090 FOCUS
WITH TODAY’S interior schemes placing more and more emphasis on longevity and sustainability, one area of the specification process that has always been more likely to eschew ‘trends’ in favour of its long- lasting and hard-wearing properties is flooring.
In any project, high traffic areas demand materials that will meet the present needs of a space but which are also truly fit for the future. Given the large surface area involved with flooring, there is also a balance to be achieved between surfaces that provides a subtle aesthetic backdrop for the rest of the interior vision, or a surface that makes a deliberate and focal-point contribution to the overall visual impact.
In this special focus on flooring, we find out what fires the creative minds of a number of interiors professionals when it comes to flooring choices. We also cast an inquisitive eye over a varied selection of projects in which the floor plays a decisive role. All that, plus a round-up of some of the latest flooring products that really should be in the armoury of any designer or architect looking to put their best foot forward.
Which flooring materials do you particularly like working with and why?
Q&A
Chris Gwyther, creative director at Phoenix Wharf, explains why flooring should be given the creative priority that its volumetric size in a project demands…
Like a lot of designers, my instinctive preference would be for natural materials, particularly stone or wood. Tey deliver a connection to nature and there’s also something about the variability of their tactility and patterning, especially the knots in wood or the veins in stones, that’s impossible to replicate. Depending on the building type – especially within a more industrial-style building, for example – I also really like concrete screed or resin flooring.
From a practical, commercial point of view on hospitality projects, however, LVTs (luxury vinyl tiles) are budget- friendly, robust, waterproof and incredibly practical for high- footfall areas. Where they once were a definite second-class choice, their quality and colour range just get better and better. Manufacturers have become very adept at making them tick an irresistible number of boxes.
JULIAN FRANKLIN
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