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There’s a reason why carpet tiles can be a superior alternative to the broadloom carpet: they are very practical. They’re easy to install, saving both time and money, less wasteful and easy to maintain. But there’s another reason coming into play. Carpet tiles design is very quickly catching up with its broadloom cousin, offering shapes, colours and patterns for creating stunning environments. Let’s take a closer look at some of these designs.
It used to be that carpet tiles were cheap squares of low-quality carpet that were only available in a few standard colours. Technological advancements, however, have changed all that. A modern carpet tile collection can now contain as many as eight shapes, 19 different qualities of tile and 400 different colours.
Learn more: “What are Carpet Tiles and When Should You Use Them?”
Such diversity affords endless possibilities for creative freedom. Shapes such as squares, planks, waves, hexagons, kites and curves can be powerfully contrasted with colours to make bold statements or mixed with different tile materials in the same colour tones to create more refined ambiences.
It's no surprise, then, that the current super trend of geometric patterns in floor surfacing is also finding its way into carpet tiles design. Witness the growing popularity of geometric carpet tiles design inspired by 1920s modernist shapes such as triangles, circles, rectangles, cubes and cylinders.
More carpet trends: "Optical