II was given autonomy to spend time for design research in Lancaster County, known for its high concentration of Senior Living facilities, including Willow Valley Communities, my former employer through CCS Building Group when I served as their Design Studio Director.
Local Tarkett Rep Michael S. Albert and I spent time with great design firms who work on projects across the country, including RLPS Architects who gave us more time and meetings when I came home from Dalton, GA during the holidays.
The objective of the collection was to have four patterns each for carpet tile and, instead of traditional Broadloom, develop pattern repeat and structure parameters for the new Colorpoint on Powerbond structure.
The concept story was to translate familiar and cross-culture textile pattern motifs and symbols with various layers of distress and texture that transport from space to space.
The industry titan designer Brian M Wilson took on the pattern development for the collection. He executed several options of grand scale in the old world inspired by carpets found along the Silk Road to organic texture and soft movement abiding with subtle pauses of detail and beauty.
The color palette needed light and mid-range neutrals that balanced both warm and cool tones without going to red or yellow, something just pretty, a dark to cover a multitude of sins, brighten and crisp that blue, a contemporary rust that may need to live nearby a legacy burgundy spaces not yet renovated and introduce a new green that carries a sense of grounding and encourages ease of familiarity to a new space.
Short on time but quick on my color expertise to execute, Dione Atkins and I organized a system for sample entry, which allowed me to hyper-focus on the painting of color with yarn by barber pole pairing. The standard palette quickly came together with so many beautiful options, although negotiations had to be made over the surprising aqua blue versus a lavender ode to all my Swifties.
Kate Thompson and I sat side by side one long afternoon and banged out the room scene styling choices and products and patterns to showcase the best aspirational images. The Marketing Team continues to elevate aesthetic excellence in step with the gorgeous floor offerings for all types of spaces.