The comprehensive report covers driving forces in the flooring industry, including priorities for both homeowners and interior designers
Anderson Tuftex, the premium hardwood and carpet brand of Shaw Industries Group Inc. (Shaw) has launched The 2027 Floor Forecast, a new trend report for the residential flooring industry. The report provides a comprehensive look at the evolving role of flooring in home design and renovation, exploring what homeowners and interior designers are prioritizing today and where the category is headed next.
To inform The 2027 Floor Forecast, Anderson Tuftex partnered with The Harris Poll to survey 512 high net worth homeowners and 251 interior designers who regularly work with flooring as part of their business about the state of the flooring industry in the U.S. Notably, slightly more than half of interior designers surveyed agreed that their clients’ willingness to invest in home improvements has increased significantly over the past few years. The report offers timely insight into how homeowners and designers are approaching these investments, including preferences around materials and aesthetics, sustainability, and durability.
According to the report, flooring is becoming more durable and design-forward, with both homeowners and designers prioritizing quality and longevity, while designers balance performance, aesthetics and sustainability. Looking ahead, sustainable materials, high-performance flooring, warm neutral palettes and smart innovations are expected to shape the category.
“By bringing together data and insights from designers and homeowners, the first Anderson Tuftex 2027 Floor Forecast provides a clearer view of the priorities and preferences shaping the flooring industry today,” said Bailey Walton, Vice President, Anderson Tuftex. “Our goal is to provide designers and flooring professionals with meaningful insights they can use to better understand where the industry is headed and make informed decisions for their businesses and clients. These findings will also help guide how we approach our own business, product development and the solutions we create for homeowners and designers in the years ahead.”
Key findings from the report include:
Flooring Designed for Durability: Investing Where it Matters
Homeowners are prioritizing quality and longevity when selecting flooring, with nearly 7 in 10 valuing flooring that lasts 15+ years. Additionally, 56% strongly agree that they are willing to pay a premium for long-lasting flooring, highlighting a willingness to invest where durability matters. First impressions are also important, with 63% strongly agreeing that the right flooring makes a strong impression when guests enter their home.
Firm Footing: What’s Trending in Hardwood
Hardwood flooring is trending toward a balanced look that combines natural beauty with visible craftsmanship, moving away from overly uniform designs. Among interior designers, solid/uniform finishes (52%) and light finishes (52%) are gaining popularity, while homeowners are gravitating toward wide-plank flooring (43%) and mixed-pattern designs (17%) for a more elevated, distinctive look.
Rolling Out a New Look: Carpet’s Comeback Story
Carpet is emerging as a more thoughtful, versatile flooring choice, with homeowners prioritizing performance-driven features designed for modern living. The most appealing features include carpet made for high-traffic areas (57%), pet stain and soil resistance (54%) and solid colors (51%). Interior designers are also taking a more intentional approach to carpet, with performance and natural materials emerging as key considerations; 31% always recommend performance carpet, while 29% always recommend wool carpet.
Color Considerations: Hardwood & Carpet
Hardwood continues to lean warm and natural, with 37% of homeowners favoring warm natural and honey tones, followed by 13% preferring medium and chocolate browns and 11% gravitating toward smoky midtones with soft hints of gray, charcoal or brown. In carpet, warm neutrals lead at 28%, followed by earthy, nature-inspired tones (16%) and cool grays/light gray (13%), highlighting a preference for versatile palettes that bring warmth and a sense of connection to nature.
Flooring Made for a Healthier Home & Planet
Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration in flooring decisions, but the data also points to a knowledge gap in the industry. While 60% of homeowners say sustainability is a crucial deciding factor, 52% say they’re “not too worried” about it, and 39% believe all flooring is about the same. Meanwhile, 80% of designers say clients frequently or always ask for sustainable flooring and 43% are proactively recommending it. The findings suggest that while homeowners may be interested in more sustainable options, there is an opportunity for designers and brands to lead consumer education.
Interior designers anticipate a continued evolution in flooring, with 65% predicting the popularity of carpet will rise over the next three years. Looking ahead, sustainable flooring, including natural, recyclable and low- or zero-carbon materials, is expected to have the biggest impact, followed by durable flooring such as waterproof, solid/hard composite and scratch- and stain-resistant options. Smart technology is also poised to play a growing role, with innovations like integrated sensors, click-lock features and temperature control emerging as areas of interest.
To view the full report and its findings, as well as more information on the methodology, please visit andersontuftex.com/2027TrendReport. To learn more about Anderson Tuftex and the vast portfolio of collections, please visit www.andersontuftex.com.
Harris Poll Methodology
The 2026 Trend Report was informed by a custom survey commissioned by Anderson Tuftex in partnership with The Harris Poll, a leading global market research firm. The research was conducted online from July 13th – July 29th, 2026 among 512 high net worth homeowners and 251 interior designers who regularly work with flooring as part of their business. Data for homeowners and interior designers was weighted in terms of U.S. Census on key demographics. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ± 5.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level for the high-net-worth homeowners, and within ± 9.0 percentage points using a 95% confidence level for the interior designers. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed populations of interest. For complete survey methodology, please contact [email protected].
