Design freedom with Flotex FR
An interview with Jason Holmes
TRANSPRESS
Jason Holmes, Head of Design Textiles for Forbo Flooring Systems, sat down to discuss design trends within the Marine segment and why Flotex FR lends itself very well to the segment due to the design freedom it offers.
What inspires you when creating new designs for the marine segment?
My main inspiration comes from the global hospitality and leisure segment. It is a segment that is very trend focused so can change quite quickly. Trade shows, trend reports and publications are also a good source of information.
Are there any clear design & colour trends in 2022?
There are no specific design trends as trends have become far more open and varied, relating to different market segments and different geographical regions. We are seeing a growth in biometric design and the influence of nature on design, the concept of bringing the outside in seems to be very strong. For certain application area types, there is also the influence of wellbeing in interior design trends, with colours being more tranquil, designed to create a more calm and peaceful effect.
What are the key factors to be considered when designing for marine applications?
• Type of vessel – a cruise ship is floating leisure and hospitality, onboard there is everything from a ballroom, cafe, children's play area and so on, all these areas require a different interior design scheme.
• Passenger flow - you want to create a subtle hint of a direction of walking, designs can be used as a subtle way of wayfinding or ushering just by the direction of pattern or the way it is installed.
• Very conscious that the design must be fit for the purpose, fit for the person that is going to be using the space. The scale of pattern, and use of colour can be a consideration.
• Cruise ships and ferries tend to be well designed, the spaces are very functional, usage of spaces are very well thought out, so designing products to fit in them is quite straightforward.
Why do we have more design freedom working with Flotex FR than with a tufted carpet?
Flotex FR is a substrate which is very generic in terms of application for design, the flocked surface is very dense and as a result, lends itself very well to the printing process. With digital printing, you can pretty much print anything onto the substrate and it will look good. You can range from photographic designs as you will expect to see on a painting or canvas, to replications of any design technique or surface.
You can get wonderful effects of detail and texture that you couldn’t do with a tufted or a woven process because you're limited to the yarn itself creating the pattern. Whereas with Flotex FR digital printing not only could we stimulate that but we could add a lot more detail, create a lot more textural elements and depth that you wouldn’t get from yarn constructed carpets. For example, wood textures, stone, concrete and everything else in between.
How has the digital print technology / quality developed in recent years?
Definition has changed, it can now be finer than it was. Colour space has improved, in terms of some of the limitations of depth of yellow, reds, blues etc. However, the main thing is the performance regarding light fastness and wash fastness that have improved and are now much better than many tufted yarn-based products. The penetration of the dye into the fibre means that it has very long life with no issues in terms of wearability.
Flotex FR
Flotex FR is a unique, textile flocked floor covering, combining the cleaning properties and durability of resilient flooring with the comfort and slip resistance and acoustic properties usually associated with textiles.
Flotex is IMO tested and approved and wheelmarked in accordance with the Maritime Equipment Directive (MED).
Design Inspiration
Our high definition printing technology allows for large scale pattern repeats and vivid lifelike colours. This creates a new dimension for Flotex FR and provides ultimate design flexibility for marine environments.
With over 500 existing references to choose from, plus the option to re-colour several designs, Flotex vision FR is best viewed on our digital library for the latest up-to-date collections
Design Freedom
Create your own Flotex FR masterpiece using our bespoke design service alongside our high definition printing technology. Our experienced designers can help at any stage in the process, depending on what involvement you may require.
