Note: Our decorative border started about 8-1/2 inches from each side wall and was 11-1/2 inches wide (close to a full-size tile), including the 2-in. special-order dark cork strips. Avoid placing ...

This year we’re seeing a resurgence in some of the classic flooring finishes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s: think cork, terracotta, boldly patterned tiles, shag carpet and slate.

Cork is obtained from the bark of the cork oak, a slow-growing tree in the Mediterranean region that lives an average of 200 years. The valuable property of the cork oak is that it regenerates itself.