THE Campaign for Wool (CFW) came together with the Wool Carpet Focus Group (WCFG) for the 2022 edition of The Flooring Show in Harrogate, which this year highlighted ‘Why wool Carpet Matters’.
The wider message adopted by Campaign for Wool this year is ‘Why Wool Matters’, an important theme as the world battles with climate change and issues around over-consumption, emissions, and non-biodegradable waste. This was tailored to ‘Why Wool Carpet Matters’ for this edition of The Flooring Show, where wool’s natural properties were be showcased alongside the latest colour trends, patterns, and textures.
Wool is widely recognised as one of the world’s most sustainable and versatile fibres and as relevant to the very fabric of society today as it’s ever been. Its application in home interiors has never been more appropriate, significantly at a time when energy costs are rising and the demand for creating healthier homes continues to grow.
Celebrating its 60th year, The Flooring Show is the UK’s largest flooring show, where thousands of retailers, contractors, distributors, fitters, designers, and developers attend every year as the industry meets, connects and does business.
The very latest carpet and rug designs were selected from members of the Wool Carpet Focus Group and are brought together as part of an inspirational trend-led presentation by Joanna Ramsden of JR Studio.
Peter Ackroyd, COO for the Campaign for Wool says: ‘In a post-pandemic world, the correlation between our emotional, physical, mental, and environmental health has never been greater.
Homes now need to act on many more levels, from sanctuaries that help us relax, flexible home offices to family entertainment and pet-friendly zones. Businesses also need to think about the wellbeing of their employees, and hospitality spaces will need to become places to escape, unwind, and de-stress.’
Emerging flooring trends for autumn/winter 2022 as identified by Campaign for Wool include:
- Floorcoverings ‘look good’ but ‘feel better’; carpets and rugs that are soft underfoot help us relax. Soft tactility is vital to our wellbeing and enhanced by nature-inspired colours and patterns.
- Wellness at Home – wool floorcoverings absorb and lock away pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.
- Small space living in urban areas is increasing, and acoustic noise levels are rising. Carpet squares/carpets with bound edges offer consumers flexible and changeable options, ideal if renting to move from home to home while helping manage acoustic levels. This means no fitting is required, offering added value for those on a budget.
- ‘On demand’ interiors – with the rise of Internet shopping, expectations have risen about turnaround/delivery times. British manufacturers can offer quick delivery on bespoke orders (stockholding/plant capacity, quality control).
- Consumers are actively searching for products with provenance and those that offer socio-economic benefits as we endeavour to foster positive feelings by buying environmentally better products. Flooring brands are creating special QR codes that allow customers to follow the backstories, linking manufacture and wool sources, with references to the natural benefits of using British and New Zealand wool in flooring for enhanced performance and durability.
- As dog ownership rose during the pandemic, easy-clean products are in high demand. Wool naturally repels dirt and is easy to clean without using harmful chemicals, water and a mild detergent is all that is required.
- Personalisation – as the home becomes ever more important as a combined living and workspace, homes are being refreshed with design-led and bespoke flooring options that allow consumers to create unique schemes and zones.
- Wool has many positive benefits when used in carpets and upholstery, including:
- As wool is high in water and nitrogen content, it’s also naturally flame-retardant, and when subject to extreme heat it doesn’t ignite and therefore it produces less smoke without the toxic fumes associated with man-made fibres.
- Wool is one of the best materials for sound insulation as it can dampen or absorb high and low frequency sounds.
- Floorcoverings can be used to help mitigate changes in indoor air humidity and improve air quality.
