If you’ve picked up an interior design magazine in the past year, you may recall the brand name Annie Sloan. Named after the owner and inventor, one of the world’s most respected paint and colour experts, Annie Sloan brings decades of knowledge – and plenty of style – to her hugely popular line of decorative paint, also known as Chalk Paint. It can be used on all types of furniture including solid oak floorboards. You’re able to give your floorboards a classic shabby chic finish with her selection of chalk paints, and the great thing is no other aftercare is required. Simple apply the paint, leave it to dry and the job is done. There are plenty of colours to choose between and it’s a nice way to spruce up your old oak floorboards. Many shabby chic shops sell old furniture coated in chalk paint, and it really does give classic furniture a completely different look.

If you have a traditional property with a good set of solid oak floorboards, you may want to take advantage of them. Rather than placing tiles, carpets, rugs or laminate flooring over the top, make the oak floorboards a feature in their own right. If they look old and worn they’re going to hold plenty of character and there are many staining products that can bring the best out of them. A water based wood staining spray will be safe to use for most finishes and there are plenty of different tones to choose between depending on the colour of your floorboards. Danish oil, hardwax oil and Finney’s Extra Tough Floor Varnish will all give your floorboards good colour whilst filling in scratches and marks, and these are very cheap to buy. Another option is Durapolish Clear Glaze, but this takes a longer time to dry, yet the great thing is that it’s suitable for oily woods.

I’ve just moved into a new house and one thing I’m enjoying the most is how soft the carpet is! Coming from a shared apartment with vinyl flooring, it’s nice to have my feet on something soft again and I’ll be doing all I can to maintain my carpet, including:

Detailed cleaning

I like to use a bit of elbow grease when I’m cleaning my carpet. I use a ton of household items such as baking powder and salt, which has worked a treat for a number wine and ketchup stains.

Regular, but not too regular hoovering

I’ll hoover a couple of times a week max. Vacuum to regularly and your carpet will start to wear, vacuum to infrequently and your carpet will be filthy, and rough to touch.

The best trends and fashions always come back around. This is certainly happening with carpets this season – vintage prints, patterns and bright colours have made a comeback, and are once again proving popular with numerous consumers. That’s not to say that you have to adorn your home with the brash, swirly carpets of the 70s – this is a more refined, modern take on vintage styles. Here is a brief guide to making 2015’s carpet trends work for you.

You can use vintage carpets to accessorise a smaller area of your home. Buy a vintage second-hand rug as a focal point for a room, or use a larger area of carpet to create a bigger rug. This style will work especially well with hardwood flooring, especially if they’ve got a natural finish.

Patterns have certainly made a comeback, but smaller and more subtle than before. In fact, you may want to make use of texture more so than actual patterns. Textured loop carpets and ribbed carpets are stylish, durable and help to hide hoover marks. If you do want to try out some patterns, you could choose subtle geometric designs like diamonds or squares. Stripes are also popular – you could use these in smaller areas and coordinate other areas of the room to match, such as in a hallway or on the stairs.

In terms of colours, pastels are highly fashionable. Pinks and blues are particularly prominent. You could choose an all-over pastel shade, or select pastel shades for your patterned carpets or rugs to create a high fashion look.

It’s crucial to choose the right flooring for a sports club like a gym or a dance hall, because incorrect flooring could cause injuries and discomfort during exercise. To keep your visitors happy, consider studded rubber tiled flooring, it’s not too firm, it’s very grippy and comfortable to run or walk on.

There are different colours you can choose between depending on your gym equipment, wall colours and branding. You’re also unable to see that the flooring is made up of rubber tiles because of how seamlessly they slot together, and lines are not clearly visible.

With excellent slip resistance, this attractive rubber flooring isn’t too expensive, and you’ll often find it in school gyms, changing rooms and leisure centres, yet it can also work well in kitchens, garages and storage areas. Make sure you choose the right surface for your gym or sports club, because the decision is likely to be more important than you think!