Foglie d’Oro is the first Italian company in the wood flooring industry to use the Blockchain in its production chain. This form of digital technology can be used to record information securely and transparently, forming a chain of blocks of data that cannot be changed or falsified.
Using the Blockchain, Foglie d’Oro records all of the stages in its production chain in a way that is:
Secure – Transparent – Verifiable
The Blockchain is a type of technology that can be used to create and manage an open, distributed digital ledger in which data can be stored and exchanged in a secure, verifiable and permanent way. The information recorded in it is divided into blocks that are linked together in a chain, hence the name. Each block has a code that is tied to the previous block, so nothing can be changed without breaking the chain. This system – which has been successfully used with cryptocurrencies – makes it impossible to change or falsify the data recorded, thus ensuring that all information is accurate.
Trust and transparency are core values at Foglie d’Oro, which is underlining its dedication to providing authentic, unmistakable products by introducing technological innovation into its production chain.
The digital flow of data recorded in chronological order in the Blockchain means that the following can be incontrovertibly guaranteed in every stage: – Origins of the raw materials – Processing – Design and development – Product manufacturing and conformity – Transport and distribution
This all means that Foglie d’Oro can offer its customers and partners something truly invaluable: absolute certainty.
One of the distinctive features of Foglie d’Oro products has always been that they are all Made in Italy.
Thanks to the introduction of Blockchain technology, from now on all of our customers and partners can be absolutely certain that all of our floors are 100% Made in Italy. That means that every single thing to do with the processing, manufacturing and composition of our products complies with strict Italian and European environmental, social and safety standards, as unequivocally recorded by the data cryptographically secured in the Blockchain.
As a result, Foglie d’Oro can guarantee the origins of the products that customers buy, so there is no risk of fraud.
As part of its drive to champion authenticity, Foglie d’Oro uses innovative Blockchain technology to ensure that its products are traceable. The use of this technology in the production chain means that every single step is traceable. The associated information provides proof of the authenticity of products and can be freely checked by anyone.
The Blockchain is a public information network that contains legible, unalterable and permanent data. Therefore, it can serve as an effective means of preventing fraud and counterfeiting. Each item produced by Foglie d’Oro is given a unique, one-off code as part of an identification system offering guaranteed authenticity. The introduction of Blockchain technology presents Foglie d’Oro with yet another opportunity to proudly stand out from the crowd thanks to its know-how, by offering proof of the authenticity of its products to the legitimate holders of the rights.
Foglie d’Oro uses the Blockchain to provide irrefutable proof about the sustainability of its production chain. The company has always endeavoured to select first-rate raw materials while taking a totally environmentally friendly approach. Foglie d’Oro floors are made with wood from FSC® certified forests, where the resources are properly, responsibly managed in accordance with felling and natural regeneration plans.
Use of the Blockchain means that the pledges made by Foglie d’Oro on this front are even more transparent and verifiable thanks to the traceability of every stage in the life cycles of floors, from the provenance of the trees to the final geo-location. Buyers of Foglie d’Oro floors can access all of the information attesting the sustainability of the products, as well as healthy conditions and professional ethics throughout the production chain.
Foglie d’Oro has always founded its ethical approach on the importance of transparency. The use of innovative Blockchain technology in the production chain is the natural next step in its efforts on this front. Now anyone who chooses a Foglie d’Oro floor will be able to scan a QR code and access a digital platform where they can see a comprehensive array of accurate, up-to-date and totally reliable information about their product.
The structure on which the Blockchain is based is extremely secure and incorruptible. All information recorded in it is verifiable, thus ensuring that the data it contains is totally transparent. Thanks to this system, consumers will be more aware when they select products. They can make carefully considered decisions, looking beyond the visual appearances of floors.
