Nylon: The Essential Element of Carpet

High school may be a distant memory for most of us. But at some point, we were likely all taught about the Periodic Table of Elements.  You may recall the table is an ingenious system for organizing all 118 known chemical elements. These elements are the building blocks that make up all matter. And matter, of course, is everything that takes up space in the universe.  These elements range from gasses such as hydrogen and helium to metals such as gold and silver.

The Periodic Table of Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science. Researchers and scientists use the table to develop new products, create new material innovations, and perform myriad other tasks.

Most of us go through our daily lives unaware or not thinking about these vital building blocks. And yet, they are essential to the world we live in and the world we create. 

The same can also be said about commercial carpet. Like the physical world around us, we only see the finished product, never the elements that make up those products. When it comes to commercial carpet, its most essential element is nylon. A carpet’s nylon is the ingredient that most affects its long-lasting performance and durability.  It is also the essential element for creating a carpet’s stylish look and beautiful aesthetic.  

Only one commercial nylon – Zeftron nylon – offers all the style, performance and sustainability requirements designers need for their demanding projects today.  

Style Matters
Nylon offers a wide range of style, texture and pattern options for carpets. It is available in various colors and can mimic the look and feel of natural fibers like wool. This versatility allows designers to choose a carpet that best suits their aesthetic preferences and complements their design.

Zeftron nylon is solution-dyed, meaning it adds its color using high-quality pigments during the nylon manufacturing process.  This process is an integral part of Zeftron’s brand and equates to superior colorfastness, characteristics and color retention compared to “white yarn“ (uncolored nylon that has its color added later). 

In particular. hospitality environments are synonymous with sophisticated, high-styled carpet made with bright, vivid colors and multiple textures.  A solution-dyed nylon with a color pallet that provides a wide variety of rich and lustrous color offerings can help designers achieve these challenging styling requirements.  Zeftron’s 121 proven and solution-dyed colors are the building blocks of any great design, and many of our colors have been developed directly from designer input.  

Power of Performance

Nylon is a highly durable fiber, suitable for high-traffic areas like airports and hotel lobbies. Nylon carpets can withstand these high volumes without showing significant signs of wear and tear and have a longer lifespan compared to other carpet materials.

Another essential element of nylon is its excellent stain resistance. It is a highly absorbent fiber and can be protected with stain treatments to prevent spills from seeping deep into the fibers and leaving stains. This stain-resistant feature helps maintain the carpet’s appearance and makes it easier to clean and maintain over time.

Because the carpet you custom design or specify says a lot about you and the space, selecting a nylon-like Zeftron with a proven history backed by third-party warranties for such critical things as lifetime color retention and performance is a good idea. 

Sustainable Impact

Zeftron nylon also offers industry-leading environmental attributes. Every Zeftron color contains at least 25 percent recycled content, and Zeftron nylon – unlike others – is 100% recyclable.  That’s why we are Cradle to Cradle Silver Certified and why specifying carpet made with Zeftron can contribute to LEED credits. On top of this, our 6ix Again Carpet Recycling Program goes the extra mile by taking used carpet, extracting the nylon and using it in new commercial carpet products. For unsalvageable waste, we divert it in an environmentally friendly way by sending it to waste-to-energy.

Zeftron Nylon: A Designer’s Essential Element

Designers play an essential role in creating a more beautiful, functional and sustainable world, and Zeftron nylon is an essential element for commercial carpet products that helps designers in this mission. 

We invite you to explore Zeftron nylon and how we can help you with your design projects. And don’t forget to get some Zeftron swag here. Whether water, coffee or something else is your essential liquid for the day, keep your drink handy with a Zeftron-branded mug or tumbler! 

True Blue – The Power of Blue in Commercial Design

Color is crucial in creating a welcoming and memorable space in commercial interior design. One color that has been a favorite among designers for decades is blue. From calming baby blues tones to bold electric hues, this adaptable color can be used in various ways to enhance the look and feel of spaces where we work, dine, sleep and shop.

Blue is the most often-cited favorite color and is the most commonly used color in corporate identities. Blue jeans are worn worldwide, and “blue-blooded” is used in all European languages for the aristocracy.

