Courtney and her partner Luke live in a 3-bedroom bungalow in West Wales, where they are currently finishing their second renovation project. Courtney loved the original look of brick slips, but wasn't initially sure where to use them. After browsing Pinterest, she saw the type of flooring she liked and envisioned the look she wanted to achieve. After careful consideration, Courtney decided the porch would be the perfect place to incorporate the brick slips.
Courtney knew exactly which brick colour she wanted, so she searched online at various brick slip companies until she found blend 2 from The Brick Tile Company. This was the perfect match for her vision. Further inspiration from Pinterest led Courtney to choose a cream mortar to give the space a bright, complementary look.
Courtney's dad and a friend took on the installation, noting that the most challenging part was the planning and measuring to ensure they achieved the desired herringbone pattern correctly. In addition to the herringbone, they also used the brick slips to create a border around the edge of the flooring.
The two keys with flooring are: ensuring that each slip is level with the others so as not to create any trip hazards, and careful pointing. With installation on a wall, gravity helps remove any excess mortar from the edge of the slips when you rake them out and brush them off. With flooring, it’s not the case. In order to make sure you don’t cover them in mortar, you can of course just be extra careful, but there is a backup option to make it safer. If you use brick slip sealant (once the slips are fully dried to not seal in moisture), then the mortar won’t stick to the faces, and excess can be brushed away easier- you then may want to seal the mortar too once that’s dried.
The end result is a stunning entryway that Courtney is "over the moon" about. She regularly receives compliments on the beautiful, custom-designed porch flooring.
About The Brick Tile Company
The Brick Tile Company supplies brick slips - real bricks cut into tiles. These means you can bring the texture and colour variation of fired clay into any project inside or out. With styles from the worn, rustic and industrial reclaimed collection, up to the sleek and sharp contemporary range there is something for every project. From whites and blacks to yellows and reds there is a great range of stocked colours for inspiration and to tie in with existing schemes. We can also look to match existing brickwork where desired.
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The GAIL’s Bakery Headquarters project blends sustainability with functional design, using Tarkett’s eco-friendly flooring like carbon-negative linoleum and recyclable carpet tiles. The project delivered durability, ease of maintenance, and a welcoming aesthetic that aligns with GAIL's brand. The adhesive-free installation further supports environmental goals, showcasing how thoughtful material selection can deliver both style and sustainability.
GAIL’s, a popular bakery chain with over 140 locations across London and the surrounding areas, is known for its commitment to using natural ingredients and sustainable products in its baked goods. So, when GAIL's required a new office for its headquarters that could also function as a bakery, academy, and development space, it was crucial to create a multi-functional space that reflected the brand's culture and energy.
The goal for GAIL’s HQ, located at Hawley Wharf in Camden, was to create a new space that was inviting, without feeling too corporate and would be environmentally sustainable in every possible way. This would be achieved with Object Space Place by adopting a brand-led utilitarian design that consisted of exposed concrete columns and ceilings, along with warm-crafted elements, and sourcing only natural and sustainable materials.
GAIL's has been using Tarkett safety floors for a while now and has installed them in around 20 locations. However, one of the main challenges of this project was to create an environmentally friendly, multi-purpose headquarters using natural materials and sustainable products. To address this challenge, Tarkett was chosen to provide the flooring for the project. As a leader in sustainable flooring solutions, Tarkett focuses on producing products that have a minimal environmental impact and can be recycled at the end of their life. Additionally, many of these products are made from natural materials and are Cradle to Cradle Certified®.
