Flooring features and fields: observations on floor design from Amtico

A floor design can often nudge human behaviours in a public or work space - drawing the eye or focusing movement without even using a dividing wall or partition.

Floors are often specified for their acoustic dampening performance or slip resistance, but increasingly we notice spatial designers and Architects want to use the floor as a surface to introduce pattern, features of interest and colour, without the need for a wall. These draw the eye, focus movement and offer an interior's design a further level of interest.

Fields and Features

A field of flooring can be as ubiquitous as a ceiling of panel lighting – uniformly laid tiles fill floors the world over, however, adding a feature into the floor is brilliant for decorative design; spaces where people crave a change of mood or privacy across an open-plan workspace for instance.

Go bold or comfortable, or both

Changes in floors are mood enhancers – impact creators. Bold pattern can relay an intentional feeling. Or, when spaces are more homely and hospitality focused, a simple swap from plain fields of floor to a patterned area, can be elegant and distinctive.

Dividing space without thresholds

Sometimes it's possible to indicate a change of use in a space by a change in flooring without threshold strips, furniture or interior partitioning. Using level materials like a Loose Lay LVT and Carpet Tile which are designed to install without thresholds can be a good solution. Alternatively, when one material is proud of the other, straightforward sub-floor chamfering can level out the division line.

Integrating two tones in one product design using a laying pattern works for a simple yet modern spatial change technique.

Fully patterned floors

Of course we're biased but when a whole room is dedicated to an individual activity, consider handing it over to pattern. We fully advocate the use of a laying pattern to bring drama and gravitas to a private office or boutique space.