CONNECTED DESIGN
Gemma Passantino, Floor Design Specialist at Amtico, advises on how to integrate flooring prod designs while meeting the growing demands of commercial spaces.
Whatever the commercial project, an array of flooring materials is available, however, there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution and products that work well for one area may not suit the requirements of another. This is where integrated design can help achieve a desired look, by combining different collections to meet the many demands of a space.
Integrated flooring is often thought of as simply combining one flooring material with another but, in reality, it’s much more about the ability to seamlessly and conveniently integrate multiple products from one brand into any space to offer customers a complete flooring solution. This could involve finding the perfect product from a collection to work with an existing floor, combining designs from across collections to suit the functionality of each space, or working alongside a manufacturer to produce a bespoke design, with a mix of products and ranges. The latter can often create something truly unique, fitting a customer’s individual requirements perfectly.
There is so much potential with floor design, but as the demands of commercial environments continue to evolve, it can be difficult to know where to start. The focus for flooring professionals should be on finding the right product for the customer, their brand and space. Here, it’s important to really understand what they want to achieve, as this makes it easier to integrate collections and create the perfect combination for a scheme.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is the flooring of choice for a vast number of commercial projects, of all sizes, due to its
22 | INTEGRATED FLOORING
durability and flexibility. While manufacturers, such as Amtico, already offer a variety of laying patterns and designs, there are still many ways to mix and match flooring in environments such as hospitality, offices – and even education. For example, Amtico’s Signature collection has over 200 products and 23 laying patterns, making it incredibly easy to combine beautiful woods and stones, or push the boundaries with an incredible one-off-coloured design. In addition, there are more than 100 predefined floors in the Designers’ Choice collection that can be specified together, or as a focal point to achieve an impactful scheme.
It’s possible to create a different feel throughout a space by experimenting with one laying pattern in multiple areas but in varying colours and shades, allowing it to adapt to the user’s needs. Patterns themselves can also be combined to offer the user a different experience as they move through a space; this is a creative way to form zones or provide wayfinding. By being able to meet the many requirements of a project, flooring can help improve the functionality and performance of different areas within a venue. Indeed, integrating a mix of ranges, such as LVT, carpet or safety floors, into a scheme allows specifiers to offer solutions to suit the customers’ functional needs while also providing an impactful design.
There are some established flooring companies pushing the boundaries of integrated design, creating products specifically designed to help establish permanent wayfinding schemes that define movement. This can help promote responsible behaviours in environments such as offices,
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