About Foglie d’Oro
Foglie d’Oro is Europe’s leading manufacturer of sophisticated design wood floors, XL wide planks, and American walnut floors. Based in Italy, the company has been chosen by A&D to work on turnkey projects for over 50 years, developing a reputation for excellence all around the world. With a dedicated London team and working in synergy with its sister company Arte Brotto Furnishings, the two brands become a unique partner for designers and their customers, not only supplying exclusive flooring but also bespoke joinery and furniture.
If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more.
If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.
The UK’s market leader in luxury vinyl flooring, Karndean Designflooring, is expanding its collection of contemporary herringbone designs, offering even more versatility to create intriguing interiors that ooze understated sophistication.
From January 2024, six oak designs from its popular Van Gogh range will be available in an additional herringbone format. The new 18” x 4.5” plank size expands design possibilities when used alongside matching full-size planks or in bespoke colour combinations.
Fleur Carson, managing director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “With design creativity high on the agenda, we are responding to the wellbeing trend for quiet luxury, soothing warm neutrals and nature inspired interiors with authentic oak designs in new styling options. Our designers have selected six beautiful designs from our Van Gogh range, all currently offered in a full-size plank, and expanded their design potential with a herringbone format.
“The smaller plank accentuates the realistic grain features and organic colours of these timeless designs. Curated to complement each other in any colour combination, this new collection brings outstanding potential for bespoke interiors that invoke the healing power of biophilic design.”
Whether used in isolation in a traditional herringbone pattern or in conjunction with the matching full-size plank for an elegant continuous flow, for example highlighting activity zones or creating directional wayfinding, Karndean’s new designs are guaranteed to introduce effortless elegance to any interior, from residential and hospitality to retail and workplaces.
Alternatively, the new herringbones offer a contemporary twist on classic style with eight different laying pattern variations to explore, from a double herringbone in a single colourway to a two-tone double herringbone and diagonal double herringbone in three contrasting colours with a coordinating border.
The new herringbone collection includes four highly desirable designs from Karndean’s Highland Oak collection; Croftmore Oak, Glenmore Oak, Hayfield Oak and Aviemore Oak. Inspired by samples of reclaimed timber found at an old railway station tucked away in the Highlands of Scotland, these designs feature well-balanced grain markings, characterful signs of wear and a registered emboss for a highly authentic effect and subtle maturity that will bring any interior to life.
Two further existing designs extend the colour range and options for interesting combinations. Canadian Nude Oak, with its neutral blond tones and gentle straight grain patterning, and the authentically replicated historic markings and tarnishing of Antique French Oak enhance the collection’s natural warmth and versatility to create a bespoke look.
Designed for reliable performance in high traffic environments, Karndean’s extensive Van Gogh collection offers specifiers unsurpassed versatility with a total of 70 wood and stone designs in a convenient choice of sizes and formats.
The Van Gogh range features a 0.55mm wear layer and 3.0mm thickness and comes with all the practical benefits of Karndean flooring, an Environmental Product Declaration and the reassurance of a 15 year guarantee for commercial settings and a lifetime guarantee in residential settings.
Designed With a commitment to developing a greener built environment, Karndean recognises the need for urgent action and is taking bold steps and a pioneering spirit to create a better tomorrow. This includes a commitment to set short and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net-zero through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
To explore the Karndean’s new Van Gogh designs, click here.
About Karndean Designflooring
Karndean is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you create unique looks that are both stylish and practical; guaranteed to last. We see flooring differently. We travel the world in our quest to bring you exceptional floors that inspire and delight. From the ancient forests of Europe, to the remote Australian outback, we seek out expressive and intriguing forms in the natural world to influence our unique floor designs. By combining original features with cutting edge design, we create beautiful floors that bring your vision to life and take our clients on an endless journey of design discovery.
GoodWeave® certified for the promise of ethical production that supports local communities, Riviera Home crafts fine quality natural carpets by hand with a conscious effort to minimise environmental impact.
