Polished Concrete Floors

When we bought our 1960's rancher, I admit that I was anxious to preserve many of the period quirks that had remained untouched by the previous owners. I'd even venture to say that renovation plans were at times even a bit near sighted in the quest to achieve the rambling poolside vintage ranch house of our my dreams (The Mister really has been sweet to let me live out this fantasy). The mod rod iron screens that once divided up the living room and double doors that had separated off the entry-way from the kitchen were two elements that initially took a bit of convincing to part with.  Eventually, I had to come to terms with the idea that just because they were original, it did not render them a good fit for our lifestyle or decorating sensibility, which was slowly edging away from mid-century modern to well... more modern.  Over the past three years, I've been learning to let go of other original to the house features that are just not a good fit for us. Case in point, the avocado green entryway tile.

I had sheepishly shared a snippet or two of the tile in a previous post. While it has remained in part due to the nostalgia that goes with it, I'd be remiss in not admitting that financially it was something we told ourselves we could just live with for a while until we had budget to redo it properly.

There were times when I kicked myself over the decision to leave it intact rather than include it when we replaced the floors elsewhere. I have to say though, it's also held up well as we tracked dirt and dust inside while working on other areas of the house.  Still, I can't help but think that a polished concrete entryway might just be the best fit for this old house (and our leaner budget) in the long run.  But lest I think we'd be relegated to a budget solution of bare concrete, it's reassuring to know that we still might have a few economical, yet stylistic options to customize and polish up our modernized entryway.

Design: YLAB Architectos / Photo: Jordi Canosa / Via:  Design Milk

 Whitewashed and polished. Big on style. Short on practicality. I love this look, but it might be a bit too high-brow for us. After all, we are dog-loving, yard-working, on-the-go, entertainers and our entry-way must stand up to our open door policy around these parts.

Table Mountain Creative

Brightly tinted. I'm a little in love with the thought of guests being greeted to a pop of color as our door opens. But I also know that I'm a fickle decorator. It's pretty likely that the romance will quickly fade.

Featured: Elle Decoration (Swedish ed.) // Photo: Petra Bindel // Via:  Solid Frog

Dark, scuffed and moody. The dark cast to this concrete finish would hold up well to traffic, but might be too lackluster for the breezy, welcoming impression we'd want to make in our home's entrance.

Collected Interiors

Light, warm and airy. The golden tones in this finish keep the look from growing too cold. They would also play well with the crushed granite in the planters right outside the door. 

Featured: Family Living // Photo: Jenny Brandt // Via: Emmas Designblogg

A low-sheen, matte finish. I like the low-maintenance, minimalistic look of a no-shine finish. Perhaps it's a bit too rustic though to play nicely with what we already have going on in the house. In another life maybe... 

Photo: Kailey J Flynn Photography // Via: Houzz

High gloss. It's  not the aggregate terrazzo tile in my vintage dreams. But, this sleek finish almost gives the impression of a finer polished stone at a fraction of the cost. We might have to put in a little more elbow grease, but few things make me happier than a high end looking result for very little cost.

*Intro image: Stéphane Quatresous of Atelier 154 // Photo: Mads Mogensen // Via: French by Design