Whenever I meet new people who ask what I do for a living, I always make it clear that my designs center around WARM minimalism - why? When we talk about minimalism and minimalistic homes, many of us think of white walls, empty countertops and concrete floors. But if there’s one thing you’ll NEVER see in my residential designs, it’s concrete floors - here’s why:

Less IS more

As you may know, Danish and Scandinavian design is very much about minimalism. It follows the saying that less IS more because there’s an active use of negative space. Negative space simply means space where nothing is placed. Have a look at the walls around you and notice if you have any windows with a view or pictures hanging on the wall. I promise you that you’ve left ‘white space’ or ‘emptiness’ around the picture frames and windows. Even if you have a wall of picture frames, we tend to spread them out a little, so there’s a bit of breathing room around them. Otherwise, the wall feels cluttered and our eyes need spaces to ‘rest’.

You’ll see the same if you look at your floors. Notice how the furniture around you is sectioned or placed with spaces between them. Now you may say that’s for practical reasons, so you can move around, and you’re not wrong. But, as a rule of thumb, we tend to have at least 2X the space between our furniture as the furniture takes up. It makes a room feel balanced and calm.

The problem (I have) with concrete floors

Some of you may know that I have pretty strong opinions on concrete floors - in homes, I should add! Concrete floors are wonderful in commercial spaces for a number of reasons: because the material is incredibly durable, you’ll be able to keep it for a long time, even if you have thousands of workers and clients walking through it. Especially, as many of those people - or their shoes, I should say - will drag in dirt which you’ll have to clean off those floors (or pass on the chore to your cleaner). But I’m highlighting the shoes here as an important point: most of us don’t wear shoes at home, 24/7* (*minus your sleeping hours) - and you should be wearing shoes to walk on concrete. Concrete was developed as a solid material, which can withstand extreme weight and strain on it. It wasn’t made for our sensitive feet and bone structure within. When we walk around bare-footed (or in socks), our body, particularly our foot and spine, need a bit of give in the flooring to avoid shocks. This is why we talk about running shoes being shock absorbent - because your body needs that when you’re sprinting (or jogging) over concrete.

If you don’t believe me, go for a walk barefooted (please be careful to not walk over any glass!) on your street - even the pavement. Walk like you usually would if you were at home or wearing shoes. Now, go to the beach or garden and walk in grass, soil or sand - you’ll notice the give, and I promise you, your feet, ankles, knees, and posture will be much happier. THIS is why I hate concrete floors in homes. They can be absolutely stunning, granted, but they require you to wear shoes at any time, even popping down for a glass of water in the night…

This also explains why I’m such a massive fan of solid-timer floors. If laid correctly, they have a natural give that puts less pressure on your body—and if your home should do anything, it is to keep you healthy, happy, and feeling at home!

I recently watched an old episode of Grand Designs (my favourite show of all time!!), and Kevin (host) said, “How would you like living in a car park?” It made me chuckle because a lot of us see concrete as the robust material used in car parks.

How to do concrete floors anyways

FINE! If you absolutely HAVE to have concrete floors in your home, (I tried…), then make sure you soften them up. Polished concrete bounces sound like no other material, so you’ll want lots of textiles and potentially wood or other ‘softer’ materials to counteract that. This is especially true as polished concrete is usually used in kitchens and open-space living, where we tend to be more noisy anyway. Acoustic ceiling panels may even be necessary, especially if it’s a big room. So, if I haven’t managed to talk you out of the idea by now, then do consider engaging an interior designer who specialises in acoustics or even get an acoustic engineer to advise on your design choices. I promise you, it’ll be worth the hassle when you get a good night’s sleep despite someone going for late-night water in the kitchen.