For nearly four decades, Riviera Home has been making carpets in India’s historic city of Panipat, known as ‘the city of handcrafted weavers’. Using traditional techniques, its carpets are still made by hand using high quality natural yarns, including undyed wools, bamboo and Tencel, which is made with wood pulp from sustainable forests.
Riviera Home produces every carpet ethically with a conscious effort to be responsible and is a GoodWeave® certified business. GoodWeave International is a non-profit organisation and the leading institution working to stop child labour in global supply chains. As a GoodWeave® business, every handmade carpet from Riviera Home is without child labour and supports education and decent work for communities.
Kuldeep Singla, chairman, Riviera Home UK, says: “We’ve been hand making carpets using natural yarns since we were founded, so we’ve been adopting a low impact approach to production for nearly 40 years. Still as a family-run company, we’re conscious that the way we make carpets does not just have minimal impact on the climate and the environment, but that it also the supports the communities around us. Our GoodWeave® certification is an example of this in action, as it’s our promise to produce carpets fairly and ethically, to support education and that no child is ever forced into labour.”
Riviera Home’s by hand approach to making carpets is the anti-thesis of mass production, but the company still draws on modern environmental practices used to lower impact by large manufacturers. Using only non-toxic and safe chemicals approved by Oeko-Tex®, generating 20% of its electricity from its own solar field and conserving water through its own treatment and recycling plant; Riviera Home is leading ethical and sustainable handmade carpet production in its region.
“While our ways of craft maybe traditional and passed down by generations of families, it doesn’t mean that can’t look to modern innovations to reduce the impact of what we’re doing,” says Richard Moore, sales and marketing director. “It’s important to us that our carpets are not just considered for their fine quality, but also because they offer a better way of making carpets through a lower footprint.”
The Riviera Home collection is widely available through its Authorised Dealership network.
About Riviera Home UK Ltd
Creating products with a distinctive point of difference, quality is at the heart of what we do. Riviera Home UK are the UK subsidiary of Riviera Home Furnishings, a world-leader in the manufacture of luxury, quality textiles. We specialise in broadloom carpets and rugs for the UK market. Our unique designs and luxurious handmade carpets are created using the traditional craftmanship and skills of our weavers, passed down through the generations. Our carpets are woven in both the finest wool and wool blends, including high lustre New Zealand wools, and combinations of wool with fine fibres such as Tencel.
Interior designers from across the North West experienced the unique quality of handmade carpets from Riviera Home, as it exhibited at Design Central North West, the latest in the regional Design Central event series.
Making fine quality carpets by hand, Riviera Home lets homes and businesses enjoy exquisite carpets created with the care and attention that can only come with artisan craftmanship. For nearly 40 years, the family-run business has been handcrafting flatwoven, Wilton, and tufted loop-pile carpets in India’s historic city of Panipat, known as ‘the city of handcrafted weavers’. A GoodWeave® certified business, every Riviera Home carpet is produced ethically with a conscious effort to be responsible, supporting education programmes and ensuring decent work for communities.
Today, as one of the UK’s few true handmade carpet companies, Riviera Home continues to use traditional techniques to bring a unique quality to its carpets and rugs. The flatweave loop of Capri is testament to Riviera Home’s craftmanship. Hand-woven from 100% pure new wool with meticulous attention to detail, this carpet has a fabric-like quality more akin to luxury tailoring than a carpet suitable for daily use. Along with company’s sought-after Milano range and the random tip shear of Monaco in lustrous Tencel fibre, it was these fabric-like textures that caught the eye of visitors over the two-days of Design Central North West.
Held at Cheshire’s historic Capesthorne Hall, Design Central North West saw Riviera Home join a roster of luxury interior brands to showcase its unique handmade carpets to the region’s interior design community.
Richard Moore, sales & marketing director, says: “Our two-days at Design Central North West were well spent and the interest we received in ranges such as Monaco, Milano and Capri was nothing short of uplifting. The event gave us the chance to showcase the unique quality of these styles first-hand and to tell our story of ethical handmade carpets made with natural materials. We’re looking forward to building on these new connections and helping to create beautiful interiors with Riviera Home carpets at their foundation.”
