The open concept design is an increasingly popular choice in home design, and there are many reasons to get on board with this exciting trend. Marked by wide open spaces — often a combined kitchen, dining room, and living room — open floor plans feel spacious and inviting. Not only are they ideal for smaller homes that can feel cramped by a traditional floor plan, but open concept design also fosters a sense of togetherness. Gone are the days when preparing a meal meant feeling cut off from your family or guests, because with open design, people can gather in a common multi-functional space rather than spreading out into separate rooms.

When it comes to new floors, decision fatigue is REAL. Even among flooring types that look like wood, you have many options to choose from! Figuring out where to start is often the hardest step. That’s why we’ve tapped blogger Jessica Kielman to walk you through how she decided on her new flooring when she renovated her home. (Spoiler alert: she went with laminate!)

The most popular trend in laminate flooring has nothing to do with your floors. More and more, everyone from DIYers to high-end designers are installing laminate flooring on walls. That’s right—walls.

Dogs are awesome. That’s a fact! But know that with dogs come wear-and-tear to your floors. From Great Danes to Teacup Yorkies, you can be sure that scratches and pet accidents will inevitably occur. While our ultimate goal as homeowners and dog owners is to love our pups, while living on floors we love, with the peace of mind to not stress about either, it’s easier said than done!

Parents of active kids know just how much wear and tear their little ones can dish out inside the home. The floors will be played upon, spilled on, chased on and will need to resist scratches and anything from markers and nail polish to sodas and messy food. With its durability, attractive visuals, budget-friendly price points and ease of maintenance, certain brands of laminate flooring make a great choice for families with children.

Although fulfilling, life with children and pets usually requires compromise, especially when it comes to decorating. You may be dreaming of a stunning suede couch in creamy white, for example, and unless you’re going to cover it in plastic, that dream is probably on hold until after the kids leave for college. We can’t help you with the couch, but if you’ve been dreaming of gorgeous wood floors, you don’t have to compromise anymore.

When creating a new look in a room or building a new home, beautiful wood flooring immediately comes to mind. From the natural look of fresh cut wood, to genuine details like grain and knots and the warm tonal variation found in many styles, wood floors simply shine. And when your floors are as revolutionary as RevWood Plus laminated wood flooring, floors that gives you complete wood beauty without compromising performance, it’s even easier to keep them shining!