NATURE’S TONIC FEATURE
smoothly without having to step up or down a level. “In interior spaces I tend to lay flooring, particularly boards in the same direction as a decked surface on the exterior. This creates a seamless transition, and the effect can be increased through the use of colour to create a stronger visual connection between the inside and out.”
Karndean Navarra Chalk
Navarra Chalk couples a lighter, warmer mix of sandy tones to the tactile surface and striking poured concrete backdrop of this Spanish pebble effect tile.
different to the feel of a plastic laminate. I would always recommend a timber floor, whether that’s a solid floor or an engineered floor, and possibly have it brushed as well so that you can really feel a sense of natural grain.”
Oliver says that he is keen to create flush thresholds throughout a space, where people can walk outside
Colour is of vital importance too, although Oliver mentions that the recently published Human Spaces report has shown that there is a definite cultural preference for different colours. However, naturally inspired colours do create a greater sense of energy, productivity and focus. “Natural colours like yellows, greens, and blues obviously have mental connections with the sunlight, grass and water and are known to be good colours to inspire productivity. On top of that, white has a sense of energy and freshness and the British seem to like purple as an energetic and creative colour.” However, using a bright green on an entire room would be overwhelming so Oliver recommends using colour in a more intelligent way, perhaps to highlight certain areas such as key feature-walls.
Oliver believes that there should be no distinction between the inside and out, we should look at the spaces we inhabit as one complete holistic experience. “For hundreds of thousands of years we were all very much a part of nature, natural materials were an inherent part of the spaces we inhabited and there wasn’t this distinction that we shouldn’t touch nature because it’s dirty,” he says. “But actually, by bringing artificial materials in and sealing our houses we are essentially creating a cocktail of chemicals inside our home. By using more natural materials, non-toxic paints, and having plants that can soak up toxins we can actually create a greater air quality inside and a healthier space for us to live in all year round.”
Kährs Oak Hultaby
Oak Hultaby is handcrafted to enhance the beauty of the knots and cracks. Surfacetreated with a natural white oil.
Tomorrow’s Retail Floors Winter 2015 | 29
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