As you would expect of the finest handmade carpets, Riviera Home pays close attention to its materials, using only fine natural wool, bamboo and sustainable fibres like Tencel. Along with only using natural dyes where absolutely necessary – for example its Burford collection is made entirely from undyed wool – Riviera Home looks to reduce its impact wherever possible. Using only non-toxic and safe chemicals approved by Oeko-Tex®, generating 20% of its electricity from its own solar plant and conserving water through its own treatment and recycling plant; Riviera Home is leading ethical and sustainable handmade carpet production in its region.
The Riviera Home collection is widely available through its Authorised Dealership network, which aligns it with retailers and commercial flooring companies sharing like-minded values, so that the experience of Riviera Home is one of peerless product quality and the very best in service.
About Riviera Home
Creating products with a distinctive point of difference, quality is at the heart of what we do. Riviera Home UK are the UK subsidiary of Riviera Home Furnishings, a world-leader in the manufacture of luxury, quality textiles. We specialise in broadloom carpets and rugs for the UK market.
Overlooking Lake Garda, EALA is a luxury hotel designed in every detail to give its guests a one-of-a-kind experience. The choice of Foglie d’Oro flooring, different in design but united by the quality and comfort of wood, creates a clear identity for each room – from the suites and the bistro to the wonderful hall.
In the elegant hall, the Matita modular system, in the Ca’ Bollani finish and with Marquinia marble and brass inserts, creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where the natural light from outside creates a play of reflections on the dark marble.
In the refined lake-view bistro, the Tricot modular floor in Ca’ Melli finish creates an evocative geometric composition. The tones of the smoked oak wood create a pleasant play of chiaroscuro, giving the surface and the room dynamism and character.
The Spina Jazz in Ca’ Gabriel finish brings the rhythm of the herringbone parquet to the bedrooms, revisited by Foglie d’Oro with a contemporary soul: its serial interlocking corners create an airy, embracing design, perfect for creating a synthesis of comfort and luxury.
Our know-how allows us to meet the demands of customers and designers even beyond the wide range of floors in our catalogue, and Foglie d’Oro has created custom-made products for this project too.
Visit the Projects section of our website to see the complete gallery dedicated to EALA and discover, in the Bespoke section, how we can customise floors and panelling in a completely original way.
Foglie d’Oro is Europe’s leading manufacturer of sophisticated design wood floors, XL wide planks, and American walnut floors. Based in Italy, the company has been chosen by A&D to work on turnkey projects for over 50 years, developing a reputation for excellence all around the world.
The UK’s market leader in luxury vinyl flooring, Karndean Designflooring, is introducing its next generation of rigid core flooring.
The new Korlok Regent collection combines all the natural beauty and textural detail of oak flooring with the latest cutting edge luxury vinyl tile (LVT) technology. Featuring a highly authentic wood grain emboss, this premium rigid core collection introduces the most realistic alternative to real wood or engineered wood on the market.
This elegant collection of six decadent designs presents desirable neutral tones to suit contemporary interior trends, from cool greys and softly neutral beige tones to timeless warm chocolate browns. For the ultimate flexibility to create interest with a combination of laying patterns in a single colourway, each design is available in a choice of four formats: long plank, herringbone, chevron and large chevron.
Likely to find favour in premium commercial settings, from high-end residential and hospitality to flagship retail and co-working spaces, the Korlok Regent collection takes rigid core flooring to the next level with the perfect combination of form and function.
Fleur Carson, vice president of sales at Karndean Designflooring, said: “We’re proud to be the trusted market leader in rigid core LVT, known for bringing innovative products to the market. As the commercial market demand for authenticity increases, we are pleased to respond with our latest evolution in rigid core flooring.”
