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Interior designer Aniela Thorman has described herringbone flooring as the “Live, Laugh, Love” of 2020s interiors, arguing that mass-market vinyl versions and repetitive use have weakened its appeal. Livingetc’s report presents this as a design opinion, not evidence that herringbone is broadly out of style; the pattern’s suitability depends on materials, architecture and personal taste.
Interior designer Aniela Thorman has called herringbone flooring the “Live, Laugh, Love” of the 2020s, arguing that its mass-market use—especially in luxury vinyl tile and grey finishes—has made the pattern feel overused in some modern homes. The comparison is her design judgment, reported by Livingetc; it does not establish that the flooring style is broadly out of fashion.
Thorman, of @foundry.interiors, told Livingetc that the pattern’s growing availability in lower-cost materials has changed how it is perceived. In her view, manufacturers use herringbone as a visual shortcut to make cheaper flooring appear more expensive. She also argues that the pattern can look out of place when it is separated from the period architecture with which it is historically associated.
Her criticism is aimed not only at the pattern but at how it is applied. Thorman said modern homes can be better served by straight-plank timber, which she believes can elongate walls and make a room appear larger. She also criticized the repeated pairing of herringbone with grey flooring and stark, neutral palettes, saying it can contribute to a generic look.
Livingetc’s report also considers the case for keeping the pattern. It describes designers and homeowners who continue to value herringbone for the movement and rhythm it can bring to a room. The supplied report excerpt ends before giving the opposing designers’ full arguments, so their views cannot be detailed here.
Why Material and Architecture Matter
The debate matters to people choosing flooring because a familiar pattern can look very different depending on its material, finish and setting. Thorman’s comments suggest that dissatisfaction may stem less from herringbone itself than from its repeated use in synthetic or visually generic interiors. That distinction is useful for homeowners weighing a renovation: a trend’s popularity does not, on its own, show whether it suits a particular room.
Her remarks also raise a broader design question about how online inspiration shapes home choices. Thorman said people can be funneled toward a single fashionable option rather than selecting a floor in response to a home’s proportions and architectural features. That is her professional observation, not a measured finding about consumer behavior, but it frames the issue as one of context and individuality rather than a simple verdict on a pattern.
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A Pattern With a Long History
Herringbone is a zigzag arrangement of flooring pieces. According to the Livingetc report, the pattern dates to the 16th century, drawing inspiration from stone formations in Ancient Rome before French aristocracy and nobility adapted it for wooden floors. The style became associated with luxury and elegance across Europe.
Thorman’s argument contrasts that history with contemporary uses in new-build homes. She says the pattern feels more at home in Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian properties, where it can sit alongside features such as crown molding and other period details. The article’s central point is that a design’s meaning can shift as materials, settings and popular combinations change—not that the historical pattern itself has changed.
“I called it that because of the massive influx of LVT (luxury vinyl tile) flooring. Because herringbone has become so accessible, mass-market manufacturers lean on it as a shortcut to make cheap materials look ‘high-end.'”
— Aniela Thorman, interior designer
No Broad Trend Verdict Yet
The source material provides one designer’s critique and says other designers remain supportive, but the supplied excerpt does not include their full comments or identify the extent of agreement among design professionals. It also offers no sales figures, consumer research or trend data showing whether herringbone flooring is losing popularity.
It is therefore unclear whether the pattern is becoming less fashionable overall, or whether Thorman is objecting chiefly to particular versions and combinations. The report does not establish that all vinyl flooring looks poor, that every modern home is unsuitable for herringbone, or that straight planks are universally a better choice.
Choose Floors for the Room
For readers planning a flooring project, the immediate next step is to judge samples in the actual space and consider the home’s architecture, proportions and preferred materials. Thorman’s comments point toward comparing herringbone with straight-plank options rather than treating either layout as a rule for every property.
The wider style question remains open. A clearer picture would require the full range of views from designers and evidence of how homeowners are choosing flooring. Until then, Livingetc’s report supports a narrower conclusion: herringbone remains a design option, while its fit and finish are being debated.
Key Questions
Has herringbone flooring gone out of style?
The supplied report does not establish that it has. Aniela Thorman’s comments are an individual design opinion, and the article also notes that some designers continue to favor the pattern.
Why did Aniela Thorman compare it to “Live, Laugh, Love” signs?
She said herringbone had become widely used in mass-market luxury vinyl tile, where the pattern can be used to make cheaper materials look high-end. She also criticized its repeated use in neutral modern interiors.
Does herringbone only work in period homes?
No such universal rule is established in the report. Thorman says the pattern is particularly suited to heritage buildings, but its comments do not prove that it cannot work in modern homes.
What flooring alternative does Thorman suggest?
She says longer, straight-plank timber can suit some modern spaces by elongating walls and visually expanding a room. That is her design assessment, not a guarantee for every layout.
Source: livingetc.com