Tarkett provided a mix of flooring solutions for this project, including carpet tiles, linoleum, and vinyl safety floors. DESSO Retrace 100% recyclable carpet tiles, which have an impressively low Circular Carbon Footprint of 1.27 kg CO2/m2 and EcoBase backing, were installed throughout the first-floor office space. Safetred Serenity vinyl safety floors were installed on the first floor and the ground floor, where safety was of utmost importance. This multifunctional and circular product helped to reduce the environmental impact of the space by requiring adhesive-free installation and being fully recyclable at our in-house recycling facility in Kent. The project also incorporated recyclable post-use Etrusco Linoleum and Style Emme Linoleum, which are made with up to 97% natural raw materials and are carbon-negative from cradle-to-gate. These two products were chosen for select spaces on the first floor and the ground floor, where extreme durability, easy cleaning, and cost-effective maintenance were the main concerns.
The use of Tarkett's sustainable flooring solutions helped to create an environmentally friendly space that embodies the culture and energy of the GAIL's brand. The flooring solutions are durable and low maintenance, which is important for a high-traffic office space. The mix of materials used in the design has helped to create a unique and eclectic look that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Tarkett's commitment to sustainability and circular economy has helped create an environmentally responsible and socially conscious workspace that reflects GAIL's commitment to high-quality products, traditional methods, and sustainable practices.
“We have used natural materials wherever possible, like cork on the walls and linoleum on the floor. All the flooring has come from Tarkett, who are pioneers when it comes to sustainability and circular economy. These materials all have a very low environmental impact and Tarkett can recycle them at their end of life too.” ― David Chenery, Director at Object Space Place
“It was a pleasure working with the entire team to outfit GAIL’s Bakery’s new sustainable headquarters. We collaborated closely with the GAIL’s and OSP to select a beautiful flooring solution that aligned with their commitment to eco-friendly design. The final result is a warm, inviting space that showcases their brand while prioritising environmental responsibility.” ― Ben Campbell, Senior Workplace & Hospitality Consultant at Tarkett
About Tarkett UK & Ireland
A world leader in flooring and sports surfaces.
In September, the highly appreciated Elements expands with four new colours, making the collection even more versatile.
Elements features a balanced, natural melange look, drawing inspiration from nature. It highlights natural tones inspired by tactile materials such as stone, wood, and textiles. With its calm base colours and Scandinavian feel, Elements’ simple versatility makes it an exceptional neutral backdrop for diverse interiors.
"We have enhanced the tactile and textile characteristics in the new Elements collection, deepening the colours and making them comforting and pleasant. It’s a subtle blend of hues, neutral colours, and chromatic accents. The collection ranges from rich, rustic, earthy tones to lighter, crisp, and cool colours. They blend into the environment, almost as if they were taken directly from nature", says Lisa Jarhult, Product Developer at Bolon.
The collection withstands the high footfall levels common in large spaces. Its calm, natural aesthetic means it can be used effectively across large areas, creating a sense of unity in spaces of all sizes. The collection consists of twelve articles that create a contemporary design with a warm and welcoming feeling to any space and interior.
All Bolon flooring and rugs contain 68% waste material with zero climate impact. In addition, all products are 100% made in Sweden in our climate-neutral production.
About BOLON UK
Bolon specialise in the creation of high-performance design floorings. They believe in design for the long run. Where durability and aesthetics are equally important. Where effortless cleanability and maintenance comes naturally, and honest sustainability stands above it all. Produced using 100% renewable energy and recycled materials, Bolon's high quality flooring solutions are specified for contract interiors, featuring in the offices of renowned brands around the world. When you design interiors with Bolon flooring as a base, you are set with an extensive palette of colours, shapes and patterns - making the design possibilities endless.
Bolon, the renowned Swedish flooring company, is set to make a significant splash at Clerkenwell Design Week with three exciting events showcasing their latest innovations and sustainability achievements.
Experience Bolon’s Graphic collection, a fusion of contemporary flair and timeless elegance. This avant-garde concept combines nostalgia with cutting-edge style, offering a range of flooring that endure the test of time. Experience the unveiling of this remarkable collection at the Bolon showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week.
In a bold move towards sustainability, Bolon has achieved a ground-breaking milestone. All Bolon floorings are climate neutral manufactured in Bolon’s climate neutral factory, in Ulricehamn, Sweden and contain 68% recycled material with 0% climate impact.