Another fun trivia fact: 53% of the flags in the world contain blue! Here in the United States, blue is one of the primary colors we associate with patriotism and national pride. As since we just observed the July 4 holiday, it seems fitting to celebrate the versatility of blue and the many ways you can incorporate it into your commercial designs.

Create a Calming Atmosphere

Light blue is the color of the sky on a clear day and, as such, is linked to intangibles such as peace, serenity and spirituality. These associations make it the perfect color for spaces where people are looking for relaxation and calmness.  It’s a popular color in hospitality settings as it’s often used in bedrooms and bathrooms to create a restorative environment for travelers far away from home comforts. Its use can also extend to hospitality’s public spaces. For example, a spa or wellness center can benefit from blue walls, furniture, and carpet to help create a calming atmosphere for clients.

Believe it or not, blue is also used as a neutral color in commercial interior design. Lighter shades of blue, such as sky blue and baby blue, can create a soft and subtle backdrop for other colors. This perception can be especially effective in healthcare settings where a calming environment is paramount.

Light blue in a lobby adds a sense of relaxation. 

Add a Pop of Color

Blue is an excellent option to add a pop of color to your commercial space. Dark blues, in particular, signify trust, dignity, and authority and are often used in office environments. Whether you choose a bright electric blue or deep navy, this color can add energy and excitement to any room. You can also use blue accents such as throw pillows, artwork, or rugs. 

When used boldly and vibrantly, blue can be a powerful and energizing color.

A bold and vibrant blue can add just the right spark to any commercial design.

Bring A Coastal Flair 

Blue is often associated with cleanliness, strength, dependability and coolness. The origin of these meanings arise from blue’s relationship to the qualities of the ocean and inland waters. 

Coastal interior design often incorporates natural elements from the coastline, such as natural woods, jute, rattan, and linen fabrics. It also favors a lighter color palette where shades of blue and white mimic the crashing waves of the ocean. Coastal design should be open and airy and feel like a relaxing day out on the beach to create that similar carefree feeling in your space. This design is common in hospitality settings – hotels, restaurants and retail spaces – especially those along the coast. 

Bring in the ocean view with blue as an accent color.

Embrace the Power of Blue

Overall, blue is a versatile and powerful color that enhances the look and feel of any commercial space. Whether you’re looking to create a calming atmosphere, add a pop of color, or bring a little of the coast to your space, there are endless possibilities for incorporating this timeless color into your commercial interior design.

View all the beautiful blues in our color palettes to see how we can bring your design visions to life.

Celebrate World Art Day: The Influence Of Art In Our Designing Lives and Our Commercial Spaces

While April 15 is known more often as the dreaded Tax Day in the United States, it’s also the day we celebrate World Art Day. On this day, we recognize artists’ contributions throughout history and how their creative thinking has influenced culture through the centuries and decades since.

Of course, this influence is undeniable in architecture and design, where we can trace art movements from Rococo to Postmodernism through buildings around each major city. In celebration of World Art Day 2023, we’re highlighting several recent artistic movements, the art and artists that made them famous, and how they influence aspects of design in our daily environment. We’re also calling attention to how these artistic movements are being utilized in commercial interior spaces and with commercial flooring products these days.  

Art Nouveau

The Art Nouveau movement rejected the mass-produced aesthetic of the Industrial Revolution, instead getting inspiration from natural forms and feminine lines. Famous artists of this period (1883-1914) include Gustav Klimt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Aubrey Beardsley, who contributed notable artworks to the genre including “The Kiss” and “Moulin Rouge: La Goulue.”

Art Nouveau inspired all areas of design, including architecture, interiors, jewelry, illustration, graphic design and product design. Here in the United States, we often call this particular look the Tiffany Style, thanks to the work of jeweler and glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany, who created the iconic Tiffany lamp during this period.

The Kiss, Klimt

Tiffany Lamp

This style was also popular around Europe, where the architect and designer Hector Guimard created the curved glass and wrought iron canopies that marked the entrances to the Paris Métro, many of which are still preserved today. And in Vienna, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich designed the Secession Building, a variation of Art Nouveau, which features the “Beethoven Frieze” by Klimt.

