Because floors set the tone of the room - the look and feel of a room - the flooring material is very important; which flooring material should be used will be based on how a room is used. For example, a room in which there is heavy foot traffic needs a hard wearing floor where as a bedroom floor should be to be soft and cozy on the feet.

When it comes to the latest trends in flooring hard surfaces are dominating the home decorators flooring choice, but this years carpeting trends continue to move toward softer and more luxurious looks. Another of the latest trends in floor covering is broadloom and area rugs. They not only add warm and comfort to a room, but rugs are also the hottest decorating feature this year.

Let's take a look at the latest flooring trends and help you determine which flooring

• Cork Flooring- This type of flooring is comfortable to walk on, incredibly warm underfoot, and can be very beautiful as well.

• Bamboo Flooring - this is an environmentally friendly hardwood, and bamboo is fast becoming one of the most popular flooring trends. In fact, Bamboo floors are certainly the latest trend for 2006.

• Laminate Flooring - This type of flooring was originally from Europe; however, laminate floors have taken over the floor covering market all over the world because they offer the practical benefits of being durable, hard wearing, and beautiful.

• Hardwood Floors - If you want durability nothing lasts like real wood floors. Todays hardwood floors are adding old world elegance with a new twist, and are certainly one of the latest trends in floor covering.

• Vinyl Flooring - This is the budgeters dream, as it offersthe look of stone, ceramic tiles and hardwood, but at a fraction of the cost. Sheet vinyl and vinyl tiles are a great solution for today's homeowner looking for quality, lots of choices, and design.

• Linoleumhttp://www.flooring-trends.com/linoleum.html - While this is an old favorite, new designs and looks are giving linoleum a comeback. It is the original environmentally friendly floor covering, and is available in a wide selection of colors and patterns, suitable for any floor covering solution.

• Ceramic Floor Tile - These are steadily growing in popularity, and offer timeless beauty and durability, so they are a great purchase.

• Rugs - Rugs are the latest trend because they can add versatile splashes of color which ground a room, giving it personality and function. Plus, rugs can be changed out making them easy to remove or replace.

• Carpet - carpet is the most practical home flooring; it brings color and warmth into every room. Endless patterns, colors and textures still make carpet the number one selling floor covering today.

As you can see the latest trends in floor covering are the trends that have been around for ages, only now it is newer designs and styles, but the same idea. If you aren't sure which floor covering you want, it is always safe to go with a beautiful hardwood or a neutral versatile carpet as these will always be timeless classics as well as the latest trend of floor covering.