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Trends come and go, but through the years hardwood floors have been a consistently sought-after feature.

The beautiful flooring is commonly found in older homes, and people building new homes or updating their spaces are frequently installing hardwoods to warm up their rooms, enjoy low maintenance and use a sustainable material that will last for years.

Hardwood floors offer a nice juxtaposition to bright interior colors, providing a calming neutral palette to highlight a room’s architecture.

An increasingly popular design choice is wide plank flooring, according to Tommy Nicholson, a master craftsman and owner of Nicholson Flooring in Greensboro. Wide planks can showcase more varied grain patterns and colors than a narrow-strip floor can display. Though a 2 1/4-inch strip red or white oak floor remains the industry standard, Nicholson said some homeowners are opting for
3 1/4-inch to 6-inch-wide planks, which may be arranged in a random pattern. The wide planks, as well as longer lengths in flooring, are often used to give rooms a larger appearance.

Hand-scraped flooring is also getting more attention from those looking to use a distressed finish for a more rustic look. Nicholson said the flooring is offered at many price points. There are varieties that can be hand-scraped, sometimes by Amish artisans. Other available choices include less expensive, machine-scraped versions, as well as laminate. The difference between hand-scraped and machine-scraped flooring is that the hand-scraped material has a random, natural look. Machine-scraped materials have a more repetitive pattern.

Nicholson said exotic woods, such as Brazilian cherry, walnut and teak, as well as Australian cypress, eucalyptus and tigerwood, are nice alternatives for those willing to spend more to make a design statement.

To achieve an exotic look with wood that is more readily available, Nicholson said quarter-sawn materials can be used. Quarter-sawing a log involves cutting it into quarters, then cutting at a 90-degree angle from the growth rings to reveal a distinctive striped pattern. The stripes running across the grain are the signature look of quarter-sawn oak. The cutting method makes the oak stronger and less likely to warp than when cut any other way, Nicholson said.

The wide range of choices are just part of their allure. Hardwood floors are timeless — they can highlight architectural details, provide an anchor for interior spaces and offer an undeniable luster.

Jessica Dauray is owner of Elements of Style Interiors, a full-service interior design firm with offices in Greensboro and Wilmington, and The Studio, a trade-focused fabric and furniture resource. Visit her Web sites at www.elementsofstyleinteriors.com or www.thestudioofgreensboro.com. Have questions? E-mail Jessica at jessicaofeos@bellsouth.net.