Our partner Encore creates beautiful carpeting for hospitality clients and one of our favorite patterns gets inspiration from the natural world. 

Art Deco

Most of us in the United States are familiar with Art Deco as it is the dominant architectural style for Miami’s South Beach. This art movement was a highlight of the 1930s and was pleasing to the eye with its symmetrical, geometric and streamlined look.

Famous artists of the period included the Baroness Tamara de Lempicka, a significant figure in Paris influenced by Cubism, and Georges Lepape, who started as an illustrator for “Vogue.” In addition, Cassandre was a pioneer in graphic design whose posters are some of the most memorable Art Deco works. 

Girl in Green Dress, Lempicka

Chrysler Building

Art Deco influenced the most famous buildings in New York City: Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building and, of course, the Empire State Building. The Rockefeller family commissioned Jose Maria Sert to paint a mural for the lobby of their center, “America Progress,” a great example of combining classical and modern elements. 

Art Deco also influenced fashion. Erté was an influential fashion designer and illustrator recognized for his sophisticated and highly stylized fashion illustrations. His works graced the covers of “Harper’s Bazaar,” “Vogue” and “Cosmopolitan.” 

We love how Art Deco is on display in this airport carpeting with a modern feel.

Pop Art

Pop Art was primarily a British and American cultural phenomenon in the late 1950s and 1960s, and glorified popular culture and elevated the commonplace, such as Campbell’s soup cans. It was heavily inspired by television and comic books rejecting the pretensions of ‘high art.” 

Popular artists of the movement included Jasper Johns, Claus Oldenburg and James Rosenquist. Roy Lichtenstein’s print reproductions of comic book scenes were a striking example of Pop Art, as were Andy Warhol’s repeated silk-screen prints. 

Similar to the approach in art, mass production and commercialism were front and center in architecture and became a canvas for the massive scale of Pop Art. It became popular for public art installations and interior design, using bright, often clashing colors and comic-like posters. Furniture was usually about look and style versus functionality.

Marilyn Monrow, Warhol

Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Lichtenstein

Check out our case study with Marabella where we custom-designed bold carpeting for a university that has Pop Art vibes and uses vibrant colors to make a statement.

Minimalism

Minimalism is exactly as it sounds, characterized by hard edges, simple forms and clean lines. It strips away extraneous details and emotional expression often found in more abstract art forms.

Famous artists of the period include Frank Stella, Eva Hesse, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt, and Donald Judd. Judd was an American artist, painter and sculptor who popularized minimalist design using geometric forms and simplistic design. Dan Flavin, another movement leader, was unique in using fluorescent lights in his sculptures.

Site-specific installation, Flavin

Wall Drawing 340, Sol LeWitt

Minimalist architecture also focuses on simplicity and using industrial materials like concrete.  Interiors follow suit, with clean lines and limited clutter. Scandinavian design is an excellent example of minimalism, using natural finishes like wood and stone with pops of color, geometric shapes and functional designs. 

Minimalism continues to influence our design in branding, website design and packaging.  Look no further than Apple, whose sleek design has become a symbol of the company and is instantly recognizable.

We love the minimalist feel of this carpeting for an office or waiting area.

Summing it All Up

You can see how the world of art has influenced architecture and design over the years. Even today, many designers look to works of art as inspiration for their designs’ color and patterns, from furniture to flooring, whether for an office, school or hotel. 

Have you ever designed with a piece of art in mind? Which design influences do you see being utilized in commercial interior spaces today?  Is there one art style you think works best for certain contract interior spaces? We’d love to see your thoughts! Share a photo in the comments below!

5 Tips for Designing Custom Commercial Carpet

You’ve started designing a commercial space for a client, but you can’t quite find the right carpeting to make the statement you want or reflect the branding exactly the way you’ve envisioned. 

You’ve thought about designing a custom carpet, but that seems daunting. Fear not, we’ve got you covered. Here are five tips to demystify the process and create that signature look that you’re going for!

1. Consider the Branding. You may be interested in incorporating your client’s branding in the design. With modern carpet-making machinery you can recolor an existing carpet style, create a new pattern or customize colors to realize your perfect design. You can even get exact matches to corporate logo colors or reference landscape features and local landmarks. Carpet can provide the background for telling a brand’s story. 

