Join Bolon London Showroom to celebrate the launch of Bolon’s five new made-to-measure rugs and a unique opportunity to meet visionary Bolon owners and sisters, Annica and Marie.
The newly available rugs are based on the five unique designs from the Truly flooring collection, that were launched earlier this year. Truly is all about enlarged patterns, colour effects and hyper texture and is shaped around the creative vision of Bolon’s design team.
With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bolon designs and manufactures all products in its facility using only renewable energy. The company has gained worldwide recognition for their award-winning design, superior quality, and collaborations with some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators and creatives.
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Timeless elegance is guaranteed with Versilia Marble from RAK Ceramics, a porcelain tile that will bring an air of luxury to any setting.
Inspired by the natural, effortless beauty of marble, with all the practical advantages that porcelain brings to interiors, Versilia Marble displays striking grey veining set against a neutral white backdrop for instant attention.
Durable, straightforward to install and easy to care for, this revised classy marble surface is the ideal choice for worktops, wall surfaces and floor coverings. The high gloss finish gives the material the edge, even when used over compact spaces where reflecting light equals the illusion of spaciousness.
Tapping into the continental trend for worktops with a slim profile, Versilia Marble is 9mm thick and in measurements from 60x120cm per tile. The Mega Slab format allows for greater consistency when used over large areas, with less need for grout lines and a seamless finish.
About RAK Ceramics
RAK Ceramics is one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world. Specialising in ceramic and grès porcelain wall and floor tiles, tableware, sanitaryware and faucets, the company has the capacity to produce 123 million square metres of tiles, 5 million pieces of sanitaryware, 24 million pieces of porcelain tableware and 1 million pieces of faucets per year at its 22 state-of-the-art plants across the United Arab Emirates, India and Bangladesh. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, RAK Ceramics serves clients in more than 150 countries through its network of operational hubs in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, North and South America and Australia.
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In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the Flooring & Floor Coverings category, IVC Commercial, the designer shares details about the winning project, discuss the company’s journey to becoming zero impact by 2040 and sheds light on the key considerations for specifying floors for different environments – commercial and residential.
SBID Awards Category: Flooring & Floor Coverings
Practice: IVC Commercial
Entry: Studio Moods
We invest heavily in design and product development and pride ourselves on creating high performance flooring for commercial interiors. Entering awards are a key part of communicating our story of innovation to the design community. SBID’s stature makes the awards a must. To be recognised gives the entire company a lift and supports conversations around new technologies to a wider audience. In short, it is testament that the solutions we produce are recognised as among the best in the industry.
Studio Moods gives designers the flexibility to achieve a truly bespoke floor, which I believe is its strongest asset. The floor is available in a variety of geometric, tessellating shapes and various wood, stone and colour effects. By choosing a personalised combination from these building blocks, designers can create a unique and exclusive design. Ultimately, Studio Moods makes bespoke flooring more accessible. The floor’s performance and recycled content also add to the many benefits of this collection.
Our Journey to 2040 is a road map to reducing our footprint with the ambition to become zero impact. It influences the actions we take not only in development and design but also in manufacturing, installation and end of life. This manifests itself in many ways: the recycled content of products and research into materials that are easier to recycle, more efficient manufacturing, loose lay installation and post-use recovery and recycling.
At IVC Commercial we specialise in flooring for commercial environments, but we are part of IVC Group – with residential brands including Moduleo and Leoline. Key is the ability of flooring to respond to the challenges of the project in question. Broadly, providing durability and remaining easy to maintain are two of the priorities. Specifically, it can be acoustics – particularly important in a growing number of environments – comfort and the ability of the floor to respond to design intentions. In the majority of the projects, it is a combination of this factors that determine the suitability of the floor for the space in question.
Based in Belgium, our research and development team is always busy working on new designs and innovations and we’ve already launched some fantastic new products to the market since we won the award for Studio Moods. Our new Imperfection carpet tile collection – inspired by the Japanese world view of wabi-sabi – is our first to be made from ECONYL®, a yarn that’s made from nylon waste including old fishing nets. It also features a 94% recycled content acoustic backing, so it’s a carpet tile that performs well for the environment, looks fabulous and improves comfort – maybe it’s even another winner! Of course, there’s plenty of exciting developments in the pipeline too.
