The First Flooring

This is the month for Surfaces, the largest flooring event in the world. As all the newest in flooring is presented, demonstrated and sold, it’s worth taking a few minutes to consider how flooring started and how far we’ve come.

Bill Bryson, the author of a number of books including the best-selling A Walk in the Woods, recently wrote a book about the origins of everyday aspects of our homes, called At Home, and in it, he talks about the origins of flooring.

When people first started building homes, the focus was on protection from the elements rather than comfort. Flooring reflected that. You would find dirt floors in almost every home in the 1600’s, and in rural England and other parts of Europe, dirt floors were common until the early 20^th century.

To provide some protection from the cold and dust, the wealthier households spread rushes over the dirt, with a new layer about twice a year. Unfortunately, they often didn’t remove the old rushes, which left plenty of space for insects and even mice and rats.

Once wood and tile floors became more common, carpets began to appear. However, these were so valuable that they were almost never laid on the floor to be walked on; rather, people hung them on the walls or placed them over tables. Because of transportation costs and limitations, the wood, tile or stone used for homes and floors was all local. This is one of the reasons why in England, most floors, moldings, and furniture were made of oak.

Today, instead of cutting rushes when you want new flooring, you can visit our showroom and choose carpeting, tile and wood from around the world. Rather than having carpets too valuable to walk on, you can warm your feet on them in every room in your home. We’re happy to have a hand in making flooring a source of pleasure and style rather than just the basic protective covering it once was.