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www.thedesignermagazine.com
Cover Feature
Sustainability, design trends and the economy. These were among the topics covered during a recent interior design debate held by Karndean Design Flooring in association with the Society of British Interior Design. Designer listened in to bring you an edited extract from the discussion…
WE
all know how important networking can be for our industry.
This is, in part at least, because the success (or failure) of many businesses depends on the strength of their relationships with suppliers, customers and other contacts. Retailers and specifiers need to make
sure they are choosing the right products to present to their customers, and similarly, manufacturers need to ensure their products are reaching the right people – and being presented in the right way. Flooring manufacturer Karndean has
recently increased its portfolio of partnerships with interior design showrooms up and down the country. With a dedicated space for interior designers in Edinburgh, Manchester, the Midlands and London, Karndean continues to invest time and materials into ensuring that specifiers can access a range of literature and samples at a time to suit them. Why? Because working closely with the design industry allows Karndean to tailor their product development, distribution and service offering to better suit the needs of the industry’s professionals. Manufacturers and designers, with the support of the Society of British Interior Design (SBID) are working towards a ‘total design’ solution that sees specifiers going beyond aesthetics to offer customers a functional, useable and attractive space. Karndean believes that the best way to
ensure that it is doing its utmost to support designers in their quest for total design is through communication, and what better way to talk than over a canapé or two at the Material Lab in London. Making full use of the Material Lab’s
relaxed, sample filled space, the flooring manufacturer invited three interior designers and two SBID representatives to meet for an evening of polite debate on matters beyond aesthetics. Chairing the debate was Material Lab’s Studio Manager, Ben Marshall.
MARSHALL: HOW HAS INTERIOR DESIGN BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND ARE THESE CHANGES PERMANENT?
OWEN: CCT Interiors began a few years before the true effects of the recession took hold and armed with healthier budgets, customers wanted to splash out on their office interiors to create a really interesting space. When the economy changed, businesses growth slowed and spending was scaled back, we saw a lot more refurbishment work as companies made good the space they already had.
Large companies no longer want to be
seen as frivolous with their money so the days of wall to wall marble reception areas are long gone. That said, the reception area does remain the focal point for interior design, with other areas of the building often being kept as practical, workable spaces to make the cost of refurbishment more affordable.
Left: Lavinia Engleman from SBID
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