[New] SPOTLIGHT FLOORCOVERINGS

From travertine marble to bio-attributed LVT, these new floorcovering innovations are shaping the world underfoot.

Amtico Amtico Bio www.amtico.com

British manufacturer Amtico has introduced Amtico Bio, the company’s first bio-attributed, low-carbon LVT flooring option created for projects that demand the highest levels of sustainability. Available to specify across the Signature, Spacia and Form collections, Amtico Bio is manufactured using sustainable PVC derived from renewable raw materials. This process saves more than 90% on CO2 emissions released in production compared to fossil fuels. Amtico Bio is chemically and physically identical to the company’s standard LVT and works on the Mass Balance principle; for each order, Amtico sources the required amount of bio-attributed PVC, before incorporating it into existing manufacturing processes. The bio-attributed LVT maintains the same variety of designs and high-quality products that Amtico’s popular collections are known for, but with a lower carbon footprint.

1. Stone Circle

Bespoke Service

Stone Circle has fabricated and installed marble flooring in many of London’s most prestigious hotels. One of the techniques available as part of the company’s bespoke service is book-matching, wherein the marble’s veins are mirrored and matched. This was used to dramatic effect in one of its London projects, where the firm installed a polished Black Wave marble floor in the bathroom of a suite. To create a truly unique look, it is also possible to inlay different marbles to create patterns within the floor. This is carried out on Stone Circle’s waterjet machines, which cut stone into the required design before bonding it on to sheets to allow for accurate installation. www.stone-circle.com

2. Shaw Contract Dye Lab

Shaw Contract’s Dye Lab carpet tile collection is now available for the EMEA market. Featuring intensely saturated hues, softer washes and a range of neutral tones, the collection draws inspiration from natural dyes and mimics the colour shifts rendered in naturally dyed textiles, creating an elegant and unpredictable visual with organic progressions from lightly pigmented to deeper saturation. Dye Lab carpet tiles are installed with Shaw’s Cradle to Cradle-certified EcoWorx backing. Seven Dye Lab colours are now stocked at the company’s carbon neutral facility in Scotland, resulting in significantly reduced lead times. www.shawcontract.com

3. Atlas Concorde Marvel Travertine

Designed in collaboration with hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), Marvel Travertine is a porcelain tile range with travertine marble effect. Reimagining the prestige of iconic materials used for classical architecture in a contemporary manner, HBA has created a collection of extreme realism and versatility of application. The series comprises two variants of Vein Cut and Cross Cut, which are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use covering walls, façades and floors. The former reproduces the striped appearance typical of travertine, while the latter showcases its rich colours with a stonelook surface characterised by shading. www.atlasconcorde.com

4. Topfloor by Esti Abaca

Abaca is a super-strong fibre that can be harvested from its stem to make textiles. Topfloor by Esti has partnered with an Abaca farmers’ cooperative in the Philippines to develop next generation rugs that combine the material’s best natural qualities with a strong, graphic aesthetic. The Essential collection for instance comprises plain colours or simple two or more toned weaves, while the Dis-coloured range – created by Dutch designer Claire Vos – plays with asymmetrical shapes, graduated colour and contrast borders. Topfloor’s Abaca fibre is available in a broad palette of natural shades, though it can be dyed in every Pantone colourway. www.topfloorrugs.com

1. Madera Atelier

Developed as an ode to the process, the Atelier Collection by Madera explores various textures, colours and finishing techniques used to highlight the natural beauty of wood, while adding just enough je ne sais quoi to create truly unique hardwood floors from European Oak. Combining dry-ageing, surface planing and variable brushing, the texture of Atelier is as much a part of the finish as the colour. Starting with a slate of 50 colour combinations, the design and fabrication firm spent several months eliminating, then adjusting until it was left with seven high-quality floorcoverings. Atelier products are manufactured and hand-finished in Europe.