2. Review the Requirements. Building plans are important early in the design process as the shape of the facility, placement of hallways and public spaces, and room sizes will affect transitions, the layout, and the quantities of carpet. Regional factors like weather and sunlight, maintenance and styling capabilities all factor in as well. 

Whether refurbishing or building a new property, imagine the space, its uses, how people interact in it and traffic patterns.  Consider how different spaces work together and categorize your zones. Zones will have different design requirements, aesthetic goals and performance needs and this will help you determine how the overall quantity breaks down into minimums for the different types of carpets required in the zones. 

3. Know Your Options. Once you know the requirements for the space, then you can review your options to meet those needs. Solution dyed nylon (SDN) and wool are both durable solutions when it comes to a soft surface flooring option. SDN is very colorfast, meaning the pigment holds on to the color when exposed to moisture, light, heat and most cleaning products. Using a proven SDN like Zeftron nylon, which has been a part of high performing commercial carpets for more than 40 years, can be a good choice. Wool, meanwhile, has a richness that adds to the ambience of a facility.

You can consider using tufted or woven carpet. Advances in tufting technology have improved design capabilities, speed of manufacturing and durability of these carpets. Weaving also offers durability along with more intricate patterning, styling and colorations. Tufting and weaving can both produce loop and cut-pile styles. Both can also vary the pile height to add textural interest to the carpet design.

4. Stretch Your Budget. Knowing a little about factors that impact carpet cost will help you as you design. 

The size of the order is a big factor.  It takes the same amount of time to set up a run for 70 feet of carpet as it does for thousands of feet of carpet. So, carpet cost is reduced with a large order. 

Yarn systems vary in cost. Also, working within a carpet mill’s color bank versus creating a custom color will be most cost effective. Machinery speeds factor into costs.  The more complex the design, the slower the machine runs which adds up.  Complex designs also cost more due to set up time for the run.  Some machines require heavier weights to achieve the desired aesthetics. This means more yarn and therefore added cost.  

Performance objectives influence the choice of construction and the face weight of the carpet.  A carpet that performs well has a high density and uses more yarn, once again adding to the cost. Public spaces usually require a high level of design, good performance, and ease of cleaning.  Higher weights, typically 36 oz/sq yd and above, are required for this and with more detailed patterns different machines must be employed which moves the cost needle up.  

5. Select the Right Carpet Manufacturer . Your design and performance requirements will help determine which carpet manufacturer partner you choose. Your carpet representative can help you, and the mill designers will also aid in choosing which machines will construct the carpet to your design specifications. Work closely with the mill personnel. Their support can aid and enhance your design concept. Mills such as Encore, which specializes in the hospitality industry, have the ability to do custom carpet creations and can be excellent partners and resources in the process. 

Getting a better understanding of the process at the start can help you get a good idea of cost, availability and design capabilities and decide which mill to go with for your custom carpet project. 

Next Stop: Custom Carpet Design

We’ve shared five steps you need to consider to make custom carpet design more manageable: branding, requirements, options, budget and a partner. For more detailed information on this process, take our Zeftron U course to get more insight into how to successfully collaborate with your local rep and their liaisons and designers at the mill. 

There’s no reason to be intimidated by custom carpet. Just start with a few key steps, and you’ll be well on you way to a bespoke look for your next commercial project. 

So, what do you think? Are you ready to try your hand at a custom carpet? Leave us a comment and let us know what you’ve got planned for 2023!

Trend Report: Radical Colors Take the Stage

We are introducing a new design resource to inspire commercial interior designers to experiment and think about ways to take risks in their designs for commercial interior settings.

“Radically Modern Color” dives into the unimaginable ways colors are being combined and applied to create everything from apparel to home decor. You can download the trend report here. Best yet, it’s free!

The new decade has already seen its fair share of disruption. In the past 18 months we’ve experienced major wildfires, political protests, and a global pandemic. 

