Spotlight on Karndean: How to Choose the Best Flooring for Your Kitchen
A new kitchen is a big investment, and the decisions you make now are ones you’ll live with for years to come. So before you’re tempted to follow the latest trends, it’s worth considering whether they align with your own tastes and how you actually use your kitchen day to day. Do you love a sleek minimalist look, a timeless classic style that oozes elegance, or a playful, family-friendly space where everyone can get involved?
With the rise in popularity of open-plan kitchen-diners, the kitchen has truly become the hub of the modern home — a space not just for cooking, but for living, entertaining, and connecting. This makes it even more important to create a space that reflects your lifestyle and feels cohesive from floor to ceiling.
Once you’re clear on the look and feel you want, it’s wise to consider your units and flooring together so they complement each other beautifully. Kitchens are one of the most popular rooms for Karndean flooring — and it’s not hard to see why.
Each handcrafted design captures the natural beauty of real wood and stone, but in a format that’s hygienic, hard-wearing, and easy to keep clean. With almost endless options for customisation using patterns and borders, you can create a bespoke floor that’s both practical and personal.
We’ve explored the latest kitchen trends and paired some of the best with stunning Karndean flooring suggestions to help you design a kitchen you’ll love for years to come — whether it’s a cosy retreat, a social space, or a bit of both.
About Karndean
Karndean flooring has become a go-to choice for modern homes, especially in kitchens where durability, style, and easy maintenance are key. Known for its high-quality luxury vinyl, Karndean offers a wide range of designs that authentically replicate the look and texture of natural materials like wood and stone — without the drawbacks.
Whether you're drawn to the warm tones of traditional oak, the rustic charm of reclaimed timber, or the sleek sophistication of slate and marble, Karndean has a style to suit every taste and lifestyle. Its popularity continues to grow thanks to its practicality, long-lasting performance, and the ability to create bespoke looks with borders, laying patterns, and design strips.
Traditional Wood
If you’ve been mourning the demise of classic wood cabinets, you’ll be pleased to hear that they’re available again. From classic oak to rich walnut, the natural warmth of a wood kitchen brings an intimate cosy feel that is sure to encourage you to linger.
To enhance this organic embrace, why not go matchy matchy with the flooring? Karndean’s collections offer a wide range of wooden flooring designs, from the soft beige tones of limed oak and the subtly aged beauty of brushed oaks to smoky reclaimed antique designs, so we guarantee you’ll find the perfect complement to your kitchen.
Image: Dutch Limed Oak, Knight Tile, credit Instagram @insidestudio
Textural Interest
If you love an understated painted look, a simple Shaker style in off-white is a timeless classic and leaves the stage open for the flooring to steal the show with pattern and texture.
Here, a herringbone floor would be a great choice, creating a sense of flow and depth.
Opt for one of Karndean’s classic parquet or modern herringbone planks or play with patterns on a larger scale by using full-sized planks in a herringbone pattern.
Image: Lime Washed Oak, Knight Tile, credit Instagram @the_douglas_home
Rustic Farmhouse Style
Whether or not you live in an actual farmhouse, you can get the look with some simple design tricks. Pair a classic Shaker style kitchen with a traditional range style cooker and rustic wood design flooring then imagine yourself preparing a family feast with your own home grown veggies.
Inspired by decades-old painted floorboards found in Holland, Karndean’s farmhouse oak design is available in two colour options: Blond Farmhouse Oak to complement warm toned cabinets and the slightly cooler tones of Silver Farmhouse Oak, perfect for white or cool greys.
Image: Blond Farmhouse Oak, Van Gogh Collection
Playful Patterns
If bold colour and exuberance is more your style, we’re guessing that you’re drawn to one of the many beautiful coloured kitchens on the market right now - vibrant and confident colour palettes brought alive with an eclectic mix of retro accessories, bespoke lighting options and interesting flooring.
Karndean’s Heritage Collection could be the perfect partner for your playful kitchen. Recreating the opulence of classic geometric tiled floors, the designs combine square and triangle tiles in four patterns. Choose one of the traditional reproductions or contemporary interpretations, or design your own using any combination of 12 colours and a choice of coordinating decorative borders.
Image: Montpelier, Heritage Collection, credit Instagram @this_little_house_of_ours
Sleek & Minimalist
Characterised by streamlined units, considered storage and functional aesthetics, opting for a minimalist kitchen will ensure your home oozes calm and serenity. Without details to catch the eye, the success of a minimalist kitchen will hinge on the juxtaposition of the materials used.
The smooth finish of a stone design floor will enhance the airy feel. Choose from the fresh light elegance of marble or onyx to complement white units or match grey to one of Karndean’s quartzite, slate or concrete designs. Then elevate your luxury floor with design strips to replicate grouting, border details or an inset panel.
Image: Verona Quartzite, Art Select Range
A Kitchen In Disguise
A contemporary minimalist kitchen in a period home can make a big statement, transforming your space into something unique and unexpected. By using only base units paired with open shelving or a collection of unfitted furniture and an island bar, your kitchen could become almost invisible.
In this situation, taking the same flooring throughout your living spaces will further disguise the kitchen zone. Opt for the clean lines of a soft grey limestone like Caliza Classico or a light oak design with subtle markings and a hand scraped surface such as Damask Oak, both from the premium Art Select range.
Image: Caliza Classico, Art Select Range, credit Instagram @shiftabrick
For help selecting the most suitable floor for your new kitchen, or home in general, visit our Dudley, Tyseley or Shrewsbury showrooms, where you can see and feel the quality for yourself. You can also take samples home to try.
Explore the choice quality and value that Cousins has to offer and be advised by one of our friendly and knowledgeable flooring experts.
Did you know Cousins also provides a free measuring and estimating service?
Professional guaranteed fitting can also be arranged.
Cousins are able to meet your flooring needs whether it’s carpet for a main living space, dining room or bedroom, as well as the high wear areas of a hallway, kitchen or staircase.
Combining the right level of luxury and style with practicality and durability, Cousins’ flooring and carpet experts will be able to recommend the best solution to suit your lifestyle and everyday needs. Discover inspirational designs and expert advice plus, all the leading brand names.