Join Bolon as they celebrate this achievement in collaboration with Jestico + Whiles at the Bolon showroom courtyard, Sutton Yard. A sustainable installation that embodies their commitment to environmental responsibility.
Embark on an exclusive journey into the Bolon lifestyle at the newly refurbished Bolon Urban House London. By appointment only, guests will have the opportunity to experience a taste of the Bolon lifestyle first-hand, a fusion of design, comfort and sustainability that defines Bolon. Featuring artwork by @AnnicaEklundStudio, furniture by @DustyDeco and a captivating bedroom transformation inspired by Villa La Madonna, Bolon’s boutique vineyard and hotel.
Dates: May 21st – May 23rd, 2024 Time: 09:00 - 20:00 Locations: Bolon Showroom, Courtyard at Sutton Yard, Bolon Urban House London
Don’t miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to discover design and sustainability with Bolon at Clerkenwell Design Week. For more information and to schedule appointments, please contact [email protected]
In March, Bolon is relaunching Graphic, a design concept that is contemporary, nostalgic, and avant-garde – all at once. The updated collection retains several of its classics and adds a stripe design and a new leathery warp colour.
"Weaves and textiles have always been a great source of inspiration for me! The designs in Graphic can be derived from a selection of classic textile patterns", says Lisa Jarhult, Product Developer and Designer at Bolon.
The collection consists of four timeless patterns: Herringbone, a true classic zigzag pattern, Gradient that celebrates eclectic aesthetics with soft textile references, String, Mache, Tan, Etch a group with a discrete pattern that has the ability to blend in without ever being ordinary, and the newcomer, Duo, a symmetric stripe that is both elegant and edgy.
"The new pattern Duo has a subtle colour range with three colours, but each has its own expression - one crisp, one soft and one spicy. In developing the new warp colour, we were looking for a colour with the perfect balance of a comforting, soft brown and spicy orange. Just like the name Cinnamon indicates, we found a warm, sweet neutral colour with confidence!" says Lisa.
Effortless combinations can be made within the collection, and Graphic also opens up for new exciting matches with other Bolon flooring and rugs.
All Bolon flooring and rugs contain 68% waste material with 0% climate impact. On top of that, all products are 100% made in Sweden in our climate-neutral production.
Available worldwide now!
Whether outdoors or indoors, Riviera Home TufStrand handwoven carpets bring comfort and luxury that lasts.
Renowned for its fine-quality handwoven carpets, Riviera Home has launched two new ranges made from premium TufStrand yarn. Suitable for outdoor and indoor use, TufStrand is an all-weather yarn that’s stain-resistant and bleach cleanable. Soft enough to be comfortable and luxurious indoors yet durable and practical enough to resist the elements, the yarn brings unity between indoor and outdoor living. Thanks to TufStrand, these new carpets are protected from household spills, easy to clean and represent great value for money.
Part of Riviera Home’s Italian inspired collection, Livorno is handwoven from 100% TufStrand polypropylene. Incorporating two distinct designs: a wilton textured basketweave and a flatwoven herringbone, each in two complementary duo-tone colourways, Livorno adds elegance to any home. With Livorno, homes can seamlessly flow from open plan living to outdoor relaxing with the comfort and luxury that comes with Riviera Home.
Medina is also from Riviera Home’s Italian collection, this time presenting wilton textured basketweave and flatwoven herringbone designs in three multi-tonal colour combinations. The carpet’s rich design makes it a statement in style and the multi-tonal yarn also helps to disguise dirt and spills more readily before cleaning.
Kuldeep Singla, chairman, Riviera Home UK, says:
“The growth in outdoor living spaces in the UK has seen homeowners look for ways to add layers of comfort to terraces and balconies and to complement relaxed seating areas and entertaining. Outdoor rugs can achieve this, but these outdoor spaces are often connected by doors that open right up, so there’s a natural flow inside to out. With rugs it can be hard to find complementary finishes between indoors and out.
