What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into a room? In most cases, it’s probably a feature wall or colourful piece of furniture that catches your eye—but not in these homes. With cool concrete, gorgeous tile and heritage wood, it’s the floors that really stand out.

The foyer
Photo: Ema Peter

Front Runner

The best thing about this checkered floor (besides its timeless beauty)? It connects the entire main level of this Kelly Deck-designed home. You can catch a glimpse of it from the his-and-hers offices, the great room, the kitchen and the butler’s pantry. Explore the rest of this whimsical Vancouver manor.

Photo: Ema Peter

(Un)Clean Slate

This gorgeous space may look pristine, but homeowner Lyndon Cormack, co-founder of Herschel Supply Co., insists it’s anything but. “This house isn’t precious, it’s lived in,” he says. “It’s a shoes-on house.” Hence the slate tile flooring in the living room. Tour this modern waterfront oasis.

Kitchen after
Photo: Sharon Litchfield

Retro Reno

Our 2024 Robert Ledingham Memorial Award winner Brianna Hughes helped renovate this circa-1979 five-level split—without completely erasing its vintage vibes. Take the kitchen flooring, for example. The basket-weave cement tile hearkens back to the home’s original parquet floor. Check out the rest of this ’70s-inspired family home.

Photo: Ema Peter

Stepping Stone

The owners of this 2,400-square-foot home wanted it to have a handmade look, so Andrea McLean opted for a perfectly imperfect concrete floor; after pouring, a deep layer was ground off to expose the aggregate inside. “There are little stones in there that give it a beach look,” says the designer. Step inside the Big Sky Beach House.

Photo: Phil Crozier

Game Time

Yeah… that’s a maze floor you’re looking at. “The clients wanted a game in the floor, and it had to be solvable as well as sophisticated,” says designer Julie Lantot of Paul Lavoie Interior Design. It’s a nod to the hedge maze in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—the book that inspired the look of this entire 8,700-square-foot-home. Go down the rabbit hole to the Wonderland House.

Photo: Ema Peter

Well Kept

Built in 1939, this North Vancouver home was filled with quirky heritage elements—many of which designer Gillian Segal decided to keep intact. “Some people want to update things just for the sake of it, but there’s a lot of character in those old, storied details,” she says. “We really embraced them.” Exhibit A: the original flooring with its art deco-style border. See the rest of this chic home makeover.

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn Funk

Kaitlyn is a design-obsessed writer, editor and content manager based in Vancouver. When she's not busy swooning over gorgeous homes, you can find her reading, hiking and befriending as many dogs as possible.