle with a floor-to-ceiling makeover, or you can dabble with subtle motifs, accent areas and key features that are easily adapted or retired when the next fashion fever comes around. If you’re in the second camp, carpet tiles are a brilliant option to consider as they are a cost-effective way of getting creative without too much commitment and can provide that natural, earthy vibe that you’re aiming for here.
Rough Luxe is all about celebrating artefacts and materials that have withstood the test of time and still look just as great as they did in the beginning and well, that’s exactly what our flooring products promise to do. When you’re done here, head over to our homepage where you will find a whole host of carpet tiles that can be secured together using TacTiles to create a stunning feature rug, or used to cover a whole floor at a fraction of the highstreet cost. I’d say the Nouveau Core collection is the perfect nod to Rough Luxe with it’s unique surface designs and industrial, rustic colour palettes.
If you can’t make it, fake it.
As you have probably gathered from looking at this selection of beautiful images I stumbled across on Pinterest when doing a bit of a recce on Rough Luxe, wood is also definitely good and this certainly applies when it comes down to flooring. However, as stunning and inspiring as these gloriously groomed interiors are, what we see on social media isn’t always practical.
As I mentioned in our LG Vinyl introduction, traditional hard flooring can be a right royal pain in the behind and especially when it’s a little rough around the edges. It can be easily damaged by damp and is super susceptible to irreversible scratches, reducing its lifespan and longevity drastically. Sure, it looks great but back down on Planet Practical, you’re going to need something a little more robust and resilient and that’s where our growing collection of luxury vinyl flooring solutions step in so elegantly…
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