Your home’s flooring is what ultimately sets its personality. Polished checkerboard floors à la the Kardashians’ original Hidden Hills home ooze old-world elegance, while ripping out the original floors of an idyllic French château in favor of grey laminate would instantly eradicate about 80 percent of its charm. No sofa, no paint color, no amount of styling wizardry can recover from that.
At Homes & Gardens, we know the only direction worth going is up. So if you’re planning a flooring swap, it should do more than refresh. It should elevate. Some materials carry that weight purely through substance, others through how they’re laid, but according to the designers we spoke to, there are three options that rise above the rest and will always make your rooms look more expensive.
1. Clay-Based Tiles
Dallas-based design firm Erin Sander Design sourced hexagonal Hapsburg terracotta tiles from Paris Ceramics throughout the first floor of a recent project, layering in warmth, texture, and dimension from the ground up.
(Image credit: Erin Sander Design)
Clay is ostensibly a humble material. And yet, right now, it’s doing some of the most expensive-looking work in interiors. As the organic interior design trend wave continues to crest, flooring trends that look less than perfect imply a human hand – and therefore communicate more money than anything overly refined.
‘Beyond the usual hardwood or stone, clay-based flooring is one of the most overlooked ways to make a home feel truly expensive and deeply layered,’ notes Jennifer Beget, owner and principal designer at J Beget Designs. ‘Clay tiles, whether terracotta, zellige, encaustic, or hand-formed, bring a level of authenticity that immediately reads as high-end.’
Part of the appeal is versatility (yes, you can use them to as kitchen floor tile ideas), but also a wide-open window for customization. Clay tiles can be laid in what feels like a thousand ways – hexagons, fish scales, Moroccan crosses, octagon-and-dot – but it’s the quirks that ultimately carry the look. Subtle warping, irregular edges, and tonal variation ‘add soul and depth that mass-produced materials simply can’t replicate,’ she says.
Handmade clay tiles aren’t fast or cheap, but ‘tis the name of the game. ‘They tend to come with longer lead times and slightly higher price points, but that’s exactly what makes them feel special,’ Jennifer continues. Machine-made clay tiles do exist, but their uniformity often undermines the nonchalant, lived-in look most renovators are after.
On a tighter budget, brick flooring is likely your savviest clay-tile workaround. It sidesteps the specialty firing processes that push terracotta prices up while delivering the same warmth and grounding presence. ‘Brick flooring, another form of clay, instantly signals timelessness and confidence,’ Jennifer adds. ‘Brick has been used in homes around the world for centuries, and that longevity gives it quiet authority.’
Note that if you choose to follow the brick road, pattern choice matters. Basketweave, soldier course, or offset layouts elevate brick like a charm, as does moving past classic red into warm browns, inky charcoals, soft golds, or blended tones for nuance.
Brick, terracotta, or otherwise, all ceramic tiles will require a bit of upkeep. ‘There is maintenance involved,’ notes interior designer Camilla Masi of Otto Tiles & Design. Terracotta needs sealing before and after installation and ongoing care, much like encaustic cement tile. But the payoff is unparalleled longevity. ‘They wear incredibly well with age, and that patina only adds to their beauty.’
2. Herringbone Patterns
Herringbone is a natural fit for antique-style interiors, but it doesn’t belong there exclusively. In fact, pairing this old-world cue with modern elements often creates a cooler, sharper, more dynamic look.
(Image credit: Violet & George)
If you’ve ever been to Paris – or stepped foot inside a European home of a certain age – you’ve likely encountered a herringbone floor. Those tightly interlocked criss-crosses look like a lot of work to execute, because they are. Herringbone is a classic of European interiors, traditionally found in hallways and living rooms, but designers agree it delivers the same storied grandeur wherever (and whenever) it appears today.
Interior designer Lindsay Thornton, founder of Cornerstone Design Build, compares herringbone to a pair of Louboutins. ‘Laying your hardwood floors or bathroom tiles in a herringbone pattern instantly elevates the style in your home, just like a red-bottomed shoe instantly screams “I’m quality” and you know it,’ she quips. ‘While it does cost about 30% more to install due to increased labor and material, it sets you in a category above the average home.’ Unlike the sole of a well-loved So Kate, herringbone is one splurge that tends to pay you back at resale.
‘It works best with floorboards no wider than 4½ inches and favors homes that are longer rather than wide,’ Lindsay continues – great news for townhouses, row homes, and brownstones. It’s a layout trick that feels particularly at home in New York, where pre-war character is inherently more expensive than anything new.
Beyond the obvious drama, herringbone ‘welcomes you into the house and guides the eye,’ Lindsay adds, making it ideal for entryways that open into larger spaces. And it doesn’t have to stop at wood. Clay tile, stone, even cement all qualify.
