Fabulous Floors Spring 2104 by Fabulous Floors Magazine

Beautiful Home Interiors Begin With

f loors FABULOUS

No. 41, 2014

™

KATHY IRELAND says “YES!” … to Exquisite Luxury featuring Area Rugs from Nourison DESIGN FOR A DIFFERENCE International Design Guild 2014 Contest with Emmy® Award Winning Celebrity Designer Mark Brunetz

HOT NEW PRODUCTS!

Carpet, Tile, Resilient, Laminate, Wood and more

Whatever your customer’s budget, lifestyle, or decorating style – she can get the look and feel of real wood from Mannington.

ADURA®

Avalon in Cabana Brown

PORCEL AIN

L A M I N AT E

HARDWOOD

LV S

Wilderness in Dry Kindle

Riverside in Natural

Georgetown in Walnut

Tacoma in Redwood

MANN IN GTO N.COM 1. 8 0 0 . 3 5 6 . 678 7

International Edition No. 41 | 2014 Welcome to the Spring 2014 issue of FABULOUS FLOORS, a consumer magazine

One of several patterns from The Striations Collection by Silver Creek.

On the cover: Magnolia HDP from Florida Tile in color Fir.

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE STORIES

TILE IN STYLE

Timeless Tile… today’s tile continues to wed tradition with technological innovation and fashion-forward design.

10 TILE TRENDS

CARPET COUTURE

The softest, hardest working and most beautiful carpets for 2014! 42

ALWAYS RESILIENT

Today’s designers have embraced resilient’s innovative flooring options such as sheet vinyl and LVT. See what’s new for this year. 48

ROMANCING THE STONE

The story of Granite as told by Planeta Pedra 14 TILE CIRCLE

Creating a New Niche In An Age-Old Market 18

HARDWOOD FLOORING—THE HIDDEN QUALITY EXPOSED

Look beyond the color and surface texture… Learn about the “unseen qualities.” 32 A WORD ABOUT WOOL

Wool’s ability to age gracefully is one of its most enduring qualities. 36 LET’S START FROM THE GROUND UP— INTERVIEW WITH KATHY IRELAND

Kathy Ireland shares with Fabulous Floors her design philosophies and her new line of rugs with partner Nourison. 40

ASID AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Next Generation Vinyl — designers boast of its design and fashion-forward innovations.

UNDERFOOT

Area Rugs 101. Choosing an area rug can seem overwhelming at first. Learn the steps to finding the right size, color and shape for your décor.

51 KEEPING YOUR NEW LAMINATE FLOOR LOOKING FABULOUS

SUBSCRIBE TO FABULOUS FLOORS MAGAZINE

67 WHERE TO GO WHEN THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR FLOOR

Available in both digital and print editions 68

DESIGNERS SHOWCASE

Fabulous Floors welcomes you to the world of Traditional Floors and Design Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. 62

What’s the latest in tile? Size, shapes, looks and colors. Courtesy of Daltile

ON THE BOARDS

Adventures in Laminate. At first you may not believe your eyes: The range of looks in laminate flooring is breathtaking. 54

Featuring new looks from Florida Tile

WOODN’T IT BE NICE

Designers look at wood as a large neutral palette; now with even more options in size, grains and colors, the design possibilities are endless.

SPRING’S BUSTIN’ OUT ALL OVER IN TILE STYLE

Advice from experts on simple ways to care for your floor.

There is help when something happens to your new floor.

FIND FLOORING FAST

A buyer’s guide to what’s inside this issue

AGING IN PLACE

The story of the Universal Design trend 72

DESIGN FOR A DIFFERENCE

International Design Guild 2014 Design Contest 74

LIVE NATURALLY… CHOOSE WOOL

Stronger, Smarter, Safer...The Story of Warrior Wool!

Subscribe online today! For more useful information and complete back issues... visit us online!

fabulousfloorsmagazine.com *Subscriptions $9.95/yr *Back issues $5.95 *Higher outside US For reprints, WEB and other uses, call (US) 678.761.5002

SPRING 2014

Novel Ideas in Design

Elizabeth Andrews

point of view |

pring is a time for renewal. It starts with color, and as it winds its way to Summer, Spring inspires us to look at our homes in new and different ways. Call them “novel” approaches to decorating … playing off the novel theme, as in literature and novel décor. Interior design is like writing a novel in that it is a journey with wonderful personal insights you can present to others in so many ways. Think of the elements of a good story – presentation, character, tone, theme – and you’ll find each of them in carpet, wood, laminate, tile, area rugs and resilient flooring. And with what’s out there to choose from as manufacturers continue to send more ideas your way, you get to write the book! … Any way you want!

Spring Inspirations We had the opportunity to chat with Kathy Ireland. In a wide-ranging interview, Kathy shared with Fabulous Floors her life and design philosophies and her beautiful new line of area rugs by Nourison. (See pages 36–39.) Founded in 1993, the Kathy Ireland Worldwide® brand celebrates a lifestyle with the missions of… “…finding solutions for families, especially busy moms™;” “…finding solutions for people in love™;” and “…finding solutions for people in business™.” These missions inform all kiWW® collections, including fashion, fine jewelry, intimate apparel, accessories, weddings, home, office and more. Plus, The International Design Guild and Emmy Award-winning celebrity designer and author Mark Brunetz shares with us DESIGN FOR A DIFFERENCE, a contest created to encourage designers to give back to their local communities via design makeovers for local charities. Changing Lives . . . One space at a time. Inside the pages of this issue, there are plenty of ideas to investigate. New products in every flooring category for 2014! With good story lines, the potential for a novel décor is endless!

floors FABULOUS

™

2014 No. 41

SUBSCRIBE ONLINE! www.fabulousfloorsmagazine.com MARGO RODGERS LOCUST Publisher & Editor-In-Chief margo@fabulousfloorsmag.com LISBETH CALANDRINO Associate Publisher & Director of Social Media lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com RON TOELKE Creative Director ron@toelkeassociates.com MARSHA HOWLAND Senior Editor MARTINA BRANDT Administrative Assistant EMMANUEL LOCUST Director Trade Show & Event Operations Emmanuel@fabulousfloorsmag.com BARBARA KEMPLER-TOELKE Editorial Assistant RAY STEWART Production Manager ray@stewart-comm.com ALEXANDER & ASSOCIATES Newsstand Director KRISTEN JOSEPH ISAAC Webmaster & Developer of New Media webmaster@fabulousfloorsmag.com SPECIAL FEATURE WRITERS BRIDGETTE KELLY Contributing Writer, UK ALEX ROSS fabfloorsalex@gmail.com JEANETTE CHASWORTH Jeanette@thecolorwhisperer.com SENIOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS E. A. O’Connell, Marsha Howland, Paul Friederichsen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Don Rountree, Gina Smith, Seth S. Rodgers, Marjorie Dunning, T. C. Lovett, Jasmine Grey, Betty Isaacson

 SONNA CALANDRINO  Founder and Publisher Emerita Editorial & Advertising Offices

PO Box 2166, Dalton, GA 30722 678.761.5002

Happy Spring, Margo Locust Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

FABULOUS FLOORS MAGAZINE is published quarterly by Fabulous Floors Magazine, LLC, PO Box 2166 Dalton, GA 30722, a Georgia LLC. Fabulous Floors assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photos, images or artwork. The FABULOUS FLOORS logo is a trademark of Fabulous Floors Magazine, LLC. Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and timeliness of information, FABULOUS FLOORS cannot be held responsible for discrepancies, discontinuance of product nor color reproduction.

INDUSTRY PARTNER

Full-text content licensed to EBSCO Publishing research databases at www.ebscohost.com.

FABULOUSfloors

www.godfreyhirstusa.com SPRING 2014

tile in style |

Timeless Tile

A gentler, more refined wood . . . that’s Ragno USA’s WOODSTYLE, a contemporary, nuanced porcelain, drawn from the inspiration of rich hardwoods with soft scraped grain effects. Three authentic wood colors are offered as large-format planks in 6" × 48" and 8" × 48" for creative floors and can readily transition to backsplashes or entire walls. Because natural woods face challenges in these environments, WOODSTYLE is a viable option for showers, spas, patios, steamrooms and outdoor uses.

FABULOUSfloors

BY LISBETH CALANDRINO, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

sing materials as old as the Earth itself, tile is the perfect embodiment of artistic imagination, practicality and environmental responsibility. It’s a look for any season of the year and any season in life. Tile, whether it’s stone, ceramic or porcelain, glass, metal or any other material, is all about creating an environment that’s every bit as individual as we are. Today’s tile continues to wed tradition and technological innovation as fashion-forward design artists hearken back to ancient artisans for inspiration. >>

Shaw’s Ashford Versailles Latte tiles create a one-of-a-kind floor with a distressed, rich stone look. At top: Florim Urban Wood in color Walnut Urban Wood offers the look of crafted hardwood flooring with the benefits of porcelain tile.

SPRING 2014

tile in style | By its very nature, tile is an international ambassador, full of global perspective and style. What a great excuse to use our design imagination to transport us to a faraway destination. Look for different patterns, shapes and sizes, for sure, but explore, too, the possibilities inherent in the subtleties of textures offered by irregularly finished terracotta or travertine sheens from matte to gloss. Tile presents every kind of real and visual texture, ranging from a rough plaster look to fauxpainted or stenciled images, wood-look plank looks, even oneof-a-kind, 3-D sculptured pieces. Are you ready to incorporate tile into your décor? As you read on, you will see some of the newest and most innovative tile selections to date. What style is YOUR tile? ■ At top: Mohawk’s Villareal porcelain tile Santa Flavia in Mocha Latte is available in a variety of sizes and styles. Above: American Olean’s Costa Rei tiles offer a classic, contemporary look. Below: Tarvisio in Copper Summit is a natural-stone look tile from Mohawk.

FABULOUSfloors

The look of natural fine wood graining and contemporary colorations in TREVERKCHIC makes it a standout among wood-look porcelain tiles. These tiles come in plank-like lengths ( 6”x48” and 9”x48” sizes) and resemble refined traditional woods that have been revitalized with energized color shades to fit right into today’s homes.

Large floral patterns boasting a cascade of nature-inspired colors are springing up in the latest tile décor collections. These tiles include subtle pastels from pearl gray to soft, luminous blues on a silver field to tone-on-tone amber or dusty rose. These larger organic patterns are striking on both floors and walls. Texture is definitely in, including embossed honeycomb patterns – anything, in fact, that creates a distinctive visual and tactile effect. Tiles may be sculpted, embossed or etched to create differing sensations. Pebble tile, embedded in a mesh backing, or other textured materials add both visual and practical elements when considering slip-resistance in a bath or pool area. ■

Fabulous stone looks from Tiles of Spain. Above: Azulev’s Legend Perla in Alba; below, Halcon’s Botticino.

SPRING 2014

tile in style |

BY RICHARD HOWLAND

Spring’s bustin’ out all over in tile style The industry is all abuzz this Spring about what’s new in tile, the new looks in wood and stone, new sizes and formats.

rom Florida Tile’s perspective, this is a good thing. The market is just catching up to the company’s visionary approach to design and know-how that started years ago.

As a reader of Fabulous Floors you’ve already experienced many of those leading-edge Florida Tile designs. You know they are not just for floors; they’re for walls, counters, backsplashes, patios, spas, pools, walkways and more. When you combine all those applications with the new looks in wood and stone, for example, and new contemporary shapes and sizes, it’s easy to see, and then seize the opportunity to express yourself in tile, especially porcelain. The properties of porcelain tile make it incredibly rugged for virtually any application, indoors and out. The materials comprising porcelain tile together with high-temperature manufacturing make porcelain tile incredibly resistant to abrasion, wear, slipping, very high and very low temperatures (even freezing!) and impact. (With cleaning being one of our themes this issue, know this: tile in general is very easy to keep clean, which is why it is found so often in environments where sanitary conditions are a must.) After construction come the breadth of design technologies like ink jet printing and stamping that yield incredible looks in new or rustic wood, travertine, slate and marble, right down to the appearance of vintage hardwoods or recently quarried Italian stone, even the “city look“ of concrete. Best illustrating that are three Florida Tile HDP High Definition Porcelain® lines: Magnolia, featuring the look of this fra-

Aventis High Definition Porcelain from Florida Tile.

FABULOUSfloors

grant and iconic hardwood of the American South; Mingle, which brings together the best looks of Travertine, Marble and Limestone in one new style; and Aventis, a contemporary urban design in a strong, six-color palette. According to Sean Cilona, Florida Tile’s marketing director, “Aventis is inspired by the weathered urban landscape. Using strong grays, cream, black and olive tones, Aventis projects a clean, cool, metro look.” Thus the ultimate beauty of porcelain tile is that it is easy to incorporate a variety of looks and shapes into unique settings. Consider a city loft with concrete and rustic, hand-scraped wood for that look of a re-purposed industrial building. Or, a southern hardwood and marble and granite for that ante bellum plantation look. In addition to potential cost savings to achieve a wood or stone look, another major reason to consider, then select, porcelain is that it performs better in terms of wear and care than the original material. What you get with porcelain are venerable looks with the high-performance attributes of man-made materials. Now that Spring has finally come and it’s time to scratch that seasonal itch to redecorate, the editors of Fabulous Floors think porcelain tile needs to be on your shopping list. What you’ll explore are classic looks in contemporary shapes and sizes. ■

Magnolia High Definition Porcelain in Burl from Florida Tile.

The Modern Definition

of Luxury

For sixty years, Florida Tile has been a benchmark in the industry. As an innovator, we have marked many accomplishments, from building the first floor tile plant in the USA to introducing the first digitally printed products with our HDP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; High Definition Porcelain lines. Throughout our history Florida Tile has been a pioneer, but equally as important, we have been a guideline for style. Making products that are both practical and fashionable is what we are all about, and tile never looked so good.

Visit Florida Tile at Coverings Booth #11049 SPRING 2014

tile in style |

TILE T

rends in tile take some time to get seeded, but once a trend is identified, it tends to evolve and last well beyond its time of origin. Following are top trends we’ve seen over the course of the year that we anticipate will continue to remain popular in the near future.