“The Korlok Regent collection not only offers an enhanced look and feel of a real wood floor but also unrivalled durability to reduce overall environmental impact with no adhesive required and long product life cycle. We have curated a collection of neutral oak designs which will provide architects and interior designers with outstanding versatility to create spectacular contemporary interiors that will wow. We can’t wait to see the projects to come!”
The Korlok Regent range includes six beautifully crafted oak designs in 24 style variations. With an exquisite wood grain emboss that replicates the intricate details of oak and accentuates its natural beauty, a subtle micro bevel and sturdy construction, Karndean’s new premium rigid core collection enables designers to achieve an effortless transformation with a luxurious sense of wellbeing and tranquillity.
Named in honour of London’s most iconic parks and gardens, which have delighted visitors for centuries with their inspirational serenity, this new collection is guaranteed to inject personality into any interior, from the calming cool greys and subtle pink hues of Stanmore Oak that will add textural depth to a monochrome interior, and the organic resimercial mood of Greenwich Oak with its softly neutral beige tones and blonde highlights, to the sophisticated earthy chocolate browns of Richmond Oak ideal for balancing bold colour palettes.
With a robust 8mm rigid core construction that’s durable enough to cope with the most demanding situations, a convenient click-locking installation, and fully waterproof, hygienic surface that’s easier to maintain than real wood, the Korlok Regent range boasts a winning combination of stunning finishes and outstanding whole lifetime value.
The new collection offers more than just authentic palettes with a 0.55 wear layer and EN33 classification for commercial heavy specification. Its enhanced acoustics also supports a tranquil and calm environment by reducing sound transfer to rooms below by 17dB.
Karndean is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you create unique looks that are both stylish and practical; guaranteed to last.
Designing a luxury hotel in one of the most vibrant metropolises means creating functional environments with a refined design, finding solutions capable of ensuring guests the best conditions of comfort, with a focus on sustainability.
It is with these premises in mind that for the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, in London, the modular flooring Frammenti was chosen, made of oak from well-managed and responsible forests.
Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Frammenti is the perfect solution for every type of environment. The geometric design of the modular floor, which makes it resemble an abstract, contemporary mosaic, is reminiscent of the creative flow and dynamism of the metropolis.
The customised finish was realised by Foglie d’Oro to indulge the creative intuition of the designer and contribute to building the aesthetic identity of the spaces of a luxury hotel, whose attention to detail is one of its most distinctive aspects.
The ability to create customised floors, starting from the designer’s drawing and the client’s needs, is one of the reasons why Foglie d’Oro is chosen by architects and interior designers all over the world.
Would you like to choose a Foglie d’Oro floor or realise your own customised solution in both finish and format? Discover more here.
Recycling lies at the core of Bolon’s history. Over 70 years ago, the company was founded with the bold idea to create woven flooring out of waste materials. Unlike many others, we go beyond offering a limited eco-collection and instead incorporate recycled materials into all of our products.
To support our commitment to recycling, we have invested in a state-of-the-art integrated recycling facility. This facility efficiently handles all waste materials generated during the production process. In addition to recycling our own waste, we also buy waste from other companies. In 2022 alone the recycling plant processed 1,100 tons of waste, transforming it into new floors.
“I am proud that our sustainability work covers all our products and not just selected niche collections. This means that when it comes to sustainability work, Bolon is the global industry leader”, says Marie Eklund, CEO.
In 2023 the average recycled material content in Bolon’s floors was 28%, a number that increases yearly.
When broken down by product types, rolls and rugs contain 22% recycled material, tiles contain 31%, and acoustic flooring boasts an impressive 32% recycled content. Our acoustic flooring goes even further by incorporating post-consumer waste from PET bottles in the felt backing. In 2022, a remarkable 70 tons of post-consumer waste were utilized in the production process.
Our dedication to recycling ensures that Bolon flooring not only exhibits stunning design and durability but also reduces environmental impact by reutilising materials effectively.
Read more about Bolon’s sustainability work here!
