Special New trends in LVT, PVC, vinyl, and design floors

DURABLE, NATURAL, AND LOTS OF DESIGNS

ADVANCE OF ROUND AND MORE FEMININE SHAPES IN THE INTERIOR IS UNMISTAKABLE

Photo – BerryAlloc

There was no Domotex this year, so that means a certain amount of conjecture as to emerging trends in the flooring world. What is clear, however, is that 2021 seems to be starting in more or less the same way as 2020. This means that durability is still important, the natural aspect plays the lead role, special fitting patterns and designs continue to do especially well, and that light sorts of wood are in.

Obviously, some new elements are emerging as well. It is generally noticeable in the interior that the straight and rigid shapes which have dominated floors for so long seem to be increasingly a thing of the past. Instead, round and more feminine shapes are growing in prominence, even under our feet. Moreover, we must refer to some striking colour trends in which mainly shades of brown and grey, shades of red, yellow, and ochre, and also tints of blue and green are doing well. And so, there are good reasons why the colour institute Pantone has declared the colours ultimate grey and yellow illuminating as the defining shades of the year 2021.

First of all, particularly in relation to floors, we can say that special fitting patterns continue to take centre stage. That is partly due to the many options which LVT, PVC, vinyl in general, laminate, and even cork have to offer. Since they are less expensive than real wood (where, by the way, oak still leads the field by a long way), traders can offer special fitting patterns such as herringbone or Hungarian point at affordable prices. There’s also the consideration that just because you fit LVT in one place doesn’t necessarily exclude the option of fitting wood right next to it. In fact, we notice how people are bringing those different worlds closer together.

Durability and the environment

What particularly stands out with floors is the maximum commitment to durability. This stresses the durable and ecological aspect of the production, together with a growing use of natural materials and recycling of old floors and waste substances. Manufacturers are only too pleased to highlight their efforts. We found a good example of that at Aspecta, a division of HMTX Industries, which, since the summer of last year, has been issuing a so called Declare Label. This is comparable to a food label, but is applied to the construction industry. That Declare Label shows the amount of carbon in a product so that architects, designers, and fitters are perfectly aware of the ecological footprint of the items which they prescribe or fit before they use them. With laminate floors, we also notice that they are still selling quite well. It is noticeable how producers are still committing themselves to increasingly better technical features and fitting convenience, which apply equally to LVT, PVC, and vinyl. With laminate, as is the case with the floors we are considering here, a lot of attention is still paid to the most authentic possible reproduction of the look and feel of real wood.

The personal aspect takes centre stage

Apart from laminate, we see particularly with vinyl and PVC floors that innovative print and imprint techniques make the difference because they facilitate any decor at all e.g. wood, stone, metal, etc. The point here is that this meets the requirements and wishes of demanding consumers, who want the most personal style possible for their interiors. The fact that they also want extra features such as, for instance, a low-maintenance product, a waterproof floor, or sound insulation as part of the deal only makes these floors all the more attractive for both residential and commercial applications.