Wood Trends Wood looks are clearly among the hottest trends in the industry today. The use of tile that emulates wood is a style trend gaining momentum in both floor and wall applications for several years. Designers have specifically been leaning toward long, linear plank sizes, which homeowners are adopting as well. What was first introduced as a traditional take on hardwood floors has evolved to include more colors and textures to choose from than ever before. Wood looks with warm, rustic visuals and various structures are quite common, while water-stained and brushed visuals have recently been introduced. These products typically are offered in multicolor blends that are very authentic looking. Hardwoods have an aesthetic design appeal but are limited in application. Porcelain tile that realistically mimics the look of various types of hardwood allows for the beauty of wood with the long-lasting durability and ease of maintenance of porcelain tile. This provides unlimited application options, including hightraffic areas and places exposed to high moisture levels, such as the kitchen and bathroom.

Size Trends Daltile Exhibition Color Body Porcelain Tiles offer a variety of modern looks.

FABULOUSfloors

Rectangular sized tile in both floor and wall applications continue to be extremely popular; specifically, long, linear plank sizes. Planks are often being used on both the floor and on the wall. This results in many more pattern options, which designers are using more frequently to create unique designs.

LORI KIRK-ROLLEY, VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND MARKETING, DALTILE

Trends In terms of trends, we’ll continue to see larger and larger sizes being used, as manufacturing capabilities become even more sophisticated. We also anticipate that the various shapes of tile will continue to evolve.

Material Trends Dimensionality is also a growing trend, especially on the wall. Tile is no longer square and flat — it’s texture and dimension that dominate the market. Mosaics and wall tiles create visual relief by using highs and lows, bringing depth and dimension to any design project. Ways to achieve this look can also include “Tone on Tone” patterning with various shapes, finishes and textures combined.

Color Trends Neutrals like black, white and especially gray are commonly being used together throughout interiors today to achieve a monochromatic look. When paired with bolder color options or splashes of color in accents, these neutral tones create an air of sophistication in any space.

FROM DALTILE Top left: Acacia Valley Color Body Porcelain. Top right: Daltile Imagica Color Body Porcelain. Center left: Daltile Exquisite Glazed Porcelain Floor and Glazed Ceramic Wall. Center right: Daltile Season Wood Color Body Porcelain. At bottom: Daltile Clio Mosaics.

SPRING 2014

tile in style |

Speak out, speak loud, speak easy… Make a bold statement in your design with SpeakEasy, Crossville’s latest porcelain tile collection that captures the look of rugged, real barn wood and fencing in elegantly executed, large format tile planks. SpeakEasy’s convincing interpretation of wood’s appearance and texture lets you go against the grain, using porcelain tile in place of hardwood without sacrificing the style you desire. The line’s five colors — Sidecar, Zoot Suit, Sweet Georgia Brown, Silver Screen and Bank Roll — mimic the look of stained timber in a range of tones. The plank sizes, available in 6" × 36", 8" × 36" and 12" × 36", enhance the wood-like effect. Work with a single shade and size for a time-honored, traditional style, or mix colors and sizes for a custom installation that gives tradition a twist. SpeakEasy is made in the U.S.A. through Crossville’s EcoCycle Tile Process™, contains a minimum of 4 percent thirdparty recycled content and is Green Squared Certified. It’s recommended for commercial and residential installations, including interior floors and walls and exterior vertical surfaces. Anywhere you want to add depth, character and rugged elegance to your design…SpeakEasy.

Garden Porcelain Tile Collection from Crossville Engineered for Optimal Outdoor Performance Garden is a porcelain tile collection created specifically for outdoor applications. It has the clefted surface and resistance to temperature shifts that outdoor installations require. The collection replicates the appearance of natural stone by converging authentically nuanced color and shading with richly textured surfaces. “The three colors mimic the look of stones commonly used in landscape design, so that paved pathways harmonize with nature for a cohesive environment,” Lindsey Waldrep, Director of Marketing explains. “When our Hydrotect™ coating is applied to Garden, the tiles are able to not only blend with nature, but they act like nature — thanks to nitrogen oxide-reducing, air cleaning properties that Hydrotect gives.” This unique collection is globally sourced; resistant to chemicals, moisture and extreme temperatures regardless of the climate; and offers a high dynamic

FABULOUSfloors

coefficient of friction (DCOF). It is recommended for use on exterior floors and walls and interior transitional spaces in commercial and residential environments. For more information on Garden, visit the product page at crossvilleinc.com.

Garden Tile by Crossville

ROMANCING THE STONE “Every great love starts with a great story...”

ormed from fire consisting of burning quartz, feldspar and mica, granite began as a molten, flowing mass much like lava, and as it cooled it became very dense and hard. In fact, granite is second only to diamonds in its hardness. Many recognize granite because it is the most common igneous rock found on the Earth’s surface, and because this stone is used to make many objects that we encounter in daily life. Granite is resistant to blistering, scratching, cracking and scorching, and is the number one choice in natural stone for kitchen counter tops, bath, floor tiles, paving stone, curbing, stair treads, building veneer and cemetery monuments. Polished granite, with its high gloss, reflects light beautifully, adding elegance to any room or space. And it’s loved for its high gloss finish, which will never wear off! Granite is easy to clean with just warm water and a soft cloth.

What Color is YOUR Granite?

unique pattern is intriguing and adds to the beauty of the stone. Planeta Pedra specializes in multicolored exotic granites, currently offering 32 exotic colors. Fall in love with the colors of Autumn Leaf, White Ice, Soap Stone, Blue Fire, Brownie or Ivory Minsk. The design possibilities are endless.

A Firm Foundation. QUALITY. Granites are quarried throughout the world in the form of huge blocks and then reduced into slabs. Planeta Pedra prides itself on quality. Its slabs are carefully crafted and fabricated by streamlined, state-of-the-art machines used to cut and polish the granite. Quality control is second to none. Each slab is personally inspected twice by Planeta Pedra’s quality control team. For more information. visit www.planetapedra.com .

Granite displays an array of patterns or veining. Many stones rarely change in their tight quartz-like appearance, while others have veins that swirl and change irregularly. For many, the

Above: Granite quarry; far right: close up of granite slab.

Left: Any kitchen is made more beautiful and functional with granite countertops.

SPRING 2014

tile in style |

TileCircle.com Creating a New Niche in an Age-Old Market Creating a niche in the flooring industry isn’t easy. But every so often, something new comes along. So it is with a two-year-old company, TileCircle.com, and its creator, Kelly Akehurst. Kelly has an eye for the unusual and believed there was a void in the high-end tile industry. Her thought was to create affordable, handmade mosaics, with one of the specialties in mosaics made with a mother of pearl finish. “I just love mother of pearl,” says Kelly. “It is both elegant and Old World. I decided to give it a modern twist. Tile Circle sources high-quality materials and turns them into unusual floor and wall products.” Her customers range from architects and interior designers to consumers who are looking specifically for mother of pearl. The other niche is online sales. Kelly eschewed the brick and mortar business; instead, she built her business online. One doesn’t have to look very hard to realize that the online business is high growth. Tile Circle’s website abounds with testimonials; you’ll be amazed at how many people rave about the company’s customer service. In February 2014, TileCircle.com was awarded “Best of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design with more than 16 million monthly users. Kelly also promotes the “personal touch” by meeting with architects and interior designers, helping them specify and understand how to install her products. Customers buy from the manufacturer with no middleman. This makes the products’ prices reasonable and connects the customer to the source. In the future, Kelly sees a continued focus on design, customer service and building company culture. “At Tile Circle we are working continuously on new designs. This spring we are introducing an interlocking marble mosaic pattern collection designed so that you cannot see where one tile begins and the other ends. It’s quirky and fun,” Kelly says. Kelly can be reached at 212-920-4601.

Mother of Pearl Kitchen

Mother of Pearl Backsplash

FABULOUSfloors

Mother of Pearl Counter and Backsplash

INSIDE or OUT “URBAN WOOD” — A STUNNING WOOD-LOOK PORCELAIN TILE Urban Wood from Florim USA is a beautiful new porcelain tile range which is ideal for any space, especially for creative projects where real wood is typically not specified, perhaps kitchens or bathrooms. Additionally, it offers a natural appearance with the perks of tile when installed on patios and other outdoor areas. You get the look of real wood while benefiting from the ease of maintenance offered by porcelain tile. Urban Wood has a through-color porcelain body combined with an incredibly realistic wood-look surface, created by cutting-edge High Definition Graphic (HDG) Technology. Urban Wood tiles use smaller grout joints, which adds to the newly tiled area the look of real wood. And for you, the smaller the grout joints means a floor that’s easier and faster to clean. ■

Above: URBAN WOOD Ash. Below left: URBAN WOOD White Birch with birch and wenge on wall. Below: URBAN WOOD Oak.

Tilin’ & Stylin’ Following some dark economic times, the watchword now seems to be light. Belief in a brighter future. An emerging optimism. And certainly a resurgent appreciation of home. Designers are clearly smitten with the way tile enhances light, encouraging it to bounce, pool, glow, flow, ripple and glide. Glass tiles are especially suited to modern kitchens and elegantly remodeled baths, softening and deepening the space around you. Tile is durable, easy to clean and environmentally friendly — made of natural and recyclable materials that now include electronic components — and impervious to odors, allergens and bacteria. There are even 12" × 12" aluminum tiles that can be snapped into place for a sparkling workshop or garage floor. Underneath the delicate and dazzling looks of tile is a rugged practicality. New pre-mixed grouts and mortars, offered in a full spectrum of colors, install much more quickly, saving time for contractors and lowering costs for consumers. The latest interlocking, self-leveling technologies even allow installation of a floating floor. And radiant heat can readily be installed under tile. While home start-ups might still be a growing whisper, home renovations are now all the buzz. And if the theme is light, then tile is the perfect choice. Sponsored by FloorMax....

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823 SPRING 2014

woodn’t it be nice |

Springtime in the Woods

BY JASMINE GREY

Left: Shaw’s Smooth Sailin’ in Marina. These maple, velvety-smooth 5"-wide planks come in natural colors that transform your space into a relaxed, private retreat. Opposite page top: Nydree White Oak in Symphony. Rift and quartersawn white oak flooring makes for a stunning addition to any space where durability and style are a must.

FABULOUSfloors

s a natural product, wood grows. With the help of an increasingly responsible industry and advanced stewardship practices, the resource is not only protected so it continues to produce this precious commodity, few people actually know that there is now more standing timber in the US, for example, than 50 years ago.

Wood for flooring is also growing in terms of product offerings. For a fabulous floor, that’s where the action truly is. Wood flooring options are getting physically larger, and it’s hard to keep up with the number of selections! Want wider? You’ve got it. Want a variety of colors, even in the same species? You’ve got it. Want an unusual surface treatment? You’ve got it. So, where do we start? Designers look at a wood floor as a large, neutral palette, even with all its color, grain and texture. That’s one reason wood is timeless. In the pages to follow, check out the latest technologies available in wood flooring options from the names you’ve come to know and a few new kids on the block, too! >>

Mohawk’s Rockford Maple engineered wood flooring in 5"-wide Crema Maple.

SPRING 2014

woodn’t it be nice |

Hardwood Flooring — The Hidden Quality Exposed!

hen selecting hardwood flooring as designers or purchasing it as consumers, we tend to forget that wood, as a natural living product, is very different from other flooring materials. Wood flooring has characteristics that need to be understood to appreciate the true value of the finished product. Quite simply, the underlying quality of the finished product sample we see in the store is determined by far more criteria than simply the look and color of the product on the display. But how do you convey this “unseen” quality story to the unwary decision maker? Hung Chen, a wood scientist (University of Minnesota) and president of Allwood Group in Portland, OR, is quick to point out that “What we see is not necessarily what we get.” The process that moves the wood from the forest to the floor is many faceted, and any compromise along the way will affect the quality of the finished product. The season in which some woods are harvested and the schedule under which the wood is dried can determine whether the wood is under stress prior to production. Then, in production, milling the product in a manner solely to save material and thereby lower cost can build inherent stress in the finished product. The result is a product that may look great but that will not stand up as well to day-today and eventually decade-to-decade life as a product that is produced with care and commitment to optimize quality. The product will react more aggressively to a catastrophic event (large spill, dramatic moisture level changes) than the quality product.

Above: Forest harvesting; right: Flooring production.

● But how do you tell the difference? Well, therein lies the conundrum! You simply can’t! And when the product breaks down after a number of months or years, or overreacts to a catastrophic event, how do you determine what truly caused it? Frankly, you don’t.

● So what’s the solution? Mrs. Chen suggests you simply don’t compromise the purchase. In a typical room in the home, the difference between a good-quality hardwood floor and a compromise is perhaps $2.00 per square foot for the flooring or $300 for a typical room. Installation and all associated costs don’t change. A consumer will pay that for a small area rug, a nice cocktail table, curtains, a few lamps — all of which will most likely be gone in 7 to 10 years. The flooring will still be there and should typically be there for decades. So why would we want to compromise it? The “bottom line” is this: Buy your hardwood flooring from a reputable flooring dealer that has professional staff and carries quality products from reputable companies which specialize in hardwood flooring. ■ 18

FABULOUSfloors

Quality Control

Street of Dreams Allwood Smoked Oak makes an impact at showcase event. Subtly enhanced by smoke, the special rustic grading of this white oak is hand sorted and oil finished. Sizes 9⁄16" × 7 7⁄16", or 9⁄16" × 5" in mixed random lengths to over 6'. See our entire product line online, or call to schedule a visit from our mobile showroom — on tour through 2014.

www.allwoodgrp.com | 1-855-245-1080 SPRING 2014

woodn’t it be nice | As one designer said, as you begin your plan, look at the floor like life, in broad strokes, because it is the floor that should be what you focus on first; from there, everything else in your scheme springs to life! Wood provides color...and texture, too! And not just in shades of brown. With wood from all over the world available to you, and with modern colorizing techniques (like staining, heating and smoking, painting, pickling, embedding metallic strips and flakes in the finish — even methods of reducing color density and bleaching), flooring can be any color you wish. Think possibilities from linen whites to ebony blacks to virtually any color of the rainbow. Choosing a hardwood floor for your home can be a daunting experience. You are investing a substantial amount of money, and the floor will be in your home for many years. ■

Mannington Black Isle Hickory combines subtle embossing, scraping, multiple stain layers and a fine drybrush print to create a one-of-a kind floor.