I’d encourage young designers to be solution and client oriented and to take inspiration from lots of different sources. As an example, for our own product design we look to fashion and global trends as key sources, so it’s best to be open minded. With solutions for specific challenges you may be encountering on projects, it’s always worth talking to your flooring supplier as your default flooring option might not always be the best one for the job in question. We’re always more than happy to talk flooring at any stage of the project and might even be able to suggest a better solution to meet your needs.
Questions answered by Alison McLaughlan, UK head of marketing, IVC Commercial.
IVC Commercial is a global player in the design and manufacture of flooring solutions including Carpet Tiles, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and Heterogeneous Vinyl for use in business, public and private environments. As the commercial division of IVC Group, we’re focused on improving the productivity and wellbeing of users in spaces through innovative solutions that are easy to implement and affordable. Accountable for our actions, we design and make floors responsibly in Belgium, developing a circular approach to the future of flooring.
If you missed last week’s Interview with the Interior Fittings category winner Finfort, click here to read it.
The evolution of Silestone® has inspired Ethereal, a collection of white canvas surfaces with intricate marble look patterns which recreate the natural beauty of the sky.
In addition to kitchen and bathroom applications as a worktop or splashback, Silestone® is also ideal for more ambitious interior design projects where interior cladding, furniture cladding and flooring is required. Ethereal is perfect for both commercial and residential projects where a modern yet timeless aesthetic is desired.
Silestone® Ethereal features HybriQ+® technology, meaning that in the production process 99% of reused water from the production processes is used, along with 100% renewable electric energy. What’s more, a minimum of 20% recycled raw materials are used in the material composition, alongside mineral raw materials, helping to provide an eco-friendly solution for luxury architectural or interior design projects.
Silestone® by Cosentino, the leading global hybrid mineral surface for the world of architecture and design, is excited to introduce its second collection worldwide under its new corporate image. The new Silestone® emblem and character has given rise to the Ethereal collection, which is supported with a major campaign featuring entrepreneur and international fashion icon, Cindy Crawford.
Ethereal by Silestone® represents a quantum leap in terms of design, innovation and sustainability, in line with the transition that Silestone® is undergoing externally and internally with the development of the cutting-edge HybriQ® and HybriQ+® technologies. This evolution of Silestone® has inspired Ethereal, a collection of white canvas surfaces with intricate marble look patterns which recreate the natural beauty of the sky, perfect for both commercial and residential projects where a modern yet timeless aesthetic is desired.
This marble-inspired collection consists of four colours, namely Ethereal Dusk, Ethereal Haze, Ethereal Glow, and Ethereal Noctis. Each colour showcases a deep, fine veining on a white foundation and thanks to HybriQ+® technology, they have been developed with at least 20% recycled raw materials, helping to provide an eco-friendly solution for luxury architectural or interior design projects.
Ethereal Glow is simply pure, classic elegance. Its golden and grey veining merges with a tinged white foundation, with veining running through the entire design to bring an accent of colour to every corner. Inspired by the sunset and its igneous colours and glow, it is an evolution of Silestone®’s internationally acclaimed and widely popular Eternal Calacatta Gold colour.
Ethereal Dusk showcases an urban look in which the bluish tone of its veining brings a modern and avant-garde touch to any space. It symbolises a unique, unforgettable and personal sunrise, with feelings of peace, solemnity and tranquility.
Ethereal Haze includes a dynamic range of grey tones to emit plenty of personality. It takes inspiration from the way the wind moves the clouds over the mountains, with the result both calm and characterful thanks to an interplay of gradients which blend into pure neutrality.
Ethereal Noctis is synonymous with sophistication. The tinged white foundation is broken up with short grey and black veins, providing contrast, depth, simplicity and modernity, inspired by the darkness after sunset.
About Cosentino
Cosentino Group is a global, Spanish, family-owned company that produces and distributes high value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture. It works together with its clients and partners to provide with solutions that offer design and value, and inspire the life of many people. Silestone® is a hybrid surface made from premium natural minerals and recycled materials. Manufactured with the exclusive and innovative HybriQ® technology, a more sustainable approach to architectural surfaces.
Bolon is recognized all over the globe for its award winning and sustainable woven design flooring. This year the design company launches a unique and bold collection created by its inhouse team. The Truly collection let flooring become the statement of any room.