“Our 100% TufStrand carpets bring fine-quality, luxury and comfort indoors, but as TufStrand is weather resistant and durable, they can add all this to the outdoors as well, and create a sense of unity that make these spaces feel completely connected.”
Both Medina and Livorno are available in a five-metre width to accommodate larger rooms. Featuring Action Back for easier fitting indoors and out, the carpets are colourfast and resistant to fungal growth. These 100% TufStrand carpets are now ready for stores on Riviera Home’s standard Multi Display Unit.
This spring will also see, Riviera Home offer Livorno and Medina as bespoke sized farbicated rugs with taped edges.
About Riviera Home UK Ltd
Creating products with a distinctive point of difference, quality is at the heart of what we do. Riviera Home UK are the UK subsidiary of Riviera Home Furnishings, a world-leader in the manufacture of luxury, quality textiles. We specialise in broadloom carpets and rugs for the UK market. Our unique designs and luxurious handmade carpets are created using the traditional craftmanship and skills of our weavers, passed down through the generations. Our carpets are woven in both the finest wool and wool blends, including high lustre New Zealand wools, and combinations of wool with fine fibres such as Tencel.
Riviera Home is launching three new woven wool ranges for 2024, bringing homeowners exquisite style and the unmistakable quality of handmade carpets.
Known for fine quality natural carpets, Riviera Home is growing its collection of handmade wool carpets for 2024 with three new styles inspired by the beauty and history of Italy, which use texture and yarn to create a unique sense of luxury.
Siena is a flat-weave textured carpet that uses 100% undyed wool. To create the stunning texture, Riviera Home’s skilful master weavers intertwine contrasting undyed yarns. In three elegant colourways, every Siena carpet is a testament to the art of handcrafting and the natural beauty of undyed wool.
Sharing similar Wilton textured weaves, Genoa and Turin show how wool yarns can be used to create captivating and luxurious contemporary designs.
In Genoa, Riviera Home has used the richness and luxury of 100% New Zealand wool for a carpet of classic elegance. To create its striking texture, Riviera’s artisans weave an intricate textured diamond pattern in a choice of four colours. Turin uses the same 100% New Zealand wool, this time in a textured basketweave design. The yarn’s vibrancy of colour and the skills of Riviera Home’s weavers bring a luxurious texture that exudes sophistication, again in four neutral and timeless colours.
Kuldeep Singla, chairman, Riviera Home UK, says: “Our weavers have created something truly extraordinary with these new carpets and they clearly show the attention to detail and quality that comes with handmaking our carpets. Wool is such a wonderful yarn to make carpets with and we know how to get the best out of it to achieve unique textures that separate our carpets from the ordinary.”
With the resilience and recovery of wool and the handmade quality of Riviera Home, investing in Siena, Genoa and Turin will see homes enjoy an enduring, luxury carpet that is undeniably refined. All three designs come in a five-metre width and are suitable for heavy domestic use. The Riviera Home collection is widely available through its Authorised Dealership network.
The UK’s market leader in luxury vinyl flooring, Karndean Designflooring, is expanding its collection of contemporary herringbone designs, offering even more versatility to create intriguing interiors that ooze understated sophistication.
From January 2024, six oak designs from its popular Van Gogh range will be available in an additional herringbone format. The new 18” x 4.5” plank size expands design possibilities when used alongside matching full-size planks or in bespoke colour combinations.
Fleur Carson, managing director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “With design creativity high on the agenda, we are responding to the wellbeing trend for quiet luxury, soothing warm neutrals and nature inspired interiors with authentic oak designs in new styling options. Our designers have selected six beautiful designs from our Van Gogh range, all currently offered in a full-size plank, and expanded their design potential with a herringbone format.
“The smaller plank accentuates the realistic grain features and organic colours of these timeless designs. Curated to complement each other in any colour combination, this new collection brings outstanding potential for bespoke interiors that invoke the healing power of biophilic design.”