Nydree White Oak Symphony. Fabulous graining with a UV protectant finish.

FABULOUSfloors

Laying a Foundation

our floor might not be the first thing you point out to guests when they enter your home. The flooring you choose, however, sets the stage for your overall design. Classic hardwoods create the perfect canvas, permitting décor to take center stage. With Nydree Flooring you can set your stage with commercial-quality wood flooring. More than 50 styles on 14 naturalcolored woods with 13 impregnation color options give you a range of options to create the perfect palette for any room. You’ll love the Korus line’s acrylic-impregnated technology, with color that goes through the wear layer. The color you see today will be the color you see in a decade. It’s also built to last; Korus hardwoods are up to 300 percent harder than natural hardwood. Nydree’s focus on sustainability means the flooring in your home is FloorScore certified and formaldehyde free. Sustainability at home also means giving back through the Tuli One program that provides widows and orphans in Nkwazi and Mapalo, Zambia, Africa, with a safe home. Nydree Flooring helps create and sustain four group homes with caregivers who encourage and provide basic necessities for orphans who attend school in the area. For more information and to directly purchase products in the Korus line, visit koruswoodflooring.com.

Above: Kährs Earth Artisan Collection offers a rustic, handscraped floor. At right: Shaw Sutton Mountain in Burnt Barnwood. Tiny purls of texture make up this finish, which is enhanced by the natural variations within the wood.

This Product is Pure Genius The Future Is Here: Smart Flooring!

he first of its kind, Pure Genius® smart hardwood flooring by Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring improves the indoor air quality of your home while beautifying its décor. Pure Genius is a light-activated, air-purifying agent made of titanium dioxide integrated into Lauzon’s Titanium floor finish. It breaks down environmental contaminants on contact and transforms them into harmless molecules. Its constant and consistent action is so effective over time that it makes indoor air up to 85 percent cleaner. It’s like having three trees filtering your home’s air! Pure Genius truly is a high-quality, intelligent flooring that comes in a range of styles and finishes that decompose bacteria, viruses and molds and reduce potential carcinogens by constantly transforming toxic airborne particles into harmless water and carbon dioxide molecules. Available at specialty flooring retailers across the U.S. For more information, visit www.lauzonflooring.com.

Lauzon Pure Genius gives the traditional flooring a new twist with a unique air purifying system within the floor itself.

SPRING 2014

woodn’t it be nice |

Below: River Recovered Antique Heart Pine Select. Antique heart pine is valued by discriminating homeowners, designers, architects and builders who create contemporary and traditional homes and offices. At bottom: River Recovered Antique Heart Pine Select.

Reclaimed Riverwood from Goodwin Heart Pine

ounded in 1976, Goodwin Company is the building design industry’s trusted partner and resource for fine antique reclaimed, river-recovered and precision engineered wood flooring. Whether you prefer the timeless beauty of antique heartpine, the allure of heart cypress or another species of sustainable wood, Goodwin handcrafts a floor designed especially for you. Owner and founder George Goodwin personally examines each board, so you are assured your floor was produced to the industry’s highest standards. Perhaps this is why architects, designers and builders specify Goodwin’s products for use in luxury residential homes, historical renovations and commercial installations. Prominent projects that used Goodwin Company wood floors include This Old House corporate offices; private residences of Bob Villa, Paul McCartney, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ted Turner; Weyland Art Gallery; Brownwood at The Villages; and the Texas Governor’s Mansion. For more information, visit www.heartpine.com.

Gorgeous... AND Eco-Friendly!

rom its familiar honey tones to the newest reds, greens and chocolates, cork floor and wall tiles, beautiful to look at yet easy to care for, are distinctly soft and warm. A cork floor is both durable and fashionable, with the added bonus of insulating against noise and temperature change while repelling insects, allergens and water. And the peeled bark of this coastal Mediterranean tree simply grows back for future harvests. A bamboo floor is another versatile, ecofriendly choice, offering a broad array of gorgeous hand-scraped, strand-woven, solid and laminate finishes. Technically a grass, bamboo (planks, boards or tiles) creates a uniquely textured, Asian feel.

Tira Areia from the Almada Collection from US FLOORS.

FABULOUSfloors

Bamboo Floors: Eco-Friendly and Good for the Planet

amboo is among the most versatile, rapidly renewable and environmentally friendly natural resources on the planet. In custom home, condominium or coastal beachfront property, bamboo floors combine highflying style, value and performance. All with a serious nod to the “green” movement. For today’s educated consumer, knowledge is king. Researching the green attributes and claims of flooring manufacturers is paramount to making the right flooring choice. Bamboo, actually a member of the grass family, is recognized by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as a rapidly renewable resource. Emerging as small shoots, bamboo trees grow to between 70 and 90 feet and are harvested at maturity in a mere 5- to 7-year growth cycle. That said, not all bamboo is created equal. The highest-quality floors are manufactured from Moso bamboo, recognized as the finest raw material for its density and stability.

At right: Wellmade Carbonized Strand flooring is more than twice as hard as oak. Below: Wellmade Strand flooring in Santos Mahogany.

SPRING 2014

woodn’t it be nice |

WHAT’S NEW? Imperfectly perfect

ld wood floors that have a history and rekindle a thousand and one memories are truly unmatchable. They are what inspired Preverco to create its brand-new EDGE texture.

Derived from a unique Preverco fabrication process, the EDGE texture has the look of a “used” floor with a distinctive past, but offers the robustness and dependability of the very latest cuttingedge products. Randomized saw and distressed marks and a variety of irregularities all serve to create an incomparable natural and authentic effect. The EDGE texture can enhance any décor. Create a captivating look by matching it with a contemporary scheme. Or, for more of a country allure, EDGE is the perfect way to accentuate the quaint charm of homes of yesteryear. Everything is possible... just let your imagination run free! EDGE... A texture that evokes the décor of the world’s most esteemed and high-end ski resorts. A texture dreams are made of. A new and accessible way to make a striking impact on your home décor. EDGE... the latest innovation from Preverco. Because everything begins with the floor! ■

Preverco Hard Maple Edge in Chamonix. At right: Preverco Red Oak Edge in Zermatt. The EDGE texture features the look of a well-worn floor, with years of life built into it.

FABULOUSfloors

Terra Legno

erra Legno engineered wood flooring promises the finest aesthetics and stability supported by a proprietary engineering process derived from decades of research and technology development. Featuring European White Oak with a deep brown finish, Terra Legno’s fresh Mystique flooring offers the distinctive grain of white oak in a rich and unique shade. A classic deep brown Mystique wood floor adds a sophisticated, modern twist to every space, while promising an environmentally friendly flooring option. Offering the beauty of wood with the unique durability of cross-ply construction and superior finish, Mystique is ideal for residential or commercial spaces. It has a urethane and aluminum oxide finish that is backed up by a 25-year warranty for structural integrity and residential finish.

Terra Legno’s Mystique features a distinctive grain of European white oak.

Why You Need to Know the “Colors Of Wood” Lately, interior décor colors have been bright, vivid and fun. You have only to look at upholstery and other fabrics to see today’s color trends. What has this to do with wood floors? Just about everything, because wood –– any wood floor –– has its own unique color, and wood colors need to be included in the overall design scheme of a room.

Hints for home designers If you’re redoing one room, give serious consideration to the impact your wood floor’s color will have on adjoining rooms and hallways. If you’re doing a large area (living room, dining area and the hall) or the whole house, as much as you may like a host of different hardwoods, resist the urge to mix them. Keeping to the same or similar woods presents a consistent design look. There’s lots to know about color palettes of today’s wood flooring. Imagine the possibilities. Sponsored by FloorMax....

Janka WOOD Rating System When in doubt about the type of wood to select for your cabinetry, flooring, furniture or millwork project, refer to the Janka Rating System, which measures the relative hardness of woods. There are hundreds of species and varieties representing the North American hardwood population. The hardest commercially available hardwood is hickory, and it is five times harder than aspen, one of the “soft” hardwoods. Because hardness is an important factor, and hardness varies for each species, the Janka Scale of Hardness is an excellent tool to help identify appropriate choices. For more information, visit www.hardwoodinfo.com.

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823

SPRING 2014

carpet couture |

Family Friendly Carpet 26

FABULOUSfloors

BY MARGO LOCUST, PUBLISHER

emember watching the reruns of the “Andy Griffith Show” and “The Walton’s”? The lives represented in these shows seem so simple. There was plenty of time for picnics and fishing, not to mention endless hours spent swinging on the front porch. Somewhere between then and now, the throttle of life got pushed into fast forward.

With lives so full, none of us wants to spend the precious time we DO have worrying about our carpets and rugs. We simply need them to look beautiful and to stay that way. Lucky for us, today’s carpets do just that, plus a whole lot more. Today’s carpets and rugs are perfect for busy homes because they maintain their beauty while making the indoor environment a more comfortable — and healthier — place to live. One of the most important family-friendly considerations when it comes to purchasing carpet is maintenance. How well is your carpet going to hold up and what is it going to take to keep it looking good? The kids, a dog, clumsy party guest…accidents are sure to happen. With today’s technologies in yarn and stain and odor resistance, there’s no need to panic. >>

From Tuftex’s The Naturals collection, Taza is a Moroccan quatrefoil with a handcrafted look and feel that comes in 18 colors ranging from neutrals to pure pastels.

Above: Acropolis is a Wundaweve frieze carpet from Mohawk; shown in Liad, it has superior stain resistance. Above right: Mohawk SmartStrand® Silk is a premium soft carpet with built-in stain and soil protection that never wears or washes off. At right: Couristan’s Block Island carpet is softly textured, combining comfort and fashion.

SPRING 2014

carpet couture | You don’t have to choose between having a long-wearing carpet or one that is soft underfoot. Nor do you have to choose between easy maintenance and gorgeous pale colors. Improvements in technology mean that today’s carpets are the softest, the most stain- and fade-resistant ever. Carpet fibers even have dirt-repelling, anti-microbial properties for easy maintenance. You see, you can have it all. In the pages that follow, you’ll see the softest, hardest working and most beautiful carpets we could find. ■

Great texture in Shaw’s Caress Devon broadloom in Norway

FABULOUSfloors

Natural Beauty from Tuftex

nspired by the integration of natural, handcrafted materials and the influence of green design in the home, these unique designs offer the look and feel of handmade craftsmanship.

Tuftex Carpets of California, the premier carpet division of Shaw Floors, is proud to introduce “The Naturals” collection. This collection includes three gorgeous patterns (Taza, Tracery and Only Natural) that incorporate the natural color variations of striated yarns, providing depth in a Moroccan quatrefoil design, an interlaced trellis motif and a classic herringbone pattern. The loop texture adds incredible performance while maintaining exceptional style. All three styles are constructed of 100 percent Stainmaster® Nylon and are available in 18 elegant colors, from versatile neutrals to pure pastels. Taza, Tracery and Only Natural are available in broadloom and area rugs. The area rugs are available in standard sizes as well as any custom size or shape. For more information on these new products and to find a retailer in your area that offers Tuftex products, Click Here: http://www.tuftexcarpets.com/Retailer-Locator.

SPRING 2014

carpet couture |

Bliss Indulgence™, an elegant, luxuriously soft carpet from Beaulieu of America. Additional features include Beaulieu’s Magic Fresh® treatment that reduces household odors, Wrinkle Guard™ Protection that guarantees “lays flat stays flat” performance and the Bliss Serenity Guarantee™ package of protection that includes a Lifetime No-Exclusion Stain Removal Warranty. At right: Bliss Indulgence carpet is elegant, incredibly soft and durable enough to spot clean. Below: Ecofriendly SmartStrand® Silk™ has built-in stain and soil protection that will never walk off, wash off or wear off.

DID YOU KNOW? Mohawk SmartStrand® Silk™ carpet is made in part from corn — the same kind you grow in your garden. It also uses less energy to produce.

SmartStrand® Silk™ SmartStrand® Silk™ with DuPont™ Sorona® from Mohawk is the ONLY luxuriously soft carpet that cleans with just water and has built-in stain and soil protection that never washes or wears off. •L uxuriously Soft with Exceptional Durability •B uilt-in Lifetime Stain and Soil Resistance, Not Topically Applied •P rotection that Never Wears or Washes off, like Other Carpets •E asy to Clean with Just Water, No Chemicals Required •E nvironmentally Friendly Because it’s made from Renewable Resources •T hat is Why SmartStrand is Rated #1 in Customer Satisfaction

FABULOUSfloors

Tonal Solid Carpets Are a Natural Choice

he new tonal variations in solid color carpet design have actually taken a cue from a similar trend in granite countertops that reinvented that industry several years ago. In nature, there are no flat solid colors, and that’s what makes a “natural” solid color with its subtle variations so appealing to the eye. This is true of Dream Weaver carpet’s Tonal Solids — depending on your vantage point in the room, or the effect of light at different times of day, you’ll get a slightly varied perception of that solid color. These tonal multicolors are quickly becoming the new standard in carpeting. Homeowners want a more natural-looking appearance on their floors. Last year, Dream Weaver launched the “Tonal Solids” collection — carpets with fibers of complementing colors of beige, strategically placed into the overall designs of brown, gray, or slate-colored solid carpet. As an added benefit, the complementing color variations that make up Dreamweaver’s Tonal Solid collection makes carpets easier to maintain — the fiber has natural stain resistance and the tonal shade combinations increase the soil hiding ability of the carpet — so it’s less of a hassle to keep clean. ■ Dreamweaver Carpet offers superior stain and fade resistance, is impervious to harsh chemicals and has a soft and luxurious feel.

Carpet Talk Today’s carpet colors are rich and elemental, inspired by the abundance, breadth and beauty of nature, varying from rich to subtle.

