Donna Hannaway discusses how carpet tiles meet the functional requirements of an office as well as the aesthetic needs.

MODERN commercial design has seen office spaces go from dull and drab cubicles to open and inspiring places that promote productivity and collaboration. As a result, many flooring contractors are under pressure to find solutions that meet the functional requirements of an office, and the aesthetic needs too.

Here, I’ll discuss how carpet tiles are ideal to tick both boxes.

Research has shown that good office design can improve employee productivity by as much as 20%1 . Taking this one step further and there is an increasing emphasis on the ‘homeification’ of offices, turning workspaces into a home away from home. As a result, it’s key contractors understand the options available to them on the market and what their customers are looking for in their specifications to cater to these trends.

Improving the design of an office can start from the ground up, with the chosen flooring solutions having a real impact on the way a space is perceived by employees. For this, carpet tiles have generally been the go-to specification, combining comfort, functionality and design into an easy-to-install package.

This popularity shows no signs of diminishing, with modern carpet tile collections able to cater to the changing needs of office spaces.

First and foremost, offices need to be comfortable for employees, with carpet tiles ideal for this task. Offering good underfoot comfort, carpet tiles provide a warm finish to any space, creating a welcoming appearance for employees. The other benefit to this is that, thanks to their textile pile construction, carpet tiles are ideal for reducing impact sound. This can help to create quieter, more productive spaces, ensuring less distractions for employees.

Another priority to consider is collaboration, with many office designers opting for open plan layouts, allowing employees to easily converse with one another and share ideas. To help structure these layouts, flooring is often used to separate a space into clearly defined ‘zones’ – whether that be creative breakout spaces, focused work areas or relaxed break rooms. To support this, contractors should look for carpet tile collections that offer a range of complementary designs and that can be installed alongside other flooring types, such as luxury vinyl tiles (LVT).

A great example of this is Forbo’s Tessera Union collection. Designed, made and stocked in the UK, Tessera Union features three tonally linked but distinctly different ranges – Tessera Infused, Tessera Accord and Tessera Harmony – each containing 12 contemporary colourways. This allows for different aesthetics and shades from the same range to be used for each zone within an office, resulting in the easy creation of contemporary integrated flooring schemes.

Additionally, the Tessera Union Collection can be combined with Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT planks and tiles, without the need for transition strips, additional profiles, or inconvenient build-up of the subfloor. It can also be used alongside Forbo’s other Tessera ranges, such as Chroma and Layout.

To find out more about Forbo’s Tessera Union carpet tile collection, visit:
www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/tesseraunion
Donna Hannaway is head of marketing UK and Ireland from Forbo Flooring Systems