We looked at how nature designs floors; be that leaves on a forest floor or pebbles on a beach. Not only are these made up of unique individual modular pieces, but they're mobile and flexible as the components are constantly being moved around.
And it's this randomness we wanted to replicate in our carpet tiles.
Learning from nature
We combined the characteristics of nature with our tufting technology to produce totally random tiles, each slightly different in pattern and colour.
As there's no repeat pattern to worry about you don't have to install tiles in the same direction, and if an individual tile or area of tiles is damaged, they can be replaced with new ones without disturbing the overall look of the floor.
Random tiles can also reduce waste with off-cuts being used to fill in any perimeter area. This has always been possible with traditional carpet tiles, but with random products you don't have to find the correct piece of the pattern, in the correct size and direction.
Benefits of random tiles and non-directional installations
- Increased flexibility
- Quick to install
- Less waste
- Longer life cycle
- Easy to maintain and repair
Examples of biomimicry influencing industrial design
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A Swiss inventor noticed seed burrs hooking to his dog's coat, an observation that inspired the Velcro fastening system
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Swimmers at the 2000 Olympics wore all-in-one body suits to mimic the streamlined ability of a shark through water. The fabric copied the way a shark's skin cells adjust to allow water to flow over them
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Humans have split toes to help us balance and wearing shoes takes away the balance nature gave us. Nike developed shoes that split the toes off to help give enhanced balance and agility
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Termite mounds exist in climates between 30 and 100+ degrees, but due to the complex natural method of hot and cold air circulation and ventilation, the core remains at a constant 87 degrees. This has inspired the design of many buildings that use these tested methods to naturally heat and cool them