Left: Simplesse in Driftwood Teakare having a resurgent popularity — Neutrals Luxury Vinyl Tile timelessly and tastefully harmonizing with any from Mohawk. Below:design Vinyl style. And the latest colors are as gorSheet Flooring geous as the natural terrain and waterscapes from Armstrong’s inspire them. Dualitythat Premium Plus Collection, Oranges and blues are muted and rich. shown here in Earthy Bandelier Flint; shades of gray and coffee browns, this floor has all in a high-traffic area, are holding on especially the bells and to that long, second glance. whistles! Fiberglass The visual appeal of the latest offerings in MasterWorks Technology 3D reflects a trend toward soft but discarpet with VTx and tinctlyGtextured looks with subtle shading and CleanSweep with Antimicrobial visual depth. protection. For Be sure to ask your flooring representative more information, about visit www.arm-wear resistance, as well as the special strong.com. appearance of different products.

Consumers are definitely looking for something beyond the ordinary, and retailers are responding. Tough times mean opportunity, and today’s carpet offers you the opportunity to design with greater style and service at more affordable costs. Sponsored by FloorMax....

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823

SPRING 2014

carpet couture |

A Word About 

WOOL

houghts of Spring also bring to mind the topic of allergies. All the pollen in the air just gets whirled around on hard surfaces, allowing it to be inhaled. Unlike hard-surface flooring, wall-to-wall carpets hold dust and allergens in the pile until they are removed by vacuuming. This makes carpets far less likely to aggravate asthmatic problems or allergic reactions. While all carpets in general can trap allergens, wool goes a step beyond to improve the quality of the air by absorbing common contaminants. In addition to supporting the health of your family, wool works to improve the safety of your home. The high moisture content of the fiber, along with its protein constituents, makes wool naturally flame resistant. Wool fiber does not support combustion, is difficult to ignite, and is self-extinguishable. Wool’s ability to age gracefully is one of its most enduring qualities. Wool springs back into action even after subjection to heavy foot traffic and oversized furniture. Every wool fiber has a three-dimensional spiraling crimp which gives it natural elasticity. When you purchase wool carpet for your home, you are doing much more than covering your floors. You are making your home a healthy, safe, comfortable and beautiful place to live. Although it may not give busy families more time to relax, it does make the time you do have more enjoyable.

The pattern and assortment of colors makes Godfrey Hirst’s Needlepoint broadloom welcome in a variety of rooms.

FABULOUSfloors

Something Old, Something New T

he Silver Creek’s Striations collection has introduced Zia, a Wilton woven pattern broadloom. Zia combines the traditional hard-wearing stria of a Wilton background overlaid with a modern pattern that creates a perfect blend of the old and the new. The Striations collection is 100 percent wool and American-made quality to ensure both luxurious feel and superior craftsmanship. Silver Creek, in keeping with the reputation of its parent company, Bloomsburg Carpet, is dedicated to making highly styled carpets of superior quality using cutting-edge colors and designs. Silver Creek’s fine broadlooms begin with wool, one of nature’s gifts that address the ever-increasing need for respect of our global environment. In fact, Silver Creek is named for the beauty and tranquility of Idaho’s magnificent Sun Valley. An array of patterns from The Striations Collection by Silver Creek.

www.bloomsburgcarpet.com

carpet couture |

Explore the Diversity of Nourison’s Licensed Brands Nourison’s licensed brand portfolio encompasses some of the most well-known and diversified brands globally. It includes the “fashion, quality and value” of kathy ireland Home by Nourison; the iconic styling of Calvin Klein Home; the beautiful yet livable design by Barclay Butera Lifestyle; A Brand With True Heritage, Joseph Abboud and household lifestyle brand …Waverly. “All of our licensed brands have their own distinctive style, design and consumer base,” said Alex Peykar, the president of Nourison. “Our aim is to broaden our reach in the market with familiar names that enhance our own brand.” Nourison products are available at most rug, furniture and department stores. Please visit www. nourison.com to find a retailer near you. ■

FABULOUSfloors

kathyireland.com www.nourison.com SPRING 2014

BY E.A. O’CONNELL

As Kathy Ireland says... ‘Let’s start from the ground up.’ “ If you look at designing a room in its entirety, it can be overwhelming. Take it one step at a time, one dimension at a time. I always say, ‘Let’s start from the ground up.’ The floor is the foundation of a room and a great place to start. Find a rug that you love, that speaks to you, and use it as an anchor. Draw colors from it – if it’s got a hint of blue, draw that blue into your window coverings and your accent pieces,” advises home design guru Kathy Ireland. Founded in 1993, the Kathy Ireland Worldwide® brand celebrates a lifestyle with the missions of… “…finding solutions for families, especially busy moms™;” “…finding solutions for people in love™;” and “…finding solutions for people in business™.” These missions inform all kiWW® collections, including fashion, fine jewelry, intimate apparel, accessories, weddings, home, office and more. kiWW’s unique capability to design and translate fashion trends for all markets and price points allows it to develop products for a wide variety of customer tastes.

FABULOUSfloors

athy Ireland knows of which she speaks. She heads Kathy Ireland for Nourison Rugs as well as Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a multi-billion dollar company that provides moms with family and home solutions that feature great design, outstanding quality and competitive pricing. On her way to the boardroom, Kathy was one of the first supermodels, gracing the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Kathy has also been featured in Forbes magazine for her business acumen. While grateful for and acknowledging her good fortune to live in a beautiful home, Kathy’s family residence is also a testing ground for her products. She explains, “Our home is such a lab and it’s always changing. My kids and friends help me test products. For fabrications that are supposed to be family friendly, my kids and I will get the disgusting stuff out of the fridge and have at it.” Kathy attributes her products’ and company’s success to listening to her customer. “When a woman contacts me, I’m not a celebrity. She doesn’t want an autograph from me, she wants a solution, and she wants it now. She is very direct. She’ll say. ‘Kathy, I love this, but fix this over here. I need a solution. Get this in my price point, this is what I want.’ So it’s really our team following our marching orders,” she says.

In a wide-ranging interview, Kathy shared her life and design philosophies with Fabulous Floors. Enjoy.

Above: kathy ireland Home by Bush Furniture, Grand Expressions. Below: kathy ireland Home by Vaughan Furniture, George Town collection

FF: What motivates your design mojo? KI: I love challenges. It's motivating to offer our clients designs that are beautiful and unique. The goal is to bring Fashion, Quality, Value and Safety™ to each collection. It's also important to include solutions that are innovative and visually pleasing. I've never been very interested in empty houses; I am fascinated by families and their homes. FF: How do you apply your personal style to designing? KI: By thinking outside the box and understanding that families don't live in magazines. We live in homes. Our collections bring luxury and beauty to people at realistic pricing. I don't place my name on anything unless it meets these three criteria. In design, I give my heart to everything. >>

SPRING 2014

FF: Tell us what makes a room a sanctuary. A house a home. KI: Sanctuaries are as different and individual as the people who experience them. A room becomes a sanctuary when it gives you inspiration and peace. My first advice is to de-clutter. Clutter destroys serenity. Ask yourself, as you look around each room, is everything here important? Sanctuaries and homes only happen when they are personal. There is a psychological comfort in designing beautiful spaces which celebrate each member of the family. One collection that makes our house a home is our family photographs. FF: Do you create different moods in a house or aim for a consistent feeling? How? KI: I enjoy consistency and mood changes in such a subtle way that the transitions from one space to the next blur. I love using glass to bring in natural light and the outdoors. I love wood floors with gorgeous area rugs. I use area rugs as a palette. I'll frequently design a room around hardwood floors and a striking area rug. When you move from shiny wood floors with area rugs to gorgeous carpet, you're telling a completely different design story. Two things Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m asked about frequently are changing your home without breaking your budget and finding tranquility. There are changes that are affordable for most families. Change your room color. Soften your lighting. Choose a color palette that supports your mood. Think about serenity, or think about drama FF: How do you decide what kind of flooring to use in a room? KI: Who lives there? Choose what you love. Next, be mindful of and sensitive to the surrounding and the type of traffic your room gets. Be realistic, and if you have children and pets consider that. Good broadloom is so luxurious and area rugs are glorious on any hard surface. Our partners at Nourison make the world's finest broadloom and magnificent rugs. FF: What comes first: color, texture or design? KI: I always begin with color; whatever the texture is going to be supports that. What is the color story of the floor? How will the color story transition from room to room? We've designed many rooms with dark wood floors as an anchor, and bright walls for contrast. We've established a traffic flow from wood to other hard surfaces. Ceramic, marble,

At left, top to bottom: A selection of heritage and contemporary area rugs from kathy ireland Home by Nourisan.

FABULOUSfloors

as well as carpet and, of course, area rugs, can all live together beautifully if the color story is a success. I can't think about color independently from design. One of our design studios has an indoor swimming pool. The flooring is stone, the walls are white. There is one dramatic lava rock wall, with a waterfall that spills into the pool. When you look up there is a skylight. It's a gorgeous room because it celebrates a oneness with nature. The area rugs are natural fibers. The flooring and rugs make you feel that you're outdoors. This room gives you sky, ocean, natural fiber rugs and natural stone. I knew this room had to celebrate the studio’s midcentury beach house architecture, the views and the drama. Elizabeth Taylor is one of my greatest inspirations in life. When Elizabeth entered this room, she said, “Beautiful. I could be here forever. It takes my breath away.” That is one of my favorite moments in my design career. We got it right.

kathy ireland Home by Nourison — decorative pillows

FF: What are your must-haves when designing flooring? KI: Color, color, color. Rich colors. If we’re working in whites or monochromatic, I love adding luster so our whites shimmer like pearls. I can't separate color and design. I think and dream in color waves. When I sketch a pattern or experience a pattern whether antique or new, I immediately begin applying color theory. The use of color, expressed through pattern, has given us extraordinary success. Practicality is also important for certain sections of the market. There are times, now that we have Nourison as our partner, that I just say “Yes” to exquisite luxury.

Kathy Ireland and Elizabeth Taylor.

FF: How do you choose the fibers and textures for your Nourison line of rugs? KI: It depends upon the goal. Acrylic and polypropylene power-loomed fibers give ultra-softness in our Villa Retreat collection that has exquisite hand-carved accents which are luxurious and affordable. Our Cottage Grove collection is 100 percent wool, hand-loomed and an incredible value. Our Heirloom collection offers Persian motifs in 100 percent New Zealand wool that’s just amazing. We've also blended wool and polyester for a luxurious softness in the Hollywood Shimmer collection. And our Griot collection features space-dying techniques for depth and drama. Quality makes all the difference. Nourison is the most extraordinary company. If we can dream it, they can do it! ■ Honeycomb shades from kathy ireland Home by Alta.

SPRING 2014

NEXT-GENERATION VINYL Laura Neuman, Allied ASID, NKBA One of the benefits of working with a professional interior designer is being privy to insider options—trends and new products to which you’d otherwise be oblivious. For Laura Neuman of PepperJack Interiors in Loomis, Calif., vinyl flooring is her current residential pitch. Beautiful, easy-to-install, durable and affordable, she’s been suggesting vinyl as an alternative to hardwood on recent renovation projects. Seeking a good-looking product that they won’t see in every other home on the block, many clients are embracing the smart, cutting-edge choice. Like stained concrete and carpet squares, vinyl is the latest commercial floor product to be reinvented for residential use. Unlike faux flooring of yesteryear, a new generation of vinyl floor products offers quality, low maintenance and durability. Replicating the look of stone, tile or hardwood, advanced digital technologies create detailed images of natural-looking textures in an endless array of colors and tones. Available in sheets, tiles or plank-style strips, vinyl is ideal for high-traffic and high-moisture spaces. For a classic contemporary in one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the greater Sacramento area, Neuman selected wood-look vinyl flooring for the renovation of an 40

FABULOUSfloors

en suite master bathroom and adjoining walk-in closet. The owners marveled at the final product, wishing they had made the practical choice years earlier. “Owners don’t want to worry about the preciousness of a wood floor, the hardness of tile or the dirt that will show on carpet,” says Neuman. “Vinyl presents an opportunity to choose something that’s relatively affordable and looks like an expensive floor.” Award-winning designer Laura Neuman, an Allied Member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), is the founder of PepperJack Interiors in Northern California, where she serves clients based primarily in Loomis, Granite Bay, Roseville, Auburn and Lake Tahoe. Armed with design and engineering degrees and a love of fine art, history and literature, she offers residential clients her unique take on inspired luxury for new construction and remodeling projects. Laura Neuman, Allied ASID, NKBA PepperJack Interiors 9751 Clos du Lac Circle Loomis, Calif. 95650 916-834-9751 www.pepperjackinteriors.com

Because Space Matters. Achieve the highest quality and smartest solution with an ASID designer. Creative consultant and problem solver, an ASID interior designer asks the right questions, analyzes the answers, and creates a personalized solution that delivers long-term value and design qualityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the first time.

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONAL

Visit www.asid.org to find a qualified ASID designer for your next project. SPRING 2014

always resilient | BY TC LOVETT

RESILIENT…

A friend with exceptional benefits. E

asy on the eyes. Easy on the pocketbook. Easy on the environment.

And very easy underfoot. In fact, resilient “gives” when you stand or walk, pressing back with a comfortable bounce that is soothing to your feet, back and legs. Resilient is a broad term for flooring that includes vinyl, linoleum, rubber and often cork, among others. And today’s resilient blends stunning design with cutting-edge technology, bringing beauty, versatility and performance at decidedly affordable prices. Today’s designers have embraced resilient’s innovative flooring options that feature a wide and enticing array of colors and textures, as well as designs and formats. Resilient now comes in sheets (6- and 12-feet wide), planks and tiles and provides endless custom design possibilities. But Wait, There’s More… Luxury vinyl tile, or LVT, is a premium, designerquality vinyl resilient flooring with features, benefits and looks that are sometimes very difficult to comprehend. It’s that good. The advent of LVT established a primary focus on high fashion for this flooring category, opening wide the doors to styling. LVT is different from the outset. Even when you first see it, you can’t help but note that it looks and feels very much like real stone or wood or tile. (There are versions that can be installed with or without grout for very tailored, trendy looks…read on!)

The Perfect Alternative to Stone and Ceramic

Above; Inspired by the picturesque artifacts of ancient Greece, this 12" marble pattern from Mannington called Ares Serpentine Green blends traditional styling with a renewed sense of sophistication.

FABULOUSfloors

Alterna™ luxury vinyl tile flooring is the innovative alternative to natural stone and ceramic tile. Like stone and ceramic, it's incredibly beautiful and durable. But a comfortable surface makes Alterna tiles warm to the touch, kind to your feet, and easy to care for in any room of your home.

