October 23/30, 2017: Volume 32, Issue 10
There’s no denying the correlation between trends in the fashion industry with home furnishings, especially when it comes to flooring. Manufacturers routinely employ teams of design professionals and stylists charged with the daunting responsibility of predicting the “next big thing” in terms of colors, patterns and even textures long before trends solidify.
But what—and even who—determines and defines style direction is largely based on the beholder. While overall global trends certainly play a key role in product development for consumers in the North American market, it’s largely up to the individual manufacturers to interpret those trends and apply them to their respective offerings.
For this special ‘Style & Design’ issue, FCNews rounded up several manufacturers and asked them how they exemplified style in their approach to product design. In short, what makes them style leaders in their respective categories.
Following are some examples:
Bamboo Hardwoods
Bamboo Hardwoods analyzes industry trends and incorporates these cues with environmentally sustainable products that emphasize style and differentiation. Known for quality bamboo products since 1995, Bamboo Hardwoods’ offerings are well respected by those who prefer using environmentally benign products that are elegant, long lasting and constantly on the cutting edge of design trends. Owned and operated by a team of flooring and bamboo experts, Bamboo Hardwoods’ flooring sets the standard for beauty and durability throughout the industry.
Inhaus
Inhaus was founded on the pillars of style and innovative design. Thanks to its highly skilled design team and state-of-the art design center, North American-sourced materials are produced into stunning, ready-made flooring. Inhaus is proud to work closely with its designers and master carpenters from concept to finished design to develop new textures and colors. Exciting new design ideas are generated from continuous research into color and home fashion trends from around the world that are adapted for North American markets. This attentive design process supplies its retail customers with a curated collection of beautifully unique and exclusive products.
Mannington
To be a consistent styling leader in the flooring industry there needs to be a collaborative effort between multiple departments within the company. At the company, styling, R&D and manufacturing work together to drive innovation and quality along with the right aesthetics to provide high-styled products to the consumer.
Styling leadership starts with doing the proper homework, researching design, color and home fashion trends. Developing flooring product lines requires not only a creative perspective, but also factors in the technical know-how in manufacturing a quality product.
Mercier
On top of developing state-of-the-art textures and colors, Mercier allows its customers to go even further into customization by offering the most extensive range of glosses and grades. Mercier is the first—and still the only prefinished hardwood flooring manufacturer—to offer a gloss as low as 10 degrees across its product line. Character marks, gloss and hues are in direct connection with the look of the product, and this is why Mercier makes it a priority to develop products that can be adapted to any style while keeping in line with the current design trends. Case in point is Mercier’s white oak Fjord, the ideal color for consumers who want a gray floor but still keep their home warm and inviting.
Mohawk
For almost 140 years, Mohawk has crafted quality flooring for the American home. Mohawk builds innovative design into all its products to make life better—and provide customers with the best flooring possible.
As the world’s largest flooring company, Mohawk and its family of brands offer unlimited style and design options with the latest in on-trend colors, exceptional durability and highest quality from an array of flooring categories. Also, Mohawk is more committed than ever to American-made manufacturing and the communities and families it impacts daily, which means peace of mind that all products are manufactured safely and responsibly.
This style approach helps Mohawk provide the foundations for homes around the world.
Quick-Step
Quick-Step has taken the latest trends in flooring and translated them into elegant looks that are both stylish and durable. This means that Quick-Step’s LVT and laminate floors are not only beautiful, but also made to last.
This balance is evident in product design and development. Quick-Step’s laminate and luxury vinyl floors all look stunningly authentic with the most true-to-nature looks on the market today. Though ultra-realistic looking, with moisture-resistant technology and innovative dimensional stability, they can still withstand the everyday wear and tear of an active family.
Now that’s style—for life.
Shaw
Shaw’s product designers look at the way design elements speak to the larger lifestyle image that consumers want to project. “Our homes reflect our personalities, and flooring is just one piece of an overall aesthetic consumers desire,” said Pamela Rainey, vice president soft surface product development. “It needs to complement paint color, furniture and accent pillows, etc. We are creating a canvas for consumers to live their lives.”
The crafted patterns of Shaw’s Natural Bouclé, for example, are as exquisite as sisal, with subtle color variations that highlight their natural hues and offer the ultimate texture and softness. Shaw’s Epic Plus Extreme Nature furthers the ever-expanding trend of longer, wider planks and its timeless hardwood visual.
Tarkett
Tarkett is an organization that interacts and shares with design and product colleagues throughout a worldwide creative and manufacturing community. Tarkett provides solutions worldwide for multiple categories and cultures. It is a unique advantage that gives the company an awareness of timely new information and perspectives that will influence the way we live and see.
Tarkett strives toward understanding the relationship between life, the workplace and societal interaction. Through these goals and efforts, the company delivers products that have an existential connection—communicating rather than simply decorating. These tools go beyond servicing its customers to build an enduring connection as creative partners.
USFloors
USFloors’ COREtec offers today’s retail consumer a floor that can truly be lived on. The vast assortment of decors, visuals, plank widths and lengths, along with its patented construction, makes COREtec the go-to brand in composite waterproof flooring.
USFloors’ process of selecting visuals spans the globe. The company is interested in what’s new and different. USFloors is known for having the most impressive visual choices, a result of its extensive selection process. The visuals range from natural to eclectic and will match the style of any environment. This allows consumers to enjoy beauty and strength without the maintenance while enhancing their home or work space.