“We’ve been braver than ever before; we gave ourselves the freedom to try out and create all that we have been curious about over the years. Questioning technical challenges and our own perceptions to innovate new expressions, weaving flooring in colour effects and patterns never seen. I feel we’ve really outdone ourselves this time and pushed the idea of what woven flooring can be”, says Klara Persson, the company’s Head of Product Management.
The Truly collection consists of five different patterns, all with their own expression and identity. Enlarged patterns, colour effects and hyper texture is what Truly is all about.
Bolon is bold and is always pushing the boundaries, challenging the perception of flooring design. This year more so than ever. The global campaign, created by Bolon’s in-house marketing department, focuses on brand values such as creativity, craft, passion, colour and heritage. “We love creating the unexpected, we love moving forward. This is Bolon”, say Annica, Cathrine, Klara, Lisa and Marie.
ANYTHING EVERYTHING, a graphic pattern building rooms within a room. Drifting from intense green to glossy white on dark blue.
DISRUPT AND DISCOVER, an elegant multi coloured check with soft glimmers of yellow, white and green. Dark and inky on a nearly deep blue base.
100%, a sparkling out of focus zig-zag pattern. Vibrating ultraviolet on a black, oily base.
PRECIS, a flowing pattern in magnified formations. Deep black base with a copper sheen and blue sparkles.
I SEE YOU, a collage-like pattern, layers upon layers of subtle surfaces. An experiment on a chalky white base.
“Along the way, we found ourselves right in the middle of our DNA, the very heart of Bolon. All that we have ever created and experimented with have brought us here. Five different faces of Bolon, showing who we truly are”, says Annica Eklund Chief Creative Officer at Bolon.
Truly is made in Sweden only with renewable energy, contains recycled material, is easy to maintain, has a high-performance classification, 33 Heavy commercial and a 15-year warranty. The designs comes in roll, 50×50 cm tiles and as Bolon Studio tiles, except Anything Everything, only available as roll. The collection is accessible worldwide from the 26th of January and is ideal for spaces with room for high-end design with a unique expression.
About Bolon
Bolon is a Swedish design company that makes innovative flooring solutions for public spaces. It is a third-generation family business run by sisters Annica and Marie Eklund. Under their leadership, Bolon has transformed from a traditional weaving mill into an international design brand with clients such as Armani, Google, Four Seasons Hotels, Chanel, Adidas, Apple and Missoni. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bolon designs and manufactures all its products at a facility in Ulricehamn in Sweden. The company is recognised worldwide for its award-winning flooring and its collaborations with some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators and creatives.
BOLON is proud and honoured to share that they have introduced a collaboration collection, together with the influential architect and designer, Patricia Urquiola. The Swedish design company has for a long-time admired Patricia’s designs.
“For many years both me and Marie have dreamt of doing something together with Patricia. Her aesthetic appeals to us and it really is a dream come true to introduce the BOLON by Patricia Urquiola collection to the world. Her great sense for colours is something that reflects the collection and it’s a new palette that we haven’t worked with before, which is a great complement to our existing range. We are proud to add Patricia to our portfolio of BOLON friends”, says Annica Eklund, Chief Creative Officer at BOLON.
While working on the collection, Patricia found a resemblance between the weaving technique of Bolon flooring and the Japanese tradition of Sashiko stitches. By developing, experimenting and combining Bolon with Sashiko, the colours, patterns and designs came naturally. BOLON by Patricia Urquiola is a high-end design collection with soft colours, characteristic stitching details and patch-like patterns.
“Sashiko means craftsmanship, a sense of materiality. When we started to work on this collection, we wanted to give the flooring a more authentic feel. We started researching as we do for all textiles but applied the approach to weaving techniques. We wanted to communicate cosiness, a feeling of warmth and Sashiko came up as the leading concept for the collection. I think it worked out really well”, says Patricia Urquiola.
BOLON by Patricia Urquiola consists of one design that comes in four colours; grey, beige with blue details, a clay coloured pink and a calm green. The flooring comes in roll, is made in Sweden, contains recycled material, is easy to maintain, has a high-performance classification 33 Heavy commercial and a 15 years warranty.