www.maderasurfaces.com

2. Ege Carpets Colortec Stucco

Founded in 1938, Ege Carpets is one of the leading companies in the design, development and manufacturer of premium carpets with a clear focus on sustainability. In fact, the Danish company has been given an EcoVadis Platinum rating and is the only carpet manufacturer to offer 100% Cradle to Cradle-certified carpets. Colortec Stucco is a carpet collection that oozes exclusivity and style. The surface appears elegantly disrupted across a large-patterned, multidimensional flooring canvas, while the randomised pattern creates the illusion of handcrafted construction, though it is actually the result of the company’s technological capability.

www.egecarpets.com

3. Ferreira de Sa Flatweave

The Flatweave range by Ferreira de Sa reflects the Portuguese manufacturer’s expertise and dedication to the art of weaving, which it has developed over the past 75 years. Inspired by Portugal’s magnificent landscapes and modest villages that best represent the country, the series follows a journey through the history and territory of Portugal to create timeless designs with rich colours and attention to detail. With a high resistance to foot traffic, the floorcoverings are suitable for residential, commercial and hospitality projects. Established in 1946, Ferreira de Sa is one of the oldest and largest existing handmade rug manufacturers in Europe. www.ferreiradesa.pt

4. Creative Matters Hand Axminster

Creative Matters recently added Hand Axminster (HAX) to its portfolio of production methods for hospitality carpets. Developed in response to client requests to enhance typical woven Axminster, HAX is a technique that combines the woven Axminster and handtufted methods of production to create added texture and definition with raised or lowered loop and cut pile, while retaining the structural durability required for hotel interiors. The firm recently completed floorcoverings for a hotel where HAX was used throughout the guestrooms and lobby. The Presidential Suite (pictured) showcases the integration of warm gold handtufted elements. www.creativemattersinc.com

1. Ragno Decora

Nature is the focus of the Decora collection, comprising four different subjects that create highly expressive decorative patterns for use on both walls and floors, which can be combined with five colours in the rectified 60x120 and 30x120cm sizes. Extremely durable, 8.5mm-thick porcelain stoneware also permits plain tiles and decors to be freely alternated for modular installations and versatile combinations. Made from 40% recycled material, Decora’s ceramic surfaces are integrated with the innovative CleanOut technological treatment, which specialises in active defense against germs and bacteria for residential and commercial spaces. www.ragno.it

2. Bolon Botanic

Sustainable Swedish design company Bolon has expanded its Artisan and Botanic collections with new colourways. Inspired by the natural world, the Botanic collection (pictured) comprises a range of soft, warm and intelligent tones. Having proved popular since its launch, Bolon has expanded the collection’s colour palette with eight new shades: Blanche is creamy and mild bringing a sophisticated softness associated with a new kind of luxury; Honey is thoughtful with a natural warmth; Chestnut is an intriguing brown; Canyon is a heated terracotta; Rain is a refined blue tone with a hint of purple; Spearmint is a brightening colour; and Library is a classic green. www.bolon.com

3. Deirdre Dyson Angles

Deirdre Dyson has launched Angles, with ten new designs that celebrate the striking effect of interplaying angles and linear shapes. Dyson’s hand sketches were transposed into computer designs, with the artist using her eye for colour to create different illusions, such as a 3D appearance or to give a sense of depth and distance. “I set myself the challenge of avoiding any curves and circles to see what could be achieved solely with angles,” explains Dyson. “All these designs were created with just a set square and a ruler. Once I was happy with them, I concentrated on applying a variety of colours, using them to create a feeling of space and dimension.” www.deirdredyson.com

4. Nanimarquina Tones

Designed by Spanish artist Clàudia Valsells, Tones is the latest collection by Nanimarquina, comprising four rugs that bring a distinctive, harmonious, rhythmic and sensitive touch with colour as the primary tool. Tones has been developed using two techniques: the handtufted technique allows Valsells’ work to be transferred literally, and is the closest thing to creating on a blank canvas; and the ancestral technique of kilim, which provides an aged and irregularly woven appearance by using of Afghani wool that gives it a new perception. The series features an infinite wealth of shades, highlighting the chromatic harmony reminiscent of musical notes. www.nanimarquina.com