We’ve also seen a shift in the way color is being used. The color trends and themes in “Radically Modern Color” highlight the pairing of colors that reflects the disruption we’re seeing in broader society. Color and color applications are being used in imaginative ways, and these brighter hues and combinations are reminiscent of the 60s and the last time we were in the midst of such a revolutionary era.

“Radically Modern Color” focuses on four trends discussing what they are, where they are being used and how they are changing design. The trends highlighted are:

• The Psychedelic Comeback  – The 60s are back and so are the bright colors and sinuous shapes so prominent during that time.

Photo by Davide Ligabue on Unsplash

• Building Blocks – Color blocking is going to the extreme by pairing colors next to each other on the color wheel for a bold effect.

• Blurring The Lines – Gradients are all the rage and so is the Gaussian blur.

Photo by Ilnur Kalimullin on Unsplash

• Clash Of The Colors – Pairing sunny yellow, gold and mustard may have clashed in the past, but not so in this new decade.

We’re hoping these trends will inspire creativity in the coming year and allow you to be more radical with your use of color, especially with carpet. For even more inspiration, check out our Design Inspiration Page, where you can view our color collections and envision how you can create a colorful commercial carpet for your next project. You can also download the full Zeftron Color Pallette, consisting of 120-plus colors, or request to have a Zeftron pom box mailed to you.

We look forward to hearing what you think about these trends and how they might influence your design choices in the coming year. Leave us a comment and tell us what radical combination you’re thinking of designing with in 2022. 

Zeftron Helps Louisville Senior Living Community Meet its Design and Performance Needs

Louisville is a city rich with history and unmistakable surroundings. It is home to the famous Churchill Downs, rolling pastures and nearby bourbon country.  So when Banko Design embarked on a new senior living community there, it had a wealth of local inspiration to draw from.  

Completed in 2019, Everlan of Louisville offers independent living, assisted living and memory care services through several buildings on its master campus, including the community’s clubhouse, which Banko designed. The project is one of the newest for Banko, which provides design services for clients in the senior living, multifamily and hospitality markets. 

Meeting a Design Vision

Open to Everlan residents and the public alike, the clubhouse contains a large communal area and a restaurant. In many ways, it is the focal center of the community — a space where people can gather and socialize in a comfortable setting. Banko’s design vision for the clubhouse was to create a luxury, residential-inspired and customized look, similar to the upscale hospitality properties they designed in the past.  

Drawing on Louisville’s rich heritage and surroundings, Banko created an inspiring equestrian design motif. The firm highlighted the flavor of the locale through a thematic use of equestrian art and accessories. It also incorporated a full palette of colors and patterns reflective of the area.  

A major key to achieving Banko’s design scheme was the flooring. For this, Banko turned to Encore Carpet and its long-time partner, Zeftron nylon.  

Skilled in custom carpet design, Encore utilized its Custom Infinity Carpet made with Zeftron nylon. Encore’s design team strived to get the right contrast of jeweled tones and patterns to bring Banko’s hospitality-inspired design to life. The finished products consisted of four coordinating broadloom carpet patterns in both 12-foot and 15-foot widths, which actually turned out to reduce waste by 40 percent. 

Melissa Banko, Principal of Banko Design, commenting on the design benefits of Encore and Zeftron said, “The Encore Custom Infinity Carpet made with 100% Zeftron Nylon allows us to be creative through the endless color, pattern and scale options. It gives us the flexibility to make truly unique collections for our senior living communities.”

All told, the Encore custom carpet made with Zeftron spans 1,750 square yards across the clubhouse’s corridors, public areas and its dining room.

Plaid carpet lines the corridors at Everlan of Louisville reflecting the equestrian design motif of the community. 

 

Exceeding Performance and Sustainability Needs 

But commercial carpet products made with Zeftron nylon offer more than just exceptional design and aesthetics. They also meet the performance and durability required for a space like the Everlan clubhouse, where heavy foot traffic, furniture change-outs, staining and soiling can happen on a daily basis.   

As a premium branded nylon, specifically engineered for commercial interiors, Zeftron nylon is highly resistant to staining and soiling as well as crushing and matting, which means no unsightly traffic lanes or unwanted wear patterns. Plus, the solution-dyed nylon carpet looks just as great after a vigorous cleaning, keeping the facility looking as new as the day it opened.

