Each month, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Claire O’Brien, head of design, British Ceramic Tile.
Q1 Q2
Q3 stylist in wallpaper, working in France.
How did you get into designing for
the tiling industry? I got into it through a contact who thought that tiling should be approached in the same way as any other 2D surface patterned product.
What do you think are the positives and
negatives of the flooring and
tiling trades? I think as inkjet technology improves the decorative options are becoming endless, making flooring and tiling more trend-led and fashionable. This, combined with more accessible underfloor heating, makes it a multi-room solution.
The negatives are that we have to challenge the perceived difficulties of laying a new floor. Grouting in the past was an inconvenience to the design however, now it is more of an active design solution especially with coloured grout.
Q4
If you could hire any one person to
be part of your team, who
would it be and why? I think I might need to hire a hybrid – a great technical person with manufacturing knowledge, a fantastic designer and also what I call, a tile Guru – someone who loves the industry and has a wealth of knowledge from around the tiling world. I know it is a big ask, but surely that person exists somewhere?
Q5
What’s the best advice you could
give to someone new coming
into the industry? Be hungry for knowledge, passionate and inquisitive. Question everything but be prepared to learn from others around you.
56 | 10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH… Q6
What was your first job? My first job was as a junior
be and why? A time machine.
Q7 Q8
If you could have a dinner party with any
three people, dead or alive, who
would they be and why? My Grandparents, I am a family girl and would love to hear their stories as an adult! David Bowie, he must have had an amazing life and remained true to himself and his art until the end. And finally my husband because he loves David Bowie!
What do you think the future holds for
flooring design? I think we are going to become more confident in our decorative approaches to flooring – especially with the trend for zoning. Combinations of wooden planks alongside hexagonal concretes or marbles are familiar trends now. It adds interest and movement to a space.
Q9
What would you like to see in a future issue of
Tomorrow’s Contract Floors? A profile of some of the UK tiling industry's finest tiling designers! I can put forward a few names.
Q10
Philip McIntosh, Managing Director of
CMC Flooring and The National Flooring Centre asked: What one thing in the flooring or tiling industry do you think needs to
be changed? There’s room for bolder design in tiling and flooring. A hundred years ago people tiled floors with colours and pattern – in the public realm that just doesn’t happen anymore, and it’s a shame.
www.britishceramictile.com
Check out next month’s issue to see what Claire asked our next industry professional…
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com
If you could invent any product what would it
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