Left: IVC Flexitec Wondertile in Portland is a new generation of luxury vinyl tiles featuring advanced concepts in design and color. Below: Mohawk Simplesse LVT in Tawny Chestnut is a snap to install.

Above: This unique cherry plank from the Contour Collection by Centiva, features warm white and gray coloring and is well suited for an environment where a contemporary floor is desired. Below: DuraPlank II High Performance Flooring by Congoleum, is the next generation of High Performance Floors which gives you the look of a wood floor, shown here in Forest Honey Oak with the ease of maintenance and carefree qualities of a resilient floor.

Improvements in image fidelity, along with advancements in realistic texturing and wear-surface technology, have made resilient flooring more beautiful and more versatile than ever before. Resilient is making its way into rooms it dared not venture into in years past. How about resilient in a hardwood pattern for the living room? Or a resilient that looks like custom tile for the dining room? Or a continuous floor for a bathroom that looks like river stone, or even just simple tile, but without the grout lines? This kind of practicality can apply anywhere in the home, and the applications for resilient flooring are expanding as fast as the selection of colors, designs and styles available! â&#x2013;

SPRING 2014

always resilient |

Affordable Luxury

o matter what the project, Karndean Designflooring can help you finish your space by providing the perfect complement to any room. We take high-end designs and make them affordable for the retail customer. At Karndean, we recreate all the beauty and appeal of natural products without the practical drawbacks. Our newly updated Knight Tile collection features a stunning array of natural timber and stone designs. You can find a floor customized to fit every room and every home, with six new wood and four new stone effect designs to choose from. Tapping into the trend toward natural finishes with a more rustic or distressed appearance, Karndean Designflooring developed a range of oak products featuring limed, washed and worn looks. The new wood effect finishes come in an increased plank size of 36" × 6", presenting a modern look and speeding up installation. Portland, Cumbrian, Bath and York are the latest additions to the Knight Tile stone collection, and all feature a weathered stone finish and an impressive array of borders, specifically designed for added impact. They are also larger in size at 18" × 12". And, when coupled with new borders, this reinvigorated range offers nearly endless possibilities for designflooring. Able to withstand a household filled with pets and children, Karndean also offers style. Whether you’re drawn toward the traditional and elegant, or you’re looking for something a little more contemporary and bold, we have the floor for you. ■

FABULOUSfloors

Above: Knight Tile Range KP105_whitepaintedpine. Below left: Art Select Range_RL05 Spanish Cherry. Below center: Knight Tile Range_ST14 Cumbrian Stone. Below right: Karndean LooseLay Range_ LLP95 Ashland.

Knight Tile

YEAR

BR ATIN

Featuring 10 new Knight Tile colors With 6 new planks featuring limed, washed, and worn looks and 4 new weathered-finished stones, there is something for everyone in our newly expanded Knight Tile collection.

KP96 Mid Limed Oak

Call: 888-266-4343 Visit: www.karndean.com SPRING 2014

always resilient |

Resilient With resilient, you’ll get everything you want — no argument. Whatever you envision in terms of imaginative design and practical need, you’ll get no argument from resilient. After all, it’s flexible. Terrible pun, admittedly. But a wonderful fact. Along with a soothing “give” under foot, a resilient floor will readily yield to all your demands: realistic looks, performance backed by warranties extending to 20 years, ease of installation and maintenance, antimicrobial properties for highly allergic people and antistatic attributes for safeguarding your electronics. And affordability? Resilient prices are as attractive as the latest looks. The creators of today’s resilients – a category that that includes vinyl, linoleum, rubber and cork – have married visionary design with technological innovation. Whether you choose tiles, planks or sheets, the result will include sophisticated and realistic textures, colors and patterns that simulate wood, tile, marble, slate, glass, stained concrete — even leather. The newest vinyl and linoleum floor designs range from sharp contemporary motifs, including chic metallics, to classic looks, including strikingly realistic tiles and stones, dimpled ceramics, textured leather and varied hardwoods, including gorgeous handscraped looks or tailored traditionals. Sponsored by FloorMax....

Engage™ locking LVT by Metroflor offers a solid vinyl floating floor solution.

ngage the Essentials Tile Collection from Metroflor. Go ahead, we dare you to tell the difference between the rich travertine-style tiles of Metroflor luxury resilient Essential Tiles and real travertine tiles. Essential Tiles are stunning when installed in the classic staggered-brick style or in a sophisticated herringbone pattern. The line comes in a range of neutral earth tones to grays that can be mixed and matched. A durable, elegant and modern option, Metroflor Essentials Tiles have a sturdy Ceramic Bead finish and a modern tile look. With no waxing and easy maintenance, the tiles are also slip- and stain-resistant and guaranteed not to chip or crack. Essentials Tile features a 12 Mil wear layer and 20-year residential warranty. FloorScore® certified, it’s an ideal choice where indoor air quality is a priority. This moisture-resistant flooring doesn’t harbor dust or allergens and feels as good to your feet as it looks to your eyes.

For more information, visit metroflorengage.com.

More about Luxury Vinyl Tile When shopping for resilient flooring, you no doubt will come across the term “luxury vinyl tile” or LVT. LVT is a high-end subcategory of resilient known for incredibly stunning looks in wood, ceramic and stone in planks and tile or in other very contemporary surface fashions. LVT is where the practicality of vinyl resilient flooring meets head-on with interior design. Be advised that LVT is, as you might expect, not an inex-

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823 46

FABULOUSfloors

pensive alternative to other flooring types. It is actually a category of its own and is usually found in very stylish settings.

THE HEIGHT OF FASHION... AT YOUR FEET!

ENGAGE ™ Luxury Vinyl Brings It All Home! ENGAGE™ floating luxury vinyl from METROFLOR® features proven Uniclic® locking technology for fast, adhesive-free installation. Available in a wide array of stunning wood, stone and tile designs, ENGAGE delivers everything you want in a floor – beauty, durability and easy maintenance.

888-235-6672 | metroflorengage.com

SPRING 2014

i n s e L r a u m t i n n e a v t d You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be Harrison Ford to go from armchair to adventure; just take a step onto the floor. BY SETH S. RODGERS

FABULOUSfloors

on the boards |

Formica Bellezza Botticino Classic Light Bellezza luxury flooring features an exclusive highly polished mirror finish, creating an unmistakable brilliance.

specially if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a laminate floor, combining elegant, even exotic looks with hard-hitting, cuttingedge technology.

At first, you might not believe your eyes: Brazilian cherry, salted maple, traditional oak. Exotic teak and bamboo. Vermont granite, Old World slate, marble. The range of colors, looks and styles available in laminate flooring is breathtaking, suitable to every interior environment and every design you can dream up. >>

Pergo American Cottage in Whitewashed Pine offers impressive beauty crafted through ultra-realistic designs and the latest in innovative technologies.

SPRING 2014

on the boards | Among wood selections you can find long matched pieces and tight joints for a seamless and uninterrupted look, once the exclusive province of expensive, custom homes. You can have planks that look like genuine hand-scraped, antique boards — and a choice of finishes from subtle matte to bright gloss or warm oils. Wider planks, some boasting micro-beveled edges with V-grooves, allow designers to recreate estate or Old World looks. Narrow, tailored strips in oak, maple or exotics conjure a more formal appearance, from traditional to contemporary. In stone, porcelain and tile looks, the realism is equally exceptional, down to the look of intricate faceting. Among the newest design possibilities are textured and embossed surfaces. Because the trend is toward larger tiles, laminate is keeping pace. >>

Below: Torlys Lexington Cafe Walnut Plank collection is a premium laminate with smooth grain surfaces and beveled edges.

FABULOUSfloors

Left: Mannington’s Antique Walnut in Curry was designed to bring out the radiant luster and grain patterns unique to a black walnut hardwood floor. Below: Mohawk’s Barrington Natural Oak Laminate and Nutmeg Chestnut are nature inspired.

BY PAUL FRIEDERICHSEN

Keep your new laminate floor looking fabulous! Advice from experts on simple ways to care for your floor Laminate flooring is one of the most beautiful and durable floor coverings ever invented. But even laminate flooring, with its hard-as-diamonds aluminum oxide wear layer, needs proper care to stay gorgeous. Proper installation is the first step

Here are some other helpful tips

Laminate flooring is relatively easy to install and many do-ityourselfers will give it a try. But if you’re not careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you could end up with a notso-fabulous floor down the road. For example, laminate flooring planks are sensitive to heat and humidity and need a little room (called expansion gaps) to expand and contract tiny amounts over the life of the floor. Neglect this simple reality and you could have a floor with planks that peak at the joints or squeak!

● To mop your laminate floor, only use a micro-fiber mop. Add water by misting the mop head itself; never spray water directly on the floor. ● Immediately after your new laminate floor is installed, make your next purchase a laminate flooring cleaning kit. Bruce® makes a good one, and Bona® is a good cleaner. Avoid using products that aren’t made specifically for laminate floor cleaning. They could actually hurt the floor’s protective wear layer. ● Avoid “wet jet” mops that spray water or detergent directly onto the floor. ● The wear layer on laminate floors, even on textured planks, is very smooth. Be very careful about adding soap to your cleaning solution. Even a few drops can make your floor extremely slick. ● The best cleaning solutions to mist onto your microfiber mop are (1) plain water and (2) vinegar and hot water. And just as with the caution about soap, don’t use Windex® or equivalents, either. ● Place walk-off mats at exterior entrances to catch the soil and grit that will dull your laminate floor. ■

Always follow your manufacturer’s instructions for care and maintenance Every flooring type is different, so caring for them all is just as different, too. For example, using a vacuum cleaner with a beater brush maybe fine for your carpet, but never use that on your laminate floor. After a while, you may start to notice just what a beater brush can do to a laminate floor … and it’s not pretty. The same caution goes for a steam mop. In spite of the TV commercials you’ll see for this dandy invention, never use this to clean your laminate floor. These devices will force steam into the joints of the planks of your floor and cause them to swell, compromising the holding power of the joints. Definitely not good.

For more advice on caring for your laminate floor, check out KronotexUSA.com.

Kronotex USA’s Beaufort collection in Sacramento Pine.

SPRING 2014

on the boards |

Thanks to breakthrough technologies, laminates are abrasion, impact, fade, stain, wear and moisture resistant, antibacterial, anti-mold, antistatic and sound insulating.

Above left: QuickStep’s Reclaimé collection in White. Above right: Bruce Laminate Hickory. Bottom left: Armstrong Acacia laminate in Cayenne Spice. At left: Home Legend’s Oak Vital collection.

FABULOUSfloors

Reclaimed Collection Plus by Shaw Laminate shown here in the color Flax.

Laminate Think of laminate as the perfect traveling companion. Laminate can go just about anywhere and feel at home. Laminate can put up with just about any environment. And from the emerging looks of laminate, it’s not afraid to incorporate the newest looks from around the world. If you’re thinking like a designer, you’d be thinking of laminate as an opportunity to accompany you on your next adventure. Today’s laminate is all about depth and breadth of product and style, from Frontiercozy to Euro-contemporary, to Asian-venerable to American-traditional to Island exotic. There’s also a very practical side to laminate. As the aesthetics improve, so do laminate’s performance characteristics. That includes the ability to resist tropical moisture. Bright sunlight doesn’t bother laminate. And laminate never needs refinishing or waxing. Sponsored by FloorMax....

Laminate flooring boasts an extremely durable wear-surface, perfect for high-traffic areas, especially when that traffic involves an invasion of children or pets. Laminate floors can even be installed in areas challenged by higher-than-normal humidity and moisture levels. Thanks to breakthrough technologies, laminates are abrasion, impact, fade, stain, wear and moisture resistant, antibacterial, anti-mold, antistatic and sound insulating. Some warranties extend up to 30 years! Compared to other flooring solutions, laminate flooring may offer the best value over the longer term when you factor in cost, ease of installation and durability. Armed with the latest technology (and mindful of the budget), laminate flooring explores the terrain of the imagination. ■

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823

SPRING 2014

Designer’s SHOWCASE Fabulous Floors Magazine Welcomes you to Traditional Floors & Design Center

“Inspired by Design... Exceptional by Choice”

he experienced design team at Traditional Floors & Design Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, is dedicated to helping you create and design a home you can be proud to entertain in. The team also works with a dedicated and experienced installation crew to make sure your products are installed properly. Traditional Floors & Design Center is like no other, featuring a large selection of floor covering and many unique items throughout the store. Owners Ken and Pam Schlagheck along with their fabulous design team have designed 32 different showrooms with a variety of floor covering products to help you envision the design possibilities for your new room(s). In the pages that follow, you can see for yourself!

“Inspired By D esign… Ex ceptional By Choice” 320-251-5200 — www.traditionalfloors.net

FABULOUSfloors

Designing with Hard Surfaces Traditional Floors offers a wide array of hard surface flooring options: from resilient,luxury vinyl tile and laminate to solid and engineered hardwood flooring in both standard and exotics. Concerned about the environment? Check out some other ecofriendly flooring options like cork, bamboo and leather! >>

Top left: Acacia walnut hardwood; top right: Stranded bamboo “Trillium;” left: LM maple flooring — Seneca Creek Maple; below: walnut handscraped wood with tile.

SPRING 2014

Beautiful Backsplashes Begin at Traditional Floors & Design Center

Exquisite

Backsplashes

The main purpose of a kitchen backsplash is to provide an easy-to-clean surface so that messes or splashes such as spattering cooking oil won’t ruin painted or wallpapered walls.

Top left and right: Slate mosaic. Bottom left: Glazzio glass tile with Travetrine. Bottom right: Maraval Stone in color Brown Toffee.

Show Off with Your Backsplash! Backsplashes should coordinate with the style of the kitchen they’re in; they should also reflect your own personal style. Backsplashes add great style and color to a kitchen and are often the focal point. A backsplash can be very modern or traditional. Design it with shiny glass or metal tiles to add a little bling or an industrial look to your kitchen, or you may prefer a dull finish like that of slate tile. Stop in and let us help you create your next kitchen makeover!