Zeftron is also a fully renewable nylon. It can be recycled over and over after its useful life, thereby reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. Minimizing the amount of waste without compromising the design was an important consideration for Everlan from a cost and sustainability point of view.

The community center carpeting features jeweled tones and patterns that bring Banko’s hospitality-inspired design to life. 

 

Going the Extra Mile 

Of course, every project is more than just the products that go into it. The best projects are about teamwork, exceptional service and partners going the extra mile.  

To that end, both Encore and Zeftron set themselves apart when compared to the competition.  

“We are very service-focused and bend over backward to do what we need to do to remove all the hurdles to get our clients and their projects to the finish line,” said Dana Miner, Territory Manager at Encore. “We’re very proud of our ongoing work with Banko and being able to provide them with the trifecta of aesthetic, performance, and affordability for the Everlan project.”

As an established brand that has served the commercial interiors industry for more than 40 years, Zeftron knows a thing or two about providing exceptional service and going the extra mile. Perhaps that’s why the Everlan clubhouse facility has received positive feedback and its residents are delighted with the sense of community it brings. 

The Encore custom carpet made with Zeftron spans 1,750 square yards across the clubhouse’s corridors, public areas and dining room and meets the performance and durability requirements needed in the active space.

 

4 Ideas to Make This Earth Day the Greenest Yet!

In honor of Earth Day 2021, we’ve compiled four easy ideas you can implement to make your everyday life more sustainable.

Green Idea One

A simple way to reduce your carbon footprint is to understand how much carbon you are emitting. You can use this calculator, from The Nature Conservancy, to learn about your habits, and how to start making a difference.  According to their website, “The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world.” After understanding which decisions might help you conserve more (like avoiding flights with connections), there are a few simple switches you can make to easily decrease your negative impact.

“Composting is great, because like Zeftron’s nylon, which can be recycled over and over without losing any performance, the waste you produce can actually be turned into super-rich potting soil for future gardens!”

Green Idea Two

Kathryn Kellogg, founder of Going Zero Waste, offers millions of great tips on her website on how to reduce your footprint.  A great place to start is her 30-day zero waste challenge. Start by challenging yourself or your household to create less food waste in a week. 

Whether that’s by using a part of a vegetable you normally discard, or by beginning a backyard composting bin. Composting is great, because like Zeftron’s nylon, which can be recycled over and over without losing any performance, the waste you produce can actually be turned into super-rich potting soil for future gardens! Composting alone can drastically reduce the amount of trash you throw away each week.

Green Idea Three

An immediate way to make an impact in your own home is to contact your energy company and consider switching to a green provider that ensures all of the energy you use is supplied by clean energy sources. This may in fact lower your monthly energy bill, which would be a win/win!  Secondly, if you don’t already own a learning thermostat, you may want to look into purchasing a system that “learns” your energy usage habits, and automatically reduces usage and cost. 

Green Idea Four

Lastly, meat consumption has one of the largest negative impacts on our carbon footprint. If going fully vegetarian or vegan seems unrealistic, try making smaller changes like instituting a “Meatless Monday” or picking new weekly plant-based recipes to try! 

As a brand that offers 25% recycled content in every color, contributes to LEED points and is MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certified™ as a 100% fully recyclable yarn system, we strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

What tips do you have for reusing, recycling, or reducing your carbon footprint? Share your ideas with us on our social platforms!

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Five Spring Colors to Spur Your Design Creativity

Call it a hunch, but we think the popularity of happy and bright colors this spring could have a lot to do with our last 12 months battling a pandemic. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the weather is warming up here at our Georgia headquarters, and spring blooms are out in full force.

As you are designing interior spaces this spring, think about these bold spring hues and how Zeftron’s fresh palette can reflect the colors of spring in your commercial carpet designs. We selected a few of our favorite colors to match what the beauty of nature we’ve seen unfolding outside this month.

Get the Green Light

It’s March, so it’s fitting that green, the color of choice for St. Patrick’s Day, is trending. Green has been seen all over the fashion runways in a wide range of colors – mint, emerald, seafoam, lime and even neon (think tennis balls). Green is the color of nature and spring – from the new green leaves sprouting to the vegetables that have started peaking from the dirt (spring onions anyone?). Green also provides a sense of calmness and security, and we could all use a little bit of both of those right now.