The collection is available from the 7th of September 2021 worldwide, and is a perfect flooring for office spaces, hotels or other areas with room for crafted details. The characteristic three-dimensional look of BOLON flooring adds a tactile feel to any interior with the highest technical performance in every square meter.
What are the latest tile trends that are worthy of note for interior designers? Ben Bryden, Sales and Marketing Director at RAK Ceramics UK, takes a look.
Practical, versatile and stylish flooring solutions don’t get much better than porcelain tiles. Strong and durable, this is a material that is suited to all areas, commercially and domestically.
Lava Concrete is a versatile collection that suits any setting, either with a contemporary or minimalist mood, and is suitable for residential projects through to the contract market. Lava Concrete can be chosen in five colours – Dark Grey, Light Grey, Beige, White and Mix Grey – and is available in a range of sizes to suit the application.
The manufacturing process of porcelain, which uses a finer and denser clay combined with high temperature and high pressure, results in a material that is far stronger than other types of ceramic, which is what makes this a material that is highly suited for flooring. Bathrooms benefit in particular from the properties of porcelain, which because of its density is extremely resistant to humidity and water.
The Fashion Stone collection makes a powerful statement with its sheer simplicity. Packed full of sass and contemporary style, this is the ideal tile choice for creating a minimalist look and feel.
Another major reason for the popularity of porcelain is the sheer versatility of the material. Colour and style choice is almost endless and finishes are also variable, giving designers a huge amount of creative freedom and enabling the material to be chosen for almost any application. Tiles can be printed or embossed in numerous ways and solid floor tiles can be mixed-and-matched in patterns and colours in any number of ways. They can be chosen to match or contrast with wall tiling and splashbacks for a cohesive look and can be chosen to replicate the look of many hardwoods and natural stones for the ultimate luxe look.
Solid, durable and extremely versatile, RAK Ceramics Curton are stone-look porcelain tiles that make a highly attractive visual impact.
Tiles with a subtle or a bold marble-effect pattern work well when teamed with materials such as wood, bringing nature indoors and creating a calming, timeless and high-end look that works well across all areas, from public to more private. Porcelain also offers a wonderful opportunity to introduce pops of colour to the setting, with vibrant colourways offering a brilliant way to catch the eye and turn a specific area into a focal point.
RAK Ceramics Circle Wood is a wood effect tile that brings nature indoors in the most practical of ways, ideal for high traffic areas, such as the kitchen.
Installation of the tiles themselves is also straightforward, with mega slabs from RAK Ceramics minimising grout lines and creating a luxe look.
RAK Ceramics is one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world. Specialising in ceramic and grès porcelain wall and floor tiles, tableware, sanitaryware and faucets. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, RAK Ceramics serves clients in more than 150 countries through its network of operational hubs in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, North and South America and Australia.
When it comes to designing floors for care homes, there is much more that goes into it than pure aesthetics. The flooring also has to be safe, durable, easy to maintain, as well as provide comfort for the residents and visitors.
Opting for a contemporary traditional style with quirky twists, Sunrise Senior Living achieved its home from home setting when specifying Karndean Designflooring in its Assisted Living Bistros. Looking to refurbish four of its properties located in Surrey, Chorleywood, Cardiff and Bassett, inhouse interior design manager Danica Mrozek looked to give each location its own individual personality with different colourways and design aspects.
The latest Sunrise Virginia Water in Surrey features Karndean’s characterful Da Vinci Blended Oak laid in a herringbone pattern throughout its Assisted Living Bistro and open plan residents’ dining area, giving a seamless sense of continuity.
Fleur Carson, commercial sales director of Karndean Designflooring, said: “With a simple border pattern, the flooring adds depth and texture to the pared back scheme. The 36” x 3” planks give a floorboard effect with authentic aged oak hues, distinctive grain textures and wide bevelled edges but have been laid in herringbone pattern for a modern look. It complements the bold blue kitchen units and statement mirror tiles with a neutral grey and taupe colour palette perfectly.”
Inhouse design manager, Danica explains the Assisted Living Bistro is where residents can socialise and welcome visiting friends and family. She said: “The comfortable homely spaces feature a self-contained kitchen area and informal cafeteria seating which enables residents to prepare and enjoy a drink and light snack.