Whether used in isolation in a traditional herringbone pattern or in conjunction with the matching full-size plank for an elegant continuous flow, for example highlighting activity zones or creating directional wayfinding, Karndean’s new designs are guaranteed to introduce effortless elegance to any interior, from residential and hospitality to retail and workplaces.
Alternatively, the new herringbones offer a contemporary twist on classic style with eight different laying pattern variations to explore, from a double herringbone in a single colourway to a two-tone double herringbone and diagonal double herringbone in three contrasting colours with a coordinating border.
The new herringbone collection includes four highly desirable designs from Karndean’s Highland Oak collection; Croftmore Oak, Glenmore Oak, Hayfield Oak and Aviemore Oak. Inspired by samples of reclaimed timber found at an old railway station tucked away in the Highlands of Scotland, these designs feature well-balanced grain markings, characterful signs of wear and a registered emboss for a highly authentic effect and subtle maturity that will bring any interior to life.
Two further existing designs extend the colour range and options for interesting combinations. Canadian Nude Oak, with its neutral blond tones and gentle straight grain patterning, and the authentically replicated historic markings and tarnishing of Antique French Oak enhance the collection’s natural warmth and versatility to create a bespoke look.
Designed for reliable performance in high traffic environments, Karndean’s extensive Van Gogh collection offers specifiers unsurpassed versatility with a total of 70 wood and stone designs in a convenient choice of sizes and formats.
The Van Gogh range features a 0.55mm wear layer and 3.0mm thickness and comes with all the practical benefits of Karndean flooring, an Environmental Product Declaration and the reassurance of a 15 year guarantee for commercial settings and a lifetime guarantee in residential settings.
Designed With a commitment to developing a greener built environment, Karndean recognises the need for urgent action and is taking bold steps and a pioneering spirit to create a better tomorrow. This includes a commitment to set short and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net-zero through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
To explore the Karndean’s new Van Gogh designs, click here.
About Karndean Designflooring
Karndean is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you create unique looks that are both stylish and practical; guaranteed to last. We see flooring differently. We travel the world in our quest to bring you exceptional floors that inspire and delight. From the ancient forests of Europe, to the remote Australian outback, we seek out expressive and intriguing forms in the natural world to influence our unique floor designs. By combining original features with cutting edge design, we create beautiful floors that bring your vision to life and take our clients on an endless journey of design discovery.
GoodWeave® certified for the promise of ethical production that supports local communities, Riviera Home crafts fine quality natural carpets by hand with a conscious effort to minimise environmental impact.
For nearly four decades, Riviera Home has been making carpets in India’s historic city of Panipat, known as ‘the city of handcrafted weavers’. Using traditional techniques, its carpets are still made by hand using high quality natural yarns, including undyed wools, bamboo and Tencel, which is made with wood pulp from sustainable forests.
Riviera Home produces every carpet ethically with a conscious effort to be responsible and is a GoodWeave® certified business. GoodWeave International is a non-profit organisation and the leading institution working to stop child labour in global supply chains. As a GoodWeave® business, every handmade carpet from Riviera Home is without child labour and supports education and decent work for communities.
Kuldeep Singla, chairman, Riviera Home UK, says: “We’ve been hand making carpets using natural yarns since we were founded, so we’ve been adopting a low impact approach to production for nearly 40 years. Still as a family-run company, we’re conscious that the way we make carpets does not just have minimal impact on the climate and the environment, but that it also the supports the communities around us. Our GoodWeave® certification is an example of this in action, as it’s our promise to produce carpets fairly and ethically, to support education and that no child is ever forced into labour.”
Riviera Home’s by hand approach to making carpets is the anti-thesis of mass production, but the company still draws on modern environmental practices used to lower impact by large manufacturers. Using only non-toxic and safe chemicals approved by Oeko-Tex®, generating 20% of its electricity from its own solar field and conserving water through its own treatment and recycling plant; Riviera Home is leading ethical and sustainable handmade carpet production in its region.