Mellow With Yellow

Yellow is the preferred color of many early bloomers in the spring – daffodils, winter jasmine, forsythia and witch hazel. While shades of this sunny color run the gamut, a popular choice in 2021 is a more subdued lemon shade, like Pantone’s Color of the Year “Illuminating.” Yellow shades make people smile and feel joyful, and these shades can help create warmth and coziness in indoor spaces.

Think Pink

Pinks are in, just like the beautiful magnolias that have started to bloom. But don’t forget about the deeper, darker cousin of pink, magenta, or the bolder shade of fuschia, seen in camellias and the azaleas lining the greens at the Augusta National Golf Club. Pink is often used with plush fabrics in design, such as velvet. Pink is fun and bright and can be a great accent color in carpeting.

Be True Blue

Blues seem to be a staple of every season, but did you know when it comes to nature, blue is very rare? Less than 10 percent of plants have blue flowers and few animals are blue. We have started seeing Bluejays in the yard and the sweet bluebirds will not be far behind. The one place we’re guaranteed to see blue in nature is the beautiful spring sky. In particular Cerulean blue is popular this spring. Light blue color tones work well with all neutral colors and allow designers to accentuate in an elegant and soft way.

Whiten Up

White blooms feel fresh in the spring. Just look at how snowdrops stand out against all of that beautiful green in your garden. Stark white has been the rage for a while in design because it has a minimalist feel. White can be a great background to help brighter colors, like those featured above, pop. It also can make a dramatic statement when used with bold colors in a patterned carpet.

As we look forward to the change of seasons, and the rebirth of the natural world around us, look to the colors highlighted here to inspire your interior design choices carpet designs in 2021, and bring a little of the outdoors in for your customers and clients. 

For more inspiration, check out our Design Inspiration Page, where you can view our color collections and envision how you can create a colorful commercial carpet for your next project. You can also download the full Zeftron Color Pallette, consisting of 120-plus colors, or request to have a Zeftron pom box mailed to you.

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Four Trends Pushing the Future of Office Design

It’s undeniable that Covid is forcing the contract workplace to be reimagined. For months, architects and designers have been considering what employers and workers will want and need when it’s fully safe to return to the office. They are considering four major factors:

1.  Growth of Work From Home

The shift to WFH has been dramatic. And while it’s still not universally easy or fully embraced for every worker or employer, it’s clear that WFM is not going away.  Music and podcast giant Spotify recently announced that it would be adopting a “Work from Anywhere” model.  Employees can choose whether they want to be in the office full-time, at home full-time or a combination of the two. This unique approach is gaining traction, and not just with tech companies.

2.  Smaller Office Footprints

With WFM, fewer employees will be in a physical workplace.  A recent Pew Center Research study says more than half of employees want to continue working remotely, even after the pandemic has passed. This means employers are looking at reducing their overall office footprint, which can translate to financial savings. Companies that have been hard hit by the pandemic are looking to save even money on their furniture and fixture investments, but they do not want to sacrifice quality.  

3.  Safety, Wellness and Inclusion

The coronavirus has put an even brighter spotlight on the importance of workplaces that offer safety and wellness. No employee wants to work in an environment where they don’t feel safe or their health could be compromised.  At the same time, we recognize more can be done to foster greater employee inclusion. When workplaces bring people to together in a safe and inclusive way, that can lead to greater worker satisfaction, happiness and productivity.  

4.  The Role of the Workplace

Architects and designers are thoughtfully reconsidering the role and purpose of the “new” workplace. Is it a place to foster company culture? Spark innovation? To be sure, the pandemic has given the A&D community a chance to “pause” and rethink what a workplace is and should be for employers and employees.  This could be the most important question that needs to be addressed moving forward.  

Design Considerations for the Workplace 

Each of these factors creates major design challenges.  Fortunately, the A&D industry is not one to stand still.  There are multiple resources available that can help address and solve these issues.   