“Inspired By D esign… Ex ceptional By Choi ce” 320-251-5200 — www.traditionalfloors.net

FABULOUSfloors

Beautiful Rooms Start Here

A Tile for Every Room… Glazzio Tiles offers a unique appearance unachievable with conventional tiles. The vibrancy and depth of color combined with the reflective quality of glass results in a unique and dramatic effect, whether used in the home or modern commercial buildings. Glass tiles are suitable for both internal and external applications impervious to frost, sunlight and water. They are easy to clean and maintain and never discolor. They will continue to provide a dazzling appearance for many years to come. Glazzio Tiles can be used in a virtually unlimited range of applications. For example, with the use of effective spot lighting color glass tiles can turn the most undesirable of areas into a stunning and dazzling work of art.

Top right: Glazzio Symphony Series; wall in Statos tiles. Left: Glazzio Matrix behind bed. Right: Glazzio Bubble Series. Below: Glazzio Symphony Series.

A Room for Every Tile… The Design Experts at Traditional Floors and Design Center say “Any room can have tiles.” Kitchen walls and backsplashes  · Bathroom walls and backsplashes  · Showers · Borders to soften conventional ceramic tiled walls  · You can even highlight external building features and garden walls · Pools, spas and waterfalls. There are literally thousands of combinations of patterns and styles we can help you put together! >> SPRING 2014

Luxurious Baths

Custom Tubs and Showers. Sinks, Vanities and other bath accessories are also available. Our BainUltra Air Jetted Tubs and soakers are one of a kind. Available in four standard and five custom colors, these tubs will impress you from top to bottom. These freestanding designer tubs are available in Therapeutic Baths or Soaker Baths. Other options are the chromatherapy LED lighting, Aromatherapy, Light Therapy, Thermotherapy, & Sound Therapy. Total relaxation is just a touch away.

Top left: Travertine with stone and glass mosaic. Top right: Hirsch mosaic. At right: Glazzio slate and glass. Bottom left: dark Emperor and onyx tiles with Hirsch mosaic. Bottom right: Travertine tile.

“Inspired By D esign… Ex ceptional By Choi ce” 320-251-5200 — www.traditionalfloors.net

FABULOUSfloors

Bain Ultra Air and Soaker tubs offer a wide variety of shapes, sizes and therapeutic options that make your bath a time of tranquility. Unwind to the sound of running waters, while the calming aroma of essential oils fills the room and chromatherapy lights bring your body a soothing sense of rest and relaxation. “You’ve Never Felt So Good.”

TRADITIONAL FLOORS & DESIGN CENTER “Inspired By D esign… Ex ceptional By Choice”

1800 Highway 23 East Saint Cloud, MN 56304 | 320-251-5200 | www.traditionalfloors.net

SPRING 2014

So luxurious and soft, even your “baby” can feel the difference. Traditional Floors & Design Center Loves Mohawk Carpeting “Inspired By D esign… Ex ceptional By 60

Choice”

FABULOUSfloors

320-251-5200 — www.traditionalfloors.net

Five Keys to a Successful Floorcovering Purchase u Choose a reputable store Don’t rush out to grab a price based on a television ad. Find a local flooring retailer who is dedicated to providing you with service at the right price. Friends and the Better Business Bureau are good sources of information, but look for a retailer with commitment. Avoid the “fly-by-night” or “roadside” dealers who aren’t committed to serving you and your community. If you are going to buy carpet and installation, find a retailer you can work with in the future. Be wary of employees at large retail chains. Look for a store and an individual with a reputation in your community. Retailers will generally meet competitors’ prices. But to get proper selection and installation, you need a reputable floor covering store.

u Don’t rush when making your flooring selection People too often buy flooring that is similar to what they had, hoping to replicate the former look. This can be a big mistake because it’s nice to have a change. Consider doing something different when you have the opportunity to redecorate your home or a particular room. Purchase the best floors you can afford. Don’t necessarily be influenced by what your friends might say about your flooring choice; you should bounce your ideas off a professional. A designer’s suggestion, for instance, can stimulate ideas for creating custom looks with stock items. You should also take samples home and look at them for a few days and not decide in just a few hours.

u Consider the room setting before you buy There are certain floors that go in particular settings and special periods, such as sisal carpets with rattan, woven rag rugs with Colonial pieces, and Oriental rugs with English traditional design. Selecting carpet or floor treatments must be done with an overall look in mind. Avoid choosing a floor without knowing what else is going in a room — or in a home, for that matter.

uA sk questions about fashion and function — don’t guess When it comes to color coordination and how well your floor will perform in your home, don’t hesitate to verify, if it is what you want. Ask for samples, fabric swatches and manufacturers’ literature to ensure you are buying what will be right for you. The colors of rugs and carpet, for example, will magically change when installed in your home, if the light source is different from what you see in the store. Don’t assume your home’s environment will be the same as that of a design room. Trained retailers want you to “ask and verify” to avoid mistakes.

u Buy the right floor care products One of the biggest mistakes people make when purchasing hard surfaces is not learning how to maintain them. Too often, they don’t know how to care for that floor, especially pre-finished wood products. It is very important when you purchase a new floor to ask the salesperson for the care instructions put out by the manufacturer. For instance, a consumer might wax a floor that doesn’t need it. That could present a safety problem. Preventative care also is important. Sharp or pointed objects can make indentations, so be sure shoes are well heeled. Today’s resilient, wood, ceramic and laminate floors require only basic maintenance. They are easy to clean. But if you don’t take the time to read about it, you can create problems. Make sure you buy aftercare products from your dealer after the floor is installed. ■

SPRING 2014

underfoot |

Matrix from Oriental Weaversâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Expressions Collection offers a powerful color statement.

Area Rugs 101 COURTESY OF ORIENTAL WEAVERS

FABULOUSfloors

hoosing the right rug can seem overwhelming at first. Not only are there hundreds of designs and color combinations, but selecting the right shape and proper size for your room must also be considered before purchasing.

Left: 100 percent semi-worsted New Zealand wool pile in Couristan’s Lotus Garden Collection. Background: Nourison Lakeside’s hand-tufted rugs feature transitional abstract designs.

Rugs help create a mood for your room. For example, a lighter shade of area rug can open up and brighten a space, while darker shades tend to create a more intimate mood. Here are a few tips on choosing a rug design:

T raditional versus contemporary rugs — choose a style of rug that complements the colors and interior design of your space. Think of your home’s design, your taste in furniture and other design elements to ensure that a particular rug will blend in rather than detract from the room’s overall décor. P attern on pattern — combining patterns in a room can be done with the right attention. Curtains, upholstery or pillows with small patterns should be complemented with a rug featuring a larger pattern, and vice versa. Florals, plaids, stripes and other patterns can all work together providing they have size distinction and coordinate in color. T exture adds depth — a rug with looped pile yarns or a combination of cut pile and looped pile yarns atop a smooth-surface hardwood floor adds another layer to the design and gives complexity to what would otherwise be a flat palette of colors. >>

Above left: Oriental Weavers Expressions rugs offer powerful color statements. Above right: The Rhapsody Area Rug Collection by Nourison offers a modern mix of European and Persian textile traditions.

SPRING 2014

underfoot | N ever try to match the main fabric color — it would be next to impossible to match the exact red found in a pillow. So find the second or third color in the pillow or other design element and match families of colors rather than specific colors. T raffic is key — rugs with condensed or repeating patterns in darker colors show less dirt and grime over time. R ugs look bigger on the rack — so you may have to place a displayed rug on the floor to see its natural position. While time-consuming, this exercise is better than having to return a rug later. ■ See more at http://www.owrugs.com.dpuf

ugStreet.com is not just another carpet store; in fact, wall-towall carpeting is not its focus. RugStreet.com is your destination for specialty, event and domestic indoor/outdoor rugs and carpet products.

A family owned and operated business, RugStreet.com has 26 years’ experience in the carpet industry. Its inhouse manufacturing allows the company to provide specialized hemming, binding and serging services on its products. This has also allowed RugStreet.com to offer quality runners, area rugs and event carpet at prices that are unmatched. From full rolls of carpet for a special event to small custom cuts by the square foot for your home, the folks at RugStreet.com are here to help. In fact, you’ll discover that they have a range of color selections and can provide custom options that you just won’t get in a big box store. Visit them online at www.RugStreet.com or call (480) 635-8643 today!

Above: Karastan’s French Quarter in Henna has comfortable, weathered, easy-to-live-with color, which is the signature style of the Sierra Mar collection. Below: Masland’s contemporary textured Elevate area rugs in Urban Grid will update your décor.

480-635-8643 www.rugstreet.com 64

FABULOUSfloors

Below: Tuftex Custom Wave Rug.

Area Rugs… International Ambassadors That’s what the world’s oldest floor covering has become.

Searching for that perfect area rug?

dding an area rug is a great way to add color, design, comfort and personal style to any room. If you have been wishing to discover a rug with that luxurious color, unique size and shape and leading design to complete a space…your search is over! Open up a world of fascinating possibilities with that perfect design solution. Make it your way… Make it custom from Tuftex Carpets of California. From simple bordered rugs to detailed designs, Tuftex Custom Rugs offers an array of options that allow you to create the rug that’s right for you. Plus, all of the Tuftex styles and colors are available as custom area rugs. With irresistible designs to choose from, all you have to do is select size, shape, style, color and border! Tuftex Carpets of California will do the rest! For more information and to find a flooring retailer in your area that offers Tuftex products and Tuftex Custom Rugs, visit tuftexcarpets.com and click on the dealer locator tab.

For a city dweller, the area rug can reflect a cultural expression from someone in a rural part of the country, and for the suburbanite it can recapture the flavor of a vacation. Or, no matter where you are in the world, a rug from far away is a taste of another time, another place, another lifestyle. For today’s designer and decorator, there is no better “friend” to complement or to quickly change a room than the area rug. Area rugs are art for the floor. They are a fast and impactful do-it-yourself makeover. And they are hints of other worlds right in your own home. Designer’s tip: Now that Spring’s here and the Summer sun is strengthening, move your area rugs around periodically, particularly if they are over a hard surface. Hard surfaces can change color over time. “Rotating” them helps your floor, as well as your rug, age evenly. Sponsored by FloorMax....

3021 North Dug Gap Road Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: 800-423-1823

SPRING 2014

SUBSCRIBE NOW! 2 Issues for only $9.95  YES! I want FABULOUS FLOORS. Send me the next 2 issues Name Business Name Address

State

Zip

Email (optional — for updates & special offers) METHOD OF PAYMENT:

Card Number Expiration Date Name on Card

OR… NOW You Can SUBSCRIBE Online! www.fabulousfloorsmagazine.com Pay using PayPal or send check or money order made out to Fabulous Floors (please do not send cash) 1. For your privacy and protection, use a sealed envelope to send your check or money order. 2. MAIL to Fabulous Floors Subscriptions PO Box 2166 Dalton, GA 30722 3. Call NOW! 678.761.5002

We’ve Gone Digital Too! Now you can buy Fabulous Floors Magazine and read it on your smartphone or tablet! Fabulous Floors Magazine is now featured on Magzter, the world’s largest and fastest growing cross platform global digital magazine store and newsstand. You can find all four quarterly issues of Fabulous Floors Magazine on Magzter!

Go to www.magzter.com and search for Fabulous Floors under Home Décor or Fashion tabs. Readers can browse, preview and purchase magazines of their choice with a single touch. When you purchase a magazine on Magzter, you can read it on any five of your favorite smart devices. How Fabulous is that?!

AND… It’s so EASY! Once you have created a free Magzter account, you can access your purchases across all your devices—phones, tablets, laptops and desktops. We even offer back issues of our magazine. More than just a page turn pdf, Fabulous Floors has added video, animation and embedded links giving you an interactive experience connecting you to more information about products, color trends, design tips and more! Fabulous Floors on Magzter is just $5.99 per issue, but always look for FABULOUS discounts up to 60% off! Magzter is also available on storefronts like the AMAZON App and Huawei App Stores.

70 66

FABULOUSfloors

In These Challenging Economic Times, How Can You Maintain Your Cash Flow? WE CAN HELP Overnite capital wants to be your financial partner. We advance money toSHOPPING commercial Customer FORreceivables NEW FLOORS? that are on payment terms.

Get The Credit You Deserve

Use Our Money to Make Money!

City



SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER!

HOW DOES IT WORK? Overnite Capital advances 80–90% of the invoice amount prior to customeryour paying. Whenyour purchasing next floor, ask about credit promotions offered byIyour WHAT CAN USEspecialty flooring retailer. No longerTHE is credit merelyFOR? a way to spread out payments. MONEY Use the money for operating costs money manageIt’s become something far different—a orment paying supplier so you tool your for today’s family chiefcan financial officer. More takea the order right away. credit represents the than waynext to manage payments, opportunity to buy better merchandise, especially when WHAT ARE THE the timing’s right. REQUIREMENTS? is an investment as much as it is fashion OurFlooring factoring credit line ranges from $100K to $5M. Your because it becomes partbusiness of your home’s structure. can havepurchasing as little asflooring, $20,000 consider a month how long you plan When in keep receivables. Weand canhow helplong you itif will take to pay it off to that floor you are a startup or a seasoned with credit. Wood lasts generations. You may want to company. main criterion is or so. change yourThe carpet every five years receivables or purchase orders from Ask yourself if the floor will add substantially to the credit worthy customers. value of the home. Credit options may turn out to be a IS THERE A MINIMUM? bargain if you can comfortably pay off the purchase in a We have no plan monthly minimums year or two, to keep the house for a long time and so you use our funds your plan to buy lasting, qualityatfashions. discretion. Your project will likely begin with a budget. So, with comprising ascredit much as a third of one’s Evenflooring if you only have one worthy customer to factor, we can renovation cost, your credit plan can actually keep costs helpbyyour cashtoflow. contained helping track and limit expenditures. Plus, credit lets you purchase economically—for example, when that special flooring goes on sale. Smart money managers also look to store credit as a way of keeping their regular credit cards open for routine— even emergency—expenditures. Because credit impacts your overall cost, look for stores that promote their own store card and offer specials to new cardholders. 2933 Bunker Hill Lane, Suite 210 Ask about long-term special programs such as Santa CA“same 95054-1152 one and Clara, two-year as cash” offers. As a matter 800 957-4309 of course, better stores should be able to offer 60 to 90www.overnitecapital.com days with no interest. At that time, your purchase either is paidOvernite off or rolls overonly into a revolving charge (Disclaimer: Capital with interest starting onorthe purchase date. As a credit serves the commercial business to business market) customer you can call ahead and plan future purchases with your specialty flooring retailer. Ask to be added to its VIP list for private offerings, too, and look for special shopping days and special products offered to credit card holders.