“The homely atmosphere is enhanced with the use of domestic kitchen units which offer additional reassurance and encourage independence. Contemporary colour schemes in blues and greys, highlighted in accent colours such as yellow, orange or green, have created elegant yet cheerful interiors that reflects the Sunrise brand.”
When considering flooring for the refurbishment project, Sunrise needed a product that could meet both the aesthetic and technical specifications of a residential healthcare setting. With a hard wearing, waterproof and hygienic surface that offers a slip resistance rating of R9, Karndean flooring from the Da Vinci collection amply met this brief.
As Danica, added: “The flooring needed to have the correct slip rating and wear layer suitable for use in a high traffic area. Karndean products have the aesthetic of real wood without all the impracticalities of maintaining wood.
“We’re really keen to specify sustainable products where possible that are not only environmentally friendly in their manufacturing process but are also durable to ensure longevity. With everyone spending so much more time inside due to the pandemic, indoor air quality has become really important so it’s great that Karndean products are low emitting in terms of VOCs.”
About Karndean Designflooring
Our design process begins with a meeting…with nature. We see flooring differently. Pushing the boundaries has to be an adventure of discovery. It’s why we travel the world for inspiration. From the ancient European woodlands to the Australian outback, we pack our bags and go there. Every time, we connect with something extraordinary that shapes our every step. It’s how we bring the unimaginable, inspired from the outdoors, indoors. Design is an endless journey.
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C.P. Hart delivered superior quality bathroom schemes for London’s iconic Grade II listed Centre Point, formerly a 1960s office building. Located on Tottenham Court Road, this landmark 34-storey tower development has been transformed into 82 high-end residential apartments.
The Specification
C.P. Hart worked in close partnership with Conran & Partners as they managed the planning and completion of the shell and core, interior design and complete apartment fit-outs. Drawing from its long-standing relationships with Europe’s most highly regarded bathroom manufacturers, C.P. Hart supplied vanity units and sanitaryware from Dornbracht, paired with the brand’s Lulu brassware range in Platinum Matt finish; WCs from Duravit and Vola; freestanding baths from Bette; and Bleu de Savoie marble stone walls.
The team also supplied a comprehensive range of products for the building’s accessible rooms, providing specialist advice to ensure the highest possible level of comfort for any user.
The Result
One of the most exciting developments in London, Centre Point has breathed life into Tottenham Court Road. The individualistic and cleverly designed bathrooms complement the bold and imaginative residential scheme that Centre Point has become. All parties involved have been delighted by the bathroom product selection, certainly a factor in attracting instant attention from potential new owners.
With a new virtual event and rug resource for design professionals, COVER magazine will host COVER Connect on 12–15 January 2021. The event will benefit, celebrate and support the handmade rug industry at a time usually occupied by start-of-the-year trade and design fairs. A dedicated place for our diverse professional community to do business remotely, COVER Connect will play host to a global audience of buyers, designers and industry professionals.
TRADE
Trade is the virtual fair at the core of COVER Connect, featuring more than thirty-five of the most most well-respected rug companies in the world, showcasing their latest designs and new collections. COVER Connect will provide an engaging buying experience for exhibitors and clients, and recreate the atmosphere of a fair by offering numerous encounters with outstanding design, quality rugs and the companies who create them. The virtual booths will act as an easily accessible overview of each company’s rugs representing their style and ethos. Live chat and pre-bookable online meetings will be available directly from these booths.
TALKS
The Talks programme at COVER Connect will focus on the themes of Sustainability, Collaboration and Interior Design.
In one of the seven panel discussions, Vanessa Brady OBE, founder of the Society of British and International Design (SBID) will speak to three renowned interior designers about their approaches to successfully incorporating rugs into their projects: Erinn Valencich, Founder of the L.A.-based Erinn V. Design Group; London-based Shalini Misra; and Kar Hwa-Ho, Head of Interior Architects at Zaha Hadid.
EVENTS
Featuring a series of virtual projects presented by Trade exhibitors including interviews, live sales and documentary films.
REGISTRATION
There are two types of attendee registration: one requires accreditation, the other is open to all. Both are free and open now. The Trade and Events sections are open exclusively to accredited buyers, interior designers and architects verified by COVER. Registration to attend Talks and view Features is not subject to verification.
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Visit thecoverconnect.com to find out more.
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