Rebecca Merritt, owner and principal designer at Merritt Design Co., uses herringbone as a way to add interest without breaking visual flow. ‘If you want detail in a bathroom or entry, take the same material and change the layout,’ she suggests. Unexpected placements, such as ‘herringbone wood in the laundry when the rest is straight plank, or a French-pattern tile in the powder bath’ read ridiculously luxe. ‘Same material, different format. It’s a designer move that feels custom,’ she muses.
So the question isn’t whether herringbone works. It’s how far you’re willing to take it.
3. Wide-Plank Wood
You know what they say: wide planks, wide margins. They’re inconspicuous, a little rustic, and instantly recognizable to anyone fluent in Ralph Lauren–level taste.
(Image credit: The Expert / Wayfair)
Not all wood floors are created equal. Nearly everyone has some version of them now, but some read richer than others – and the difference goes well beyond laminate versus real wood. Width matters. In general, wider planks cost more, so consider five inches your new baseline if elevation is the goal.
This also happens to be one of the more budget-friendly entries on our crème de la crème flooring list. ‘To make a home feel more expensive, I personally love wide-plank wood flooring,’ says Elizabeth Vergara, CEO and founder of Vergara Homes. They’re often engineered (Flooret, for instance, does a fantastic seven-point-seven-inch laminate), ‘which makes them easier to maintain, but they don’t look like the run-of-the-mill vinyl flooring everyone has. The wider boards take regular planks up a notch and add an extra layer of luxury.’
There’s a sprinkle of visual logic to it, too. ‘Wide planks have fewer seams, which creates a calmer, more expensive look,’ adds Michelle Accetta, founder and principal designer of Michelle Accetta HOME. ‘They also showcase the wood grain more, which immediately reads higher-end.’
But if you really want to go editorial-expensive, the best wood floors aren’t new at all. ‘I’m obsessed with reclaimed hardwood – something from an old barn with texture and history already built in,’ says Rebecca Merritt. Beyond the obvious charm, there’s a practical, surprisingly non-precious upside. ‘People are terrified of scratching their floors, but when you start with wood that’s already lived a hundred years, wear just adds to the story. It’s one-of-a-kind, and guests always ask where you got it.’
So yes, in a perfect world, the most luxurious wood floor might look like it came from somewhere decidedly unglamorous – a barn, a factory, a past life entirely. Irony, as ever, is the most expensive finish of all.
4. Harlequin Rugs
Add oomph to existing floors by layering a harlequin-patterned rug over top. Styles, such as this collaboration between Erin Gates and Momeni, deliver the same stately sensibility as European tile they muse.
(Image credit: Pottery Barn)
If you are looking for a speedy way to elevate your currently flooring and make a room look more expensive, the right area rug can do a lot of heavy lifting – especially for renters. And when it comes to old-money elegance, few patterns carry the same cultural weight as harlequin. And no – it’s not checkerboard.
Like herringbone, harlequin has deep European roots and long associations with classical interiors, including the theater (the pattern was once literally known as theatre flooring). In rug form, its diamond geometry brings that same sense of order and drama to a room – how theatrical it feels is merely a matter of color choice.
This design is topping rug trends, meaning there’s an increasing amount of designer available. Black on white or cream is the classic and delivers maximum impact, but this pattern also benefits from a little nuance. Consider swapping black for beige, taupe, or even powder blue.
Just choose your rug material wisely. A poorly made harlequin rug will read just that. Stick to natural fibers like wool or jute to ground the geometry and give the pattern the gravitas its theatrical roots deserve.
These are diamonds, not squares, after all.
H&M Home
Diamond-Patterned Wool-Blend Rug, 55″ x 79″
The harlequin pattern softens into a whisper here, rendered in a short, plush pile with solid beige-and-cream borders. It pairs best with wovens, exposed wood grain, and other natural textures.
Chris Loves Julia x Loloi
Francis Wool Rug, 3′ 6″ x 5′ 6″
Beige mixed with charcoal – cut with cool, blue-leaning undertones – gives this classic pattern a fresher edge. Despite the approachable price point, it’s made from 100% wool, a quality you can clock almost subconsciously from across the room.
Rugs USA
Adelaide Harlequin Indoor/Outdoor Rug, 4′ x 6′
It’s not always about interiors. This indoor–outdoor harlequin rug by Rugs USA brings the motif outside, too. The high-contrast version shown here makes a fantastic statement, though it’s also available in softer, less expected colorways – including pink.
If there’s a throughline here, it’s this: flooring with a sense of history – whether borrowed from a grand château, a turn-of-the-century farmhouse, or a time-honored technique – almost always makes a home look more expensive than anything new.
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