“While our ways of craft maybe traditional and passed down by generations of families, it doesn’t mean that can’t look to modern innovations to reduce the impact of what we’re doing,” says Richard Moore, sales and marketing director. “It’s important to us that our carpets are not just considered for their fine quality, but also because they offer a better way of making carpets through a lower footprint.”
The Riviera Home collection is widely available through its Authorised Dealership network.
London’s Carnaby Street is famous worldwide as home to Britain’s most iconic names in fashion and popular culture, so when progressive fashion brand RIXO paired up with Karndean Designflooring to design its latest store the result was always going to be effortlessly stylish and elegant.
One of the coolest destinations associated with 1960s London, Carnaby was, and still remains, the epicentre of culture and lifestyle, from ground-breaking fashion brands such as Mary Quant, Vivienne Westwood and Cranks vegetarian restaurant to underground music bars which hosted future stars including The Who and The Rolling Stones.
RIXO’s desirable vintage inspired one-off pieces pay homage to these trailblazing pioneers with a look that’s in vogue yet also a future classic. Designed to be easy-to-wear and inclusive, each item features a fusion of original hand-painted prints and flattering silhouettes to inspire confidence.
Following several pop-up stores in the area, RIXO’s new Carnaby Street store offers a welcoming environment and the tailored experience today’s discerning customers are looking for. Committed to sustainability and an ethical supply chain, RIXO opted to work with local design studio Cúpla and Karndean, a family run British brand now celebrating its 50th anniversary in the flooring industry.
Gemma Munday, retail growth manager at RIXO, said: “We like every store to be highly individual. As our clothing designs are inspired by vintage fashions, so all our stores have unique artwork and fixtures that tell its own story. The aim for our Carnaby Street store was to create a grown-up feel with an empowering interior that would reflect our vintage inspiration yet also allow the personality of our clothes to shine. We looked for luxury fixtures that would give us a high end finish and a bespoke yet understated look.”
The store beautifully captures the atmospheric glamour of the 1960s and 70s and combines this with contemporary trends and an eye for detail. A calming pared back palette of cool off-white is contrasted against rich deep blues and warm wood design panelling and flooring.
Pearl Oak from Karndean’s LooseLay Longboard range balances the boutique’s light and dark tones, reflecting both traditional timber flooring and the modern preference for light neutral tones. The extra-long planks have been laid at an angle for a sense of flow that can guide customers around the store.
The brand’s vintage inspiration is reflected in a bespoke circular statement chandelier, which sits above a white marble table and a rug in RIXO’s signature leopard print. Completing the sophisticated look are unobtrusive brass display rails which set off the colourful clothing to perfection.
Fleur Carson, commercial sales director at Karndean Designflooring, said: “Experience is of the upmost importance when it comes to retail, particularly at the high end of the market. In light of the disruption of the pandemic and today’s economic challenges, resilient brands are adapting to offer consumers a personalised service. A comfortable instore environment is key to encouraging customers back into the physical store, with a natural feel and durable materials that can cope with high traffic.
The timeless design and light organic tones of the Pearl Oak flooring creates a clean backdrop, allowing all attention to be focused on the clothing displays. Designed to authentically replicate the beauty of European oak, Pearl Oak features light pinky-beige tones, distressed grain details and a lightly brushed surface texture. The loose lay format is a highly practical choice for retail premises with a durable, quiet and scratch resistant surface. Should damage occur it’s quick and easy to make repairs by simply lifting and replacing individual planks as required.”
Gemma Munday added: “We had previously chosen Pearl Oak for our head office so we knew that this would be a great choice. It’s really hard wearing and the pre-attached acoustic layer significantly reduces noise. The floor is a beautiful addition to the fixtures and furnishings and pulls all the different elements together. We want everyone to feel welcome, even including dogs, so the fact that Karndean flooring is durable enough for pets was an extra attraction!”
Karndean Designflooring is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you to create unique looks guaranteed to last.
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