Where to Go When There’s A Problem with Your Floor BY KEN DOWNEY, FCITS PRESIDENT/INSTRUCTOR

For a consumer, buying flooring can be tricky!

About Flooring Consultants & Inspection Training Services (FCITS)

Established in 1988, FCITS offers a wide variety of training and certification courses for independent inspectors. FCITS is recognized as one of the top certification bodies for flooring inspectors by the floorcovering industry. Along with Carpet Inspector certification and Hard Surface Inspector certification, FCITS now offers specified classes such as Commercial Repair, Advanced Carpet Manufacturing Claims, Concrete and Moisture certification, Commercial Color and Texture Correction, plus much more. FCITS is located in Dalton, GA, in the heart of the floorcovering industry. With just a short distance to any of the major manufacturers, FCITS has the inside track to changes in the flooring industry. FCITS also offers many consulting services and a comprehensive Registry of Certified Flooring Inspectors nationwide. For any problems the flooring industry may have, whether assistance is needed by a manufacturer, retailer, homeowner, insurance company or law firm, FCITS is here to help. ■

o many flooring options are available. How do you decide? Do you want hardwood floors, laminate floors, ceramic tile or stone? Perhaps vinyl or carpet is a better fit for you. Once the decision is made and the flooring is picked out and installed, everyone is happy! Right? Then… six months later you see a problem with the flooring! What’s causing the problem? What do you do? Who do you contact to help resolve the issue? There is help for you… You may need a certified, qualified flooring inspector! Certified flooring inspectors are trained in all aspects of flooring, from the manufacturing process all the way to the installation process. Through proper investigation they can find out if the issue is a manufacturing-related issue, a cleaning- and maintenance-related issue, a moisture-related issue, etc., that is causing the problem.

If you need anymore information, please call FCITS at 1-800-462-2151, or e-mail info@fcits.org

An FCITS inspector examines an installed wood floor for evidence of cracking and shrinkage. This is called a defective overlay. UV light causes the board to fade when the overlay is defective.

SPRING 2014

new dimensions | Find Flooring

FAST

ALLWOOD 855.245.1080 www.allwoodgrp.com

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS www.asid.org

BLOOMSBURG CARPET 212.688.7447 www.bloomsburgcarpet.com

BRITISH WOOL MARKETING BOARD www.britishwool.org

CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL www.campaignforwool.org

CROSSVILLE INC. 800.221.9093 www.crossvilleinc.com

FLORIDA TILE INC. 800.789.TILE www.floridatile.com

FLOORMAX DIRECT 800.423.1823 www.floormaxdirect.com

KARNDEAN DESIGN FLOORING www.karndean.com

KATHY IRELAND www.kathyireland.com

MANNINGTON MILLS 856.935.3000 www.mannington.com

METROFLOR www.metroflorusa.com

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES Smart Strand 800.2MOHAWK www.mohawkflooring.com/green

NOURISON www.nourison.com

OVERNITE CAPITAL 800.957.4309 www.overnitecapital.com

TUFTEX CARPETS OF CALIFORNIA The Premier Carpet of Shaw Floors 877.224.7429 www.tuftexcarpets.com 828 INTERNATIONAL www.828rugs.com ALTOGETHER HOME www.altogetherhome.com AMERICAN HARDWOOD INFORMATION CENTER www.hardwoodinfo.com AMERICAN OLEAN 888.AOT.TILE www.americanolean.com AMTICO www.amtico.com ANN SACKS 800.278.8453 www.annsacks.com

FABULOUSfloors

ANDERSON HARDWOOD FLOORS 864.833.6250 www.andersonfloors.com ANSO® NYLON/ SHAW INDUSTRIES www.ansonylon.com APARICI TILE www.aparici.com APCOR www.realcork.org APC CORK 866.222.3241 www.apcork.com ARMSTRONG FLOOR PRODUCTS, which include Bruce®, Armstrong® and Robbins®, offer hardwood, resilient, laminate, ceramics and Genuine Linoleum™. To see products, go to www.armstrong.com BELLAVITA TILE www.bellavita.com BERRY FLOOR www.berryfloor.com BLISS CARPETS Beaulieu of America Inc 800.227.7211 www.beaulieuofamerica.com BONAKEMI www.bona.com BR-111 800.525.BR111 www.br111.com BRINTONS www.brintons.com CAPRI CORK www.capricork.com CARLISLE WIDE PLANK FLOORING 800-595-9663 www.wideplankflooring.com CARPENTER CO. STAINMASTER™ Carpet Cushion System www.carpenter.com CARPET ONE FLOOR & HOME www.carpetone.com CARPET & RUG INSTITUTE www.carpet-rug.com CARPETSPLUS COLOR TILE ECOCHOICE FLOORING 800.261.6456 www.carpetspluscolortile.com www.ecochoiceflooring.com CENTIVA www.centiva.com 888.CENTIVA COIR BOARD Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Government of India www.coirboard.gov.in www.coirboard.nic.in COLONIAL MILLS (CMI) 800.343.9339 www.colonialmills.com COLUMBIA FLOORING www.columbiaflooring.com CONGOLEUM CORP. www.congoleum.com

Natural Choice Tapestry Natural (image courtesy of Ulster Carpets).

A BUYER’S GUIDE

COURISTAN www.couristan.com CREATIVE EDGE MASTER SHOP 641.472.8145 www.cec-waterjet.com CROSSVILLE INC. 800.221.9093 www.crossvilleinc.com CUSTOM WEAVE By Mohawk 800.2.Mohawk www.mohawkind.com DALTILE CORP. 800.933.TILE www.daltile.com DB COVER Fabricushon, Ltd. 800.475.0801 DIXIE HOME 800.273.8546 www.dixie-home.com DOMCO-TARKETT www.domco.com www.tarkettusa.com DREAMWEAVER CARPET www.dwcarpet.com ECODOMO LLC 301.424.7717 www.EcoDomo.com EGE SERAMIK www.egeseramik.com ELDORADO STONE www.eldoradostone.com ELIANE CERAMIC TILES www.elianeusa.com EMIL CERAMICA www.emilamerica.com ENGINEERED FLOORS LLC www.engineeredfloorsllc.com EPRO TILE www.eprotile.com EXCELSIOR WOOD PRODUCTS, LLC 845.339.6630 www.excelsiorwood.com EXPANKO www.expanko.com 800.345.6202 FABRICA INTERNATIONAL 800.854.0357 www.fabrica.com FAUS GROUP INC. 888.231.3287 www.fausinc.com FCITS www.fcits.org FORBO LINOLEUM 866.MARMOLEUM www.themarmoleumstore.com FORMICA www.formicaflooring.com FORTIS ARBOR www.fluxstudios.com GOODWIN HEARTPINE www.heartpine.com GODFREY HIRST 800.480.7135 www.godfreyhirstusa.com HB FULLER Construction Products www.groutboost.com

HELIOS CARPET www.helioscarpet.com HOMERWOOD www.homerwood.com HOMESPICE DÉCOR www.homespicedecor.com HOME LEGEND 877.630.1800 www.homelegend.com IDG • INTERNATIONAL DESIGN GUILD • JUST SHORN 800.205.4345 www.justshorn.com www.design-guild.com www.dabbiericollection.com blog.dabbiericollection.com ILVA www.ilva.com.ar IMAGINE TILE www.imaginetile.com INTERCERAMIC USA, Inc. 214.503.5500 www.interceramicusa.com INTERNATIONAL VINYL CORPORATION 706.278.8008 www.ivcgroup.com JMISH CARPETS www.jmishinc.com JOHNSONITE www.johnsonite.com JUST SHORN www.justshorn.com KAHRS INTERNATIONAL 404.206.9910 www.kahrs.com KAINDL www.kaindl.com KARASTAN www.karastan.com KARLSON HARDWOOD FLOORS 404.422.2264 www.karlsonshardwood.com KORUS –NYDREE WOOD www.koruswoodflooring.com KRONOTEX USA www.kronotexusa.com LAND PORCELANICO www.landporcelanico.com LAUFEN 800.321.0684 www.laufenusa.com LAUZON DISTINCTIVE HARDWOOD FLOORING 877.427.5144 www.lauzonltd.com LEA CERAMICHE www.ceramichelea.com LILYWORK CERAMIC ORNAMENT www.lilywork.com LIORA MANNE www.lioramanne.com LUMBER LIQUIDATORS 1-800-HARDWOOD www.lumberliquidators.com MARAZZI USA www.marazzitile.com

MASLAND CARPETS & RUGS 800.633.0468 www.maslandcarpets.com MEDITERRANEA 305.718.5091 www.mediterranea-usa.com MILLIKEN CARPET & RUGS 800.528.8453 www.millikencarpet.com MINWAX® 800.523.9299 www.minwax.com MIRAGE HARDWOOD FLOORS FROM BOA FRANC www.miragefloors.com MOHAWK CREDIT 800.2MOHAWK www.mohawkflooring.com MOMENI www.momeni.com MOTAWI TILEWORKS 734 213 0017 www.motawi.com MULLICAN 800.844.6356 www.mullicanflooring.com NALFA www.nalfa.com NAFCO by Tarkett www.nafco.com NORTH AMERICAN LAMINATE FLOORING ASSOCIATION (NALFA) www.nalfa.com NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION www.woodfloors.org OCEANSIDE GLASS www.glasstile.com OLD AMERICAN LUMBER reclaimedwood@charter.net PARTERRE FLOORING www.parterreflooring.com PERGO 800.337.3746 www.pergo.com PLANETA PEDRA www.planetapedra.com QUICK-STEP, INC www.quick-step.com ROGER OATES www.rogeroates.com RUGSTREET 480.635.8643 www.rugstreet.com SAINT GAUDENS METAL ARTS 760.891.0300 www.vsgmetalarts.com SHAW INDUSTRIES/ SHAW LIVING www.shawinc.com SAFAVIEH 866.422.9070 www.safavieh.com SCHUMACHER www.fsco.com SENECA TILES www.senecatiles.com

FABULOUS FIND The World Floor Covering Association’s (WFCA) website offers all the resources and tools necessary to make informed purchasing decisions about flooring. Better yet, WFCA is a nonpartisan, floor covering advocacy association — they do not manufacturer or sell ANYTHING — so the website offers completely unbiased, FREE information on all types of flooring. With help from teams of designers, trend scouts and industry experts, the award-winning WFCA.ORG provides in-depth overviews on every type of flooring available — hardwood, carpeting, area rugs, ceramic, stone, laminate, resilient, even green products. It showcases an ever-changing line-up of content, including new trends, product introduc-tions and technologies. An overview of each category provides the pros and cons, manufacturing details, things to consider before you buy, cost estimates and how to prepare for instal-lation. In addition, it provides answers to the most common floor covering questions. When you’re ready to buy, WFCA.org offers a searchable database of reputable WFCA retail members across the country. All you need to do is enter your zip code and you will receive a list of retail stores in your area. Check out WFCA.ORG!

SHAMROCK PLANK FLOORING 866.473.3765 www.shamrockplankflooring.com SHAW FLOORS 1.800.441.7429 www.shawfloors.com SICIS The Art factory www.sicis.com SOUTHWIND CARPET MILLS (a division of Cherokee Carpet Ind.) www.southwindcarpet.com 800.272.2808 SPHINX, DIV. OF ORIENTAL WEAVERS 800.832.8020 www.owsphinx.com STAINMASTER CARPETS STAINMASTER CUSHION 800.438.7668 www.stainmaster.com STANTON CARPET 516.822.5878 www.stantoncarpet.com TARKETT www.tarkett.com TERAGREN Fine Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer www.teragren.com 800.929.6333 TERRA LEGNO (800) 393-7424 www.terralegno.com TILE CIRCLE www.tilecircle.com TILE OF SPAIN® 305.446.4387 www.spaintiles.info TORLY’S www.torlys.com 800.461.2573

TOUCH UP PRODUCTS www.exactmatchwoodtouchup.com 1.855.YOU.TOUCHUP UNIQUE CARPETS www.uniquecarpets.com US FLOORS/NATURAL CORK 800.404.2675 www.naturalcork.com www.usfloors.com VILLEROY & BOCH www.villeroy-boch.com WALKER ZANGER www.walkerzanger.com WEAR-DATED CARPET FIBER 800.845.5270 www.weardated.com WELLMADE PERFORMANCE FLOORING www.wellmadefloors.com WHITE OAK CARPET MILLS www.whiteoakcarpet.com WICANDERS www.wicanders.com WOOLS OF NEW ZEALAND www.woolpremierpartner.com www.wonz.com WORLD FLOOR COVERING ASSOCIATION (WFCA) www.wfca.org WUNDAWEVE COLLECTION By Mohawk 800.2.MOHAWK www.mohawk-flooring.com YAREMA MARQUETRY www.yaremamarquetry.com YERRA RUGS www.yerrarugs.com

Happy 60th Anniversary to Florida Tile!

ongratulations to an American tile manufacturer whose initial 1954 mission statement remains valid today.

The company began 60 years ago in March when its founders recognized opportunity in making a difficult-to-manufacture trim tile. Subsequently, it was the similar ability to recognize and address changing American tastes by producing innovative sizes and shapes, style and design — and service — that catapulted Florida Tile into one of America’s largest tile companies. Along the way came many industry firsts, the most recent being High Definition Porcelain®, a revolutionary technology using high-speed printers to give a life-like realism to the decorations on the tile. The editors at Fabulous Floors Magazine are fascinated by the many looks this expertise can deliver, from stone to rare vintage hardwoods to the modern urban landscape look. Florida Tile was the first company to introduce a guaranteed minimum 40 percent recycled content in its product, leading to a virtual zero-waste tile production manufacturing environment. Also, Florida Tile was the first to attain GREENGUARD certification for all of its products and one of the earliest producers to carry the Certified Porcelain mark on all of its porcelain lines. How green is that? To take the brand into the 21st century, Florida Tile found a perfect partner in 2006 when the company was purchased by Panariagroup, one of the leading Italian manufacturers with a strong international presence, distributed in more than 100 countries around the world. A year later and after a $25 million investment, Florida Tile opened an ultra-modern porcelain production line in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, one of only three such factories in the US capable of making very large-sized, throughbody porcelain tile. The factory now runs round-the-clock, even in a challenging economy, to keep the latest in tile style coming to customers like you. You can read more about Florida Tile and its history online at www.floridatile.com, but since the style’s the thing, come to the pages of Fabulous Floors each issue to see the latest from Florida Tile.

