A few years ago, the “Can you top this?” attitude was predominant in remodeling kitchens, baths and home interior design. Nowadays, however, my clients and I are focusing our time on finding eco-friendly, affordable, smart design for their new homes and renovations. We want our rooms to have “brains” and beauty.

How “green” a product is depends on a number of factors, including how much energy it uses, whether it reduces waste and if it’s made of recyclable or renewable materials. Below is a rundown of my favorite alternatives to hardwood floors that I recommend to my clients.

1. Cork is a green product grown primarily in Portugal and Spain. The cork oak tree is not damaged when the bark is peeled off, making it a classic renewable natural resource.

Why I like it: This flooring is perfect for those who like a more resilient surface. Want to lower the noise level coming from your children’s playroom? Cork is your answer. You can find cork flooring in many interesting patterns and colors.

[image via: HomeStyleChoices.com]

2. Solid Bamboo Flooring is a durable, low-maintenance alternative to wood floors. It’s a highly renewable resource, denser than most hardwoods, harder than maple and more resistant than oak to temperature changes.

Why I like it: The thin, textured grains of bamboo and its seemingly multifaceted lines make a lovely contrast to more minimal design statements. It looks great in a doctor’s waiting room, elegant in an ultramodern living room. If a flooring product can be called “serene,” it’s bamboo.

[image: iStockphoto | Thinkstock]

3. Antique French Oak, reclaimed from old French homes and farmhouses, can be restored to create new floors. I am designing and renovating a house that inspires dreams of Provence and am installing this product in the gracious beamed entry hall.

Why I like it: Although an extravagant choice, these genuine antique French oak floors are the ultimate exquisite floor surface and can be installed in many configurations. I recommend unique antique materials of salvaged wood, tile, stone and architectural materials.

[image via: flooring2floors.co.uk]

Discovering and using new environmentally conscious and eco-friendly flooring products is becoming easier and more fun for the consumer and the new mind-set of the interior designer. All you have to do is fall in love with it. I did.

[main image: Exquisite Surfaces]