Carpet trends

Floral and geometric designs from Flora Exports.

Floral and geometric designs from Flora Exports.

Backing from Colbond.

The Straightforward from Interface FLOR is made from 85% recyclable material.

Bright textured rugs add interest on a neutral background carpet.

Aziz and Cucher’s creative carpet designs.

Shaw Industries carpet is distributed in the Middle East by Carpet Land, Al Aqili.

Al Aqili’s fit out at API Tower.

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Recycling is also a top priority with Brintons, who has employed its own group environmental policy. Shaw Industries, represented by Al Aqili in the Middle East, also launched its own environmental policy in 2003 which commits it to developing sustainable carpet products that can be continually broken down and reused again - through ‘closed-loop' or ‘cradle to cradle' recycling. Julian Saul, president of Shaw Industries' says: "We believe our environmental policy is the most progressive in American industry. We are committed to being an industry leader in creating eco-effective ways to produce carpet - it is the right thing to do for our business and the environment."

Eco-friendly carpets still retain the high quality of their less environmentally counterparts, ‘Straightforward' is Interface FLOR's most sustainable carpet to date and features 85% recyclable material and focuses on the ‘less is more' concept through the use of only one third of the amount of yarn of the conventional styles. Colbond has recently launched two sustainable designs, the Colback SMR, which uses 100% post-consumer recycled polyester (PET), originated from bottle scrap and Colback UMX, which remains sustainable through the use of virgin raw materials.

With the development of eco-friendly designs, Doyle, InterfaceFLOR predicts that the reliance on renewable sources will increase: "One of the important steps on the journey to sustainability is minimising and ultimately eliminating reliance on non-renewable, petroleum based products and processes. The development of products made from renewable resources is a significant part of the plan. In our exploration of bio-polymers, InterfaceFLOR has chosen to explore the use of bio based polymers made from poly lactic acid (PLA)."

With most commercial projects, a heavy flow of traffic must be anticipated, so interior designers should always allow for the best quality carpet which will always last longer. If budget doesn't permit a high quality carpet, consider using modular flooring which can be replaced as needed. Doyle, InterfaceFLOR, says: "Statistics show that the ‘churn' rate in typical office buildings today can be as high as 48%. Using modular carpet allows for selective replacement or change and lowers the cost of that change due to its easy reconfiguration. Modular carpet also means less waste - approximately 13% of material is wasted during an average installation of traditional carpet but this drops to less than 4% with modular carpet tiles."

Random tiles can also be used in areas of heavy traffic, Dolye says: "Creative random patterning means that every tile is unique and therefore every installation is subtly unique too. Random products are ideal for buildings with awkward shapes." Iris Seiffer, director of Object Carpet Middle East says: "Aesthetics and the performance of the chosen carpet should both be considered. Aesthetics are more important for private regions and areas where there is less traffic while heavy areas of traffic should use random pattern and loops, which hide more stains."

Custom design

US-based artists, Anthony Aziz and Sam Cucher have recently produced a range of rugs and carpets and see customisation as a carpet trend of the future: "We see an increasing trend towards customisation as clients are keen to create environments that reflect their individuality and taste. This trend is reflected in a greater awareness of the diverse cultures in our globalised economy and we will see the integration of patterns and motifs from different regions into a more eclectic mix. Hannah Hubner, communications manager, Colbond agrees: "There will be a continuation of artistic designs as carpets aim to reflect the high-level image of hotels and official buildings."

Customisation also allows for brand extension in commercial projects. Burmatex recently produced the Derby County ‘ram' logo onto carpet tiles for the UK based football team. Taylor, Burmatex, says: "Exact reproductions of company logos have proven popular in the corporate hospitality sector. Customers booking events at venues such as football clubs are doing so because they are ‘buying in' to the brand name and want to be in a room associated as closely to that brand as possible."

Flooring is one of the most important aspects of a room, in many cases being referred to as the fifth wall so Aziz and Cucher advise being as creative as possible whilst also bearing in mind who will be using the space: "We would advise interior designers to consider that the floor of a project is a dynamic area that can convey a designer's originality and vision and that art for the floor can be just as expressive and soothing as art found on the walls."

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