About Bolon UK
Bolon specialise in the creation of high-performance design floorings. They believe in design for the long run. Where durability and aesthetics are equally important. Where effortless cleanability and maintenance comes naturally, and honest sustainability stands above it all.
London’s Carnaby Street is famous worldwide as home to Britain’s most iconic names in fashion and popular culture, so when progressive fashion brand RIXO paired up with Karndean Designflooring to design its latest store the result was always going to be effortlessly stylish and elegant.
One of the coolest destinations associated with 1960s London, Carnaby was, and still remains, the epicentre of culture and lifestyle, from ground-breaking fashion brands such as Mary Quant, Vivienne Westwood and Cranks vegetarian restaurant to underground music bars which hosted future stars including The Who and The Rolling Stones.
RIXO’s desirable vintage inspired one-off pieces pay homage to these trailblazing pioneers with a look that’s in vogue yet also a future classic. Designed to be easy-to-wear and inclusive, each item features a fusion of original hand-painted prints and flattering silhouettes to inspire confidence.
Following several pop-up stores in the area, RIXO’s new Carnaby Street store offers a welcoming environment and the tailored experience today’s discerning customers are looking for. Committed to sustainability and an ethical supply chain, RIXO opted to work with local design studio Cúpla and Karndean, a family run British brand now celebrating its 50th anniversary in the flooring industry.
Gemma Munday, retail growth manager at RIXO, said: “We like every store to be highly individual. As our clothing designs are inspired by vintage fashions, so all our stores have unique artwork and fixtures that tell its own story. The aim for our Carnaby Street store was to create a grown-up feel with an empowering interior that would reflect our vintage inspiration yet also allow the personality of our clothes to shine. We looked for luxury fixtures that would give us a high end finish and a bespoke yet understated look.”
The store beautifully captures the atmospheric glamour of the 1960s and 70s and combines this with contemporary trends and an eye for detail. A calming pared back palette of cool off-white is contrasted against rich deep blues and warm wood design panelling and flooring.
Pearl Oak from Karndean’s LooseLay Longboard range balances the boutique’s light and dark tones, reflecting both traditional timber flooring and the modern preference for light neutral tones. The extra-long planks have been laid at an angle for a sense of flow that can guide customers around the store.
The brand’s vintage inspiration is reflected in a bespoke circular statement chandelier, which sits above a white marble table and a rug in RIXO’s signature leopard print. Completing the sophisticated look are unobtrusive brass display rails which set off the colourful clothing to perfection.
Fleur Carson, commercial sales director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “Experience is of the upmost importance when it comes to retail, particularly at the high end of the market. In light of the disruption of the pandemic and today’s economic challenges, resilient brands are adapting to offer consumers a personalised service. A comfortable instore environment is key to encouraging customers back into the physical store, with a natural feel and durable materials that can cope with high traffic.
The timeless design and light organic tones of the Pearl Oak flooring creates a clean backdrop, allowing all attention to be focused on the clothing displays. Designed to authentically replicate the beauty of European oak, Pearl Oak features light pinky-beige tones, distressed grain details and a lightly brushed surface texture. The loose lay format is a highly practical choice for retail premises with a durable, quiet and scratch resistant surface. Should damage occur it’s quick and easy to make repairs by simply lifting and replacing individual planks as required.”
Gemma Munday added: “We had previously chosen Pearl Oak for our head office so we knew that this would be a great choice. It’s really hard wearing and the pre-attached acoustic layer significantly reduces noise. The floor is a beautiful addition to the fixtures and furnishings and pulls all the different elements together. We want everyone to feel welcome, even including dogs, so the fact that Karndean flooring is durable enough for pets was an extra attraction!”
Karndean Designflooring is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you to create unique looks guaranteed to last.
Promoting independence and wellbeing in later life, the UK’s market leader in vinyl flooring, Karndean Designflooring, has partnered with retirement living specialist, Inspired Villages, to provide a high quality experience and the ideal solution for a healthy retirement.
