Hard working flooring designs for practical kitchens

Create a pretty but practical kitchen with these flooring ideas from Homes & Gardens. For more inspiring ideas, visit housetohome.co.uk

Your kitchen is the heart of your home - and flooring in that busy room sure takes a pounding on a daily basis, what with children, pets and guests trooping in and out.

It's important to find kitchen flooring that really works hard and lasts - which is where we come in. We've put together our favourite pretty but practical kitchen flooring designs for every room style - don't start shopping without taking a look at our gallery round-up...

Blue country kitchen with pale limestone flooring
The smooth limestone flooring in this traditional kitchen provides a solid, neutral base for the decorative flourishes elsewhere in the room. The soft creamy hue of the stone allows the rich grain of the heavy marble worktops, as well as the powdery-blue cabinetry, to shine. The regular cut of the tiles, meanwhile, helps to ground the eclectic scheme.

Limestone flooring
Boniti

Similar mirror
Williams Antique Mirrors

1/10 Cabinetry

cabinet with mirror and wooden flooring

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Bolton)

Little Greene

2/10 Rustic kitchen with grey slate floor

wooden rustic kitchen with grey slate floor and windows

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Luscombe-Whyte)

The gnarly texture of the oak beams and farmhouse dining table is echoed in the slate floor tiles to create a rustic look in this spacious kitchen. Matching the colour of the cushions and worktops with the grey-brown hue of the stone emphasises the lighter shade of the smooth cabinetry, while the neutral palette ensures that all eyes are drawn to the lush garden beyond the windows.

Similar beams
Lassco
Similar bespoke windows
Scotts of Thrapston

3/10 All white kitchen with oversized ceramic floor tiles

white kitchen with table and chair and ceramic floor tiles

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mel Yates)

Oversized ceramic floor tiles in glossy white enhance the sense of tranquility in this contemporary kitchen. Choosing furniture with clean simple lines complements the minimalist feel of the scheme, while introducing gnarly wooden accessories adds depth, and subtly references the dark stain of the decking outside to enhance the inside-outside style.

Similar table and chairs
Chaplins

4/10 Retro kitchen with white rubber floor

kitchen with white rubber floor and bar stool

(Image credit: Future PLC/Ben Anders)

A hardwearing rubber floor can be a cost-effective and eye-catching alternative to traditional tiles or wood, and is easy to keep clean. Here, this retro-style kitchen appears to float on the seamless white floor that echoes the smooth surface of the kitchen island. Pairing the look with classic metro tiles and pops of brightly coloured fabric adds depth and texture to the scheme.

Bar stools
Graham and Green
Rug
Scandi Living

5/10 Pale blue kitchen with wooden floorboards

blue kitchen units with wooden floorboards and rug

(Image credit: Future PLC/Emma Lewis)

Wide wooden floorboards have been laid horizontally in this classic kitchen, enhancing the width of the room and echoing the direction of the grain in the dining table. Choosing a pale finish for the flooring complements the light blue colour of the cabinetry without overwhelming the scheme. The striped rug, meanwhile, adds a dramatic flourish by going against the grain.

Rug
Vaughan
Bespoke kitchen cabinetry
Higham Furniture

6/10 Soft grey kitchen with limestone tiles

soft grey kitchen with limestone tiles and vase

(Image credit: Future PLC/Darren Chung)

Gleaming white surfaces have been juxtaposed with rustic floor tiles in an assortment of different sizes in this bright and airy kitchen. Soft grey cupboards emphasise the grey tones in the limestone flooring, helping to unify the look, while the Aga opposite the island adds a further layer of depth to the contemporary elements in the scheme.

Bespoke kitchen
Bulthaup at Kitchen Architecture
Limestone floor
Kirkstone

7/10 Compact kitchen with matte wooden floorboards

kitchen with matte wooden floorboards and worktops

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Luscombe-Whyte)

If your kitchen is on the small side, choose your flooring wisely to give the illusion of added depth. Smooth wooden floorboards in a matte finish have been laid lengthways towards the French window in this Scandi-style scheme, making the room feel much longer than it is. Clean, crisp cabinetry lends a bright, airy feel to the room and reflects the light from the window opposite.

Kitchen units

Kitchen Culture
Worktops
Verona Marble

8/10 Pretty pastel kitchen with rustic stone floor

kitchen with rustic stone floor and basket

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Bolton)

If you are lucky enough to have a spacious kitchen, consider making a feature out of your flooring. Here, antique tiles in different sizes have been finished with dark grouting, drawing attention to their rustic appearance. A neutral palette on the walls keeps the looks fresh, while pastel shades on the units and dining chairs add subtle drama to this pretty scheme.

Flooring
LimeStone Gallery
Kitchen
Roundhouse

9/10 Sleek conservatory kitchen with polished marble floor

kitchen with marble flooring and windows

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mel Yates)

A conservatory-style roof floods this contemporary kitchen with pools of natural light that is reflected in the polished tiles on the glossy floor. The sleek finish of the floor tiles is carried through to the black granite worktops to unify the look, while the rest of the scheme has a minimalist finish creating a calm, Zen-like space.

Kitchen units
Bulthaup
Conservatory
Glasshouses

10/10 Contemporary kitchen with wood effect vinyl floor

kitchen with vinyl flooring and chair

(Image credit: Moduleo)

If you have a spacious kitchen, allow a beautiful floor to take centre stage. The dark-stained walnut flooring in this scheme is actually a hardwearing vinyl alternative, and has been laid lengthways to emphasise the depth of the scheme while showcasing its rich grain effect. The neutral palette in the rest of the kitchen creates a pleasing contrast between the light tone of the units and the dramatic floor.

Vinyl flooring
Moduleo
Chair
Heal's

Thea Babington-Stitt
Assistant Editor

Thea Babington-Stitt is the Assistant Editor for Ideal Home. Thea has been working across some of the UK’s leading interiors titles for nearly 10 years. 

She started working on these magazines and websites after graduating from City University London with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. Before moving to Ideal Home, Thea was News and Features Editor at Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc and Country Homes & Interiors.