SPRING 2014

aging in place | BY JEANETTE CHASWORTH

“Aging in Place” Design for a Lifetime

Jeanette Chasworth, nicknamed The Color Whisperer by her clients, believes in the transformational power of design and color. Jeanette draws inspiration from the homeowners’ lifestyle, taste and experiences and also attunes herself to the house itself. Her clients often describe their newly designed space as a visual expression of their personality. There is a sense of peace and comfort created by colors and textures that now harmonize with the energy of the clients — and with their homes. As a result, Jeanette’s portfolio illustrates great diversity in design. Her philosophy is unbounded by a particular style — her inspiration drawn from the desires that houses may “whisper in her ear.”

ne of the biggest trends in the building industry is “Aging in Place” or Universal Design, which incorporates design ideas that are more flexible relative to physical changes that people may encounter at any age. These design concepts create a better quality of life, make normal activities easier and allow people to stay in their homes longer instead of going into assisted living care. Assisted living care can be very costly, $4000 per month or more. Too many times people are forced out of their homes and into more expensive care because their homes are not fit for their physical issues and make it impossible to stay in the homes that they love. How many times a day do you use your bathroom? Imagine if you couldn’t. A bathroom with barrier-free elements begins with making the door wide enough to get a wheelchair inside. It’s such a simple thing, yet so many doorways are too narrow for a wheelchair even though it’s an easy fix. Another trend that is getting bigger are barrier-free or damless showers. These are wonderful on many levels. A barrier-free or damless shower can make a bathroom more spacious and give it more of that “spa” feel. It allows a wheelchair access and turning ratio and allows for more independence. Using smaller tile in these types of applications also works to make the room look bigger and create a more slip-resistant floor.

http://www.thecolorwhisperer.com

The Milestone Collection from MASLAND, features 100% Universal Fibers® Type 6,6 for superior performance — its six graphic styles are tufted for low resistance to roller traffic. Each take cues from natural elements for a nourishing aesthetic. Far left: The Milestone Collection in Anew Gray from Masland. Left: A barrier-free bathroom is accessible to everyone. Above: Milestone Harmony Broadloom in Anew Gray from Masland.

FABULOUSfloors

Many baby boomers are taking care of their parents and need these amenities in their homes to take care of them, and also realize that these changes will allow them to stay in their homes longer and keep their independence. A slip-resistant floor is very important in Universal Design. Masland Contract has introduced some carpets that are specifically suited for this purpose. They are made of Olefin and polyester, making them stain resistant and resilient so that the pressure of walkers or wheelchairs will not create indentations in the carpet. They are also antimicrobial, so there is little chance for bacteria to grow from any spills or accidents that may occur. Recent studies have shown that higher contrast in carpets helps stimulate brain activity and makes it easier to see when changing areas or levels, thus decreasing the possibility of falling. Many baby boomers are taking care of their parents and need these amenities in their homes to take care of them, and also realize that these changes will allow them to stay in their homes longer and keep their independence. If you would like more information on Aging in Place, Drue Lawlor and Michael A. Thomas have written the ultimate guide to preparing your home for aging gracefully. Go to:

http://www.amazon.com/Residential-Design-Aging-In-Place/dp/0470056142

Above: From Maslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Milestone Collection Serene Broadloom in Anew Gray. Below left: Milestone Tranquil Broadloom in Anew Gray. Below: Milestone Balance Espirt Broadloom in Anew Gray.

SPRING 2014

BY MARSHA HOWLAND

Makes a Difference

Mark Brunetz

FABULOUSfloors

esign for a Difference was created by the International Design Guild in 2013 to encourage interior designers to give back to their local communities via design makeovers for local charities. It provides winners with the products and services to fulfill their design vision for a local nonprofit. Leslie Ann Schifferns from Spokane, WA, who nominated the local charity Transitions, was selected as the grand prize winner in the inaugural Design for a Difference contest sponsored by the International Design Guild. Transitions provides transitional housing for women and children throughout the Spokane region. “I chose Transitions because it is a charity for single moms and their kids who have been homeless. Design is about creating a home, a nurturing place, and that was the opportunity I had here,” said Leslie Ann Schifferns. The project was to transform a hodge-podge of a multipurpose room into a community space that worked for adults as well as children, with a fresh paint job, new flooring, new furniture and fabulous touches from the designers. “Design for a Difference is more than a name; it’s a mission to unite a community of designers and leverage their ability to change lives, one space at a time,” said Mark Brunetz, Emmy® Award winning designer, author and co-founder and team leader of the contest. “It’s important to give back, and this contest makes it much easier for philanthropic designers to do so.” “We know the design community is generous, and many designers give of their time and talents to worthwhile causes. This contest gives us a chance to celebrate the talents of designers and help raise awareness of the nonprofit organizations that bring hope and help to the local communities where we do business,” said International Design Guild President Krista Eliason. “We believe that design has the power to impact and enhance lives, and we witnessed just how transformative design can be with our first winner.” In addition to Leslie Ann and Mark, regional winners Vivian Dowsett, Lisa Schmitz, Deanna Whetstone, and Tyler Wisler assisted with the design. Spokane IDG showroom owner Gina

Cook and her team were also instrumental in renewing the Transitions space. The contest, open to interior designers, architects and design students, returns with expanded prizes this spring. Entries are accepted until June 1, 2014, at www.IDGcontest.com, with winners announced on August 1, 2014. The national winner earns the grand prize of $25,000 in retail goods and services, plus the opportunity to collaborate and co-host with designer Mark Brunetz. A professionally produced video will be provided to the

winner and winning charity to promote their work. Additionally, four regional prizes include an all-expense paid trip to the Grand Prize city while participating in the project, the opportunity to be a part of the national makeover team along with the winner and Mark Brunetz, and a $2,000 prize package from the local IDG Showroom to support the makeover for each of the regional charities. A video of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winning project and makeover is available at www.youtube.com/idgdesigner. â&#x2013;

Here: Transitions before (left) and after (right). Above: Spokane group and blocks caption to come.

SPRING 2014

Live Naturally Choose Wool

BY BRIDGETTE KELLY

Stronger, Smarter, Safer... The Story of Warrior Wool! T

here has never been as valiant a warrior as wool! It is strong, smart and safe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it fights the daily battle of family life with all its might, bravely resisting wear and tear, consistently reliable, quietly reassuring and always stunningly handsome, naturally beautiful!!

Wool has already waged a battle with the elements before it is taken and turned into an amazing spun fibre. It has protected the sheep from all weather conditions; this in turn creates the wool that works so well in textiles and particularly carpets and rugs.

FABULOUSfloors

The natural origin of real wool enjoys its greatest moment in Spring, as lambs are born and the countryside, newly fresh and green, truly comes alive. Wool, grown on sheep, is the most sustainable and natural fibre of all. Having had time to regrow since the shear in the previous summer, wool will be beginning to show its abundance by late Spring. By early Summer the shearing of this supremely soft but incredibly strong fibre will be beckoning, and this refreshes the supplies of springy, clean wool for the carpet and rug industries. Good-quality wool is the most important asset of a wool carpet. The manufacturers working with The Campaign for Wool as part of our Green Sheep Live Naturally...Choose Wool promotion offer quality wool and stunning flooring design solutions. Choosing real wool is a decision that will bring incredible added value to an interior space, as good manufacturers understand. The natural keratin structure of the fibre is very complex, with a fully active cell structure which provides a wealth of inherent attributes that all contribute to incredible long-lasting performance. >>





Opposite page: Swaledale sheep. At left: Woodbridge from Hibernia — (image courtesy of Hibernia).

SPRING 2014

Live Naturally Choose Wool

Wool, grown on sheep, is the most sustainable and natural fibre of all.

The robust internal strength of wool stems mainly from the breed of sheep and its geographical location. Strong carpet wool is vital to the floor and is usually grown on sheep in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, although other wools are used in yarn blends, too. Strong wool will resist footfall and tracking and bring added durability for appearance retention over many years. The floor is the backdrop of the room, so choosing good wool carpets will be a very wise investment. Home comforts are what we all crave after a long day. Tactile textiles that bring superior softness will also reduce the intensity of noise in the home and will improve the quality of your â&#x20AC;&#x153;downtime.â&#x20AC;? Wool is a bulky fibre and, therefore, an excellent insulator; it will cushion against room-to-room, floor-to-ceiling noise. This insulation will also minimize heat loss, making your home more energy efficient and in doing so curbing excessive carbon emissions.

Left: Natural Choice Tapestry Natural (image courtesy of Ulster Carpets). Above: Isis Leaf from Roger Oates Carpets (Image courtesy of Roger Oates Carpets).

FABULOUSfloors

The robust internal strength of wool stems mainly from the breed of sheep and its geographical location. Wool is a fibre that breathes — adapts to the wearer and also the room — by absorbing or “wicking” moisture and humidity from the room which it later releases. Wool provides an intelligent response to the space, providing a climate comfort level — never too hot or too cold — just as it changed for the sheep. >>

Right: Timorous Beasties, Devine Moth Dusk from Brintons (Image courtesy of Brintons Carpets). Below: Heather Glen from Masland Carpets (Image courtesy of Masland Carpets).

SPRING 2014

Live Naturally Choose Wool

At right: Timorous Beasties, Yellow Ruskin Butterfly from Brintons (Image courtesy of Brintons Carpets). Below: Dart Multi Stairs from Roger Oates (image courtesy of Roger Oates Carpets).

The unique ability of wool to trap dust in the top layer within its microscopic scaly surface cleans the air of minute floating particles and reduces airborne contaminants and allergens. A regular vacuuming will remove these particles from the carpet easily. In all that we do, we seek to be safe. This remarkable fibre will naturally resist flame due to its high water and nitrogen content. It does not melt, drip or emit noxious fumes — all of which are key contributors to fatality in fire situations. Add these benefits to the beauty of wool in carpets and rugs and it is easy to see why so many designers and manufacturers prefer wool. Colour, pattern, texture and the plethora of wool styles available to the interior space are all enhanced by this remarkable natural fibre. Choose wisely — choose wool. ■

FABULOUSfloors

One Wool... One Brand Welcome to the

Green Sheep The Green Sheep is the new brand for real wool from the Campaign for Wool. Supported by quality manufacturers and run by the major wool organisations of the world.

Live Naturally Choose Wool

A Campaign for Wool promotion www.campaignforwool.com

#onewool

SPRING 2014

Wool Resource Guide Axminster Carpets Ltd UK

Godfrey Hirst USA

Roger Oates UK

+44 (0) 1297 630647 www.axminster-carpets.co.uk/

800-480-7134 www.godfreyhirst.com/

Bellbridge Carpets USA

Hibernia Woolen Mills USA

+ 44 (0) 1531 632718 + 44 (0) 207 3512288 www.rogeroates.com/

800-227-3408 www.bellbridge.com/

562-945-8711 / 888-588-9665 www.hiberniawoolenmills.com/

Bloomsburg Carpets/USA

International Design Guild

800-233-8773 www.bloomsburgcarpet.com/

603-626-0333 or 800-450-7595 www.internationaldesignguild.com/

Brintons HO USA

J. Mish, Inc USA

678-594-9300 www.brintons.net/

(800)-655-8613 www.jmish.com/us/

Carousel USA

Karastan USA

800-241-5515 / 706-602-8080 www.carouselcarpet.com/

1-800-234-1120 www.karastan.com/

Carter International USA

Langhorne Carpet Co. USA

(877)-227-8371 www.cartercarpets.us/

215-757-5155 www.langhornecarpets.com/

Delos Rugs USA

Masland Carpets & Rugs USA

877-988-5595 www.delosrugs.com/

800-633-0468 www.maslandcarpets.com/

Fabrica Carpets USA

Nourison USA

949-261-7181 / 800-854-0357 www.fabrica.com

800-223-1110 / 201-368-6900 www.nourison.com/

Hagaman Carpets USA

Rodeo Collection by Stark USA

706-861-6028 / 800-448-0279 www.hagamancarpet.com

FABULOUSfloors

www.starkcarpet.com

Savnik USA 510-568-3150 savnik.com/

Silver Creek Carpet USA 800-233-5016 www.bloomsburgcarpet.com/silvercreek

Stark Carpet Corp USA 00 1 714 434 0630 www.starkcarpet.com/homeMain.cfm

Stanton Carpets USA 888-809-2989 www.stantoncarpet.com/

Tai Ping USA 212-979-2233 taipingcarpets.com/

The Dixie Group, Inc USA 866-274-9776 www.thedixiegroup.com/

Ulster Carpets UK 770-528-4724. www.ulstercarpets.com/

Westex Carpets UK 44 1274 861 334 www.westexcarpets.co.uk/

Distinctly American. Uniquely Crossville.

If these woods could talk, they’d say “I play to the crowd.” With the look and feel of true American hardwood and the high-proof strength of porcelain, this virtuoso smoothly scales from backstage to spotlight. Welcome to SpeakEasy, where a new twist on classic style is never prohibited. Meet Sweet Georgia Brown, only from the SpeakEasy collection

SpeakEasy Speak out. Speak loud. Speak easy. #SpeakEasy Questions: 931-456-3136 CrossvilleInc.com

Don’t Worry.

I T ’ S S M A R T S T R A N D. Life can get messy! But, with SmartStrand carpet by Mohawk, you don’t have to worry.

Featured carpet: Tender Tradition in color Bare Essence

SmartStrand is the only carpet with built-in stain and soil resistance that never washes or wears off. Visit your local Mohawk retailer and let the fun in with SmartStrand carpet: MohawkFlooring.com/SmartStrand

View Messy Moment #1