Problem
We want the floor to be comfortable, warm to the touch, inviting. But we also want it to be hard enough to resist wear, and easy to clean.
Solution
Zone the house, or building, into two kinds of zones: public zones, and private or more intimate zones. Use hard materials like waxed, red polished concrete, tiles, or hardwood in the public zones. In the more intimate zone, use an underfloor of soft materials, like felt, cheap nylon carpet, or straw matting, and cover it with clothes, and pillows, and carpets, and tapestries. Make a clearly marked edge between the two—perhaps even a step—so that people can take their shoes off when they pass from the public to the intimate.
Related Patterns
… this pattern tells you how to put the surface on the floors, to finish the Ground Floor Slab (215) and Floor-Ceiling Vaults (219). When properly made, the floor surfaces will also help intensify the gradient of intimacy in the building Intimacy Gradient (127).
On the hard floor, you can use the same floor as you use on outdoor paths and terraces - hand fired brick and tile - Soft Tile and Brick (248). On the soft intimate floors, use materials and cloths that are rich in ornament and color - Ornament (249), Warm Colors (250) …
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 1088.