For example, when it comes to addressing the needs of a smaller office footprint, HOK’s “10 Principles of Space Management” can be an excellent resource.  HOK offers an even more robust solution with its Space Management in Corporate Real Estate article.  

Integrating wellness into your design can be made easier through the International WELL Building Institute.  The organization offers a slew of tools and resources. One to check out includes its course called Covid-19 Training for Professionals. This course provides evidence-based design strategies for promoting new health and safety best practices.   

Products That Support the “New” Office

Selecting products for the “new” office will be essential.  Manufacturers have been stepping up with multiple solutions. Some of these include:

Flexible Workstations

Mobile and adaptable workstations are emerging as a way to meet multiple needs. These solutions, like this M Nesting table from HAT Collective, allow for group collaboration at a safe distance. Or, this product can be used for independent and highly focused work, when needed. 

Steel & Component Based Furniture

Employers realize the importance of cleaning and sanitizing spaces and products. Many manufacturers, like Integra Seating, now have chairs with steel arms and legs. Products made with steel can be cleaned easier than those with wood or other porous surfaces.  Additionally, modular products, where seating arms or legs can be easily replaced, eliminates the need to – and expense of – replacing the entire chair.

Creative Carpet

Carpet is poised to play a significant role in the “new” office. It checks many of the boxes related to heath, design and functionality. As a soft surface product, it naturally absorbs noise, which helps with acoustics. Fibers from the carpet trap allergens and dust particles, which improves indoor air quality. 

And, when made with a premium solution-dyed nylon, like Zeftron nylon, it offers numerous design advantages. Custom carpet products can create wayfinding schemes to help with social distancing.  Or, custom colors and patterns can be used to create calm and wellness-themed spaces.  An organization can also use custom colors to support their culture; a company’s logo and their colors can be easily and cleverly integrated into a carpet design.  

What’s Next

It’s clear that some trends for the post-pandemic workplace have emerged. But it’s unclear which ones will prevail. Or what new ones will appear.  

But one thing is undeniable: Everyone – designers, architects, employers, workers, product manufacturers – must continue to be adaptable and flexible to meet the ever-evolving workplace needs. The architect and design industry has responded with vigor and innovation since the pandemic began. These same characteristics will be needed as we enter the “new” office workplace.  

What are your thoughts? What are the workplace trends you’re seeing? What are some of the innovative and adaptable products commercial products you’d like to see in your office?

 

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Free Zeftron eBook: 4 Reasons Carpet Matters Now

Download the free educational eBook here!

2020 has been a watershed moment for all of us who serve the commercial interiors industry. With the onset of COVID-19, designers and facility managers, especially, have had to shift their focus long-term to public health concerns around social distancing, cleanliness, and creating wellness-focused commercial environments.

With this in mind, we decided to take a stronger look at what we bring to the marketplace in those key areas and how we can best serve our entire customer community.  Specifically,  we looked at the real impact of carpet on health and wellness. We looked at how a designer can balance concerns about health and wellness with a desire to create beautiful and memorable spaces. And we looked at how the COVID-19 era is changing the way that designers specify products, and facility managers approach cleanliness.

Based on this, we created a new and free educational eBook. It consists of educational articles and resources for designers and facility managers. This new resource seeks to demonstrate the positive impact flooring — and specifically carpet — can have on the safety, functionality, and maintenance of the spaces they bring to life.

Topics within the new eBook include:

• How designers are using carpet to create safety and wellness spaces 
• How carpet impacts back-to-work health concerns amidst COVID-19
• How carpet contributes to improved indoor air quality
• How carpet can mitigate slips & falls
• How to easily maintain carpet to create healthier indoor environments

We hope to illuminate the important wellness benefits that come from specifying  carpet with branded nylon like Zeftron for safety purposes, as well as the creative opportunities carpet offers designers to create truly impactful environments in this new decade of evolving design.

With this eBook, we’d also like to invite you into the conversations we are having regarding  health and wellness within commercial interior spaces. Our growing community of designers, facility managers and carpet mill professionals are sharing their thoughts and best practice ideas for how to adapt to this changing marketplace. So, please join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, or join our email list. 

Together, we can work towards solutions that truly benefit users and usher in a new era of healthy and sustainable design.

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