Jason Oliver Nixon of lifestyle brand Madcap Cottage approaches interiors with the philosophy “Never be beige and boring!” Selecting your flooring is no exception! “Have fun with your flooring and stay away from gray rugs with no pop or pizzazz,” he says. “We love to layer more graphic rugs over natural fiber rugs in that English country house style. Layer, layer, layer!”
Jason Oliver’s Key Considerations:
Think about the traffic needs. Will kids and dogs be running in and out of the house through the space? Does a rug make sense or should a floor be painted?
The floor is vital, just as important as the four walls. Often, the ceiling and floor is an afterthought when they should really be front of mind.
5 Statement Floors by Madcap Cottage
1. John and I collect vintage and antique rugs and love needlepoint rugs from Portugal. This version in our High Point, North Carolina dining room boasts wonderful floral motifs and captures an endless summer feeling that helps make the dining room feel relaxed and easy.
2. In our former Brooklyn, New York dining room, the contractors forgot to tarp the open ceiling one rainy weekend so the vintage parquet floor was terribly damaged. Instead of perfectly matching the parquet, we had it patched and painted it with a floor paint in a kicky diamond pattern. Hardwearing and unique! Happy accidents sometimes lead to magic.
3. The foyer at the House of Bedlam, our High Point, NC home, was hand painted from tip to toe, including the floors. We love the Greek-key motif that is seen throughout the 1930s-era home—from the front façade to the living room mantel. Again, we used a hard-wearing deck paint that looks only better with wear and tear.
4. A bold floral rug makes a big statement in our former Brooklyn, New York den. Remember that your floor is an important part of a room, so don’t default to beige and boring. Life is too short to be so neutral. Live, live, live!
5. In our former Brooklyn, New York home, we painted the living room floor in green-and-white stripes that run into the diamond-patterned floors in the adjacent dining room. Painting a floor is terrific when the traffic patterns in a room don’t lend themselves to rugs.
Jason Oliver’s advice for getting adventurous with your own floors without worrying about enjoying your bold choice over time:
Layer. Use a larger natural fiber rug that you then layer with more patterned options that you can switch out. The natural fiber will always be timeless.