Elderswell in Bedfordshire, the latest development in Inspired Villages’ portfolio which opened in November 2022 and will include 156 homes, demonstrates how an inclusive approach and a comfortable environment with a premium finish can transform the retirement experience.
Designed for independent living and following design principles for hospitality venues rather than more clinical settings, Elderswell’s new Village Centre delivers on the philosophy that quality of life should flourish as we get older with a focus on community and an active lifestyle.
Specifying Karndean flooring throughout the Village Centre as well as in the kitchens of each residential unit not only provides an authentic natural look and homely atmosphere but also meets all the technical specifications of a demanding commercial setting.
Fleur Carson, commercial sales director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “A concept that is still in its infancy here in the UK, retirement villages offer a home from home experience that focuses on lifestyle rather than care, where older people can enjoy the best years of their lives.
Materials that are attractive yet easy to maintain are key to providing desirable living spaces that are suitable for the needs of older residents. Each of our flooring designs has been inspired by samples of natural wood and stone from around the world. An authentic representation of each material is then combined with the latest technology to develop a high-quality luxury vinyl flooring with the versatility to create imaginative interiors.”
Sonia Parol, design director at Inspired Villages, said: “Our objective is to build vibrant communities with the facilities that actively retired people want, such as restaurants, bars, wellbeing facilities such as gym, studio and swimming pool and hairdressers. These facilities are also open to the general public and this creates strong inclusive links to the local community. We understand the mental health benefits our residents gain from being involved and engaged in their community. This is why we design and deliver villages that offer our residents many opportunities for engagement in cultural and physical activities, ensuring the pursuit of their hobbies and passions.”
Set in the scenic Bedfordshire countryside, Elderswell is a rural retreat with convenient access to the local towns. When it came to the interior, Manchester based design consultant SpaceInvader was inspired by the development’s natural locality to create a timelessly elegant space with an organic style and earthy colour palette.
True to its ethos of quality and practicality, Inspired Villages stipulates a consistent approach to interior design whereby 80% of its specifications are standardized and 20% contextual with furniture, art and other elements that reflect each unique locality.
Fleur Carson said: “In commercial projects such as these it is important that materials can meet requirements for standardization to support easy installation and help meet deadlines but also offer the versatility designers need to create spaces that are welcoming and inspiring. Our flooring ranges provide just this: a reliable quality and specification as well as a wide choice of authentic wood and stone designs that can be used to create bespoke interiors.”
In the Village Centre restaurant, a honey oak design flooring has been used to introduce natural textures and warm tones to the soft colour palette of grey, beige and green. Choosing Golden Brushed Oak herringbone from the Van Gogh dual format range, an attractive European oak design with a delicate balance of long straight grain and beautiful ‘flowery’ grain, has resulted in a floor that oozes authentic charm and adds interest with a sense of movement.
In the wellbeing facilities, Bleached Tasmanian Oak from the Karndean LooseLay Longboard range brings a clean contemporary feel appropriate to its active setting. The design’s loose lay format, which features an enhanced acoustic layer, comes with all the practical benefits of Karndean flooring but also serves to reduce noise transfer by 13dB. Held in place with a combination of weight and Karndean’s K-Wave grip backing, ongoing maintenance and repairs are straight forward as damaged planks can be simply lifted and replaced.
Sonia Parol said: “We use Karndean flooring across all our new villages. While each village has its own unique character and features different flooring designs, we know that Karndean will give us the variety of style and finish we are looking for alongside standardized technical specifications, durability and low maintenance.”
Join SBID
Find out more about our flexible membership structure.
By subscribing, you agree to be added to SBID’s mailing list. As an industry’s standard bearer organisation, we strive to bring you the most up to date news and access to exclusive industry content through our various newsletters.
First Name
Last Name
Email Address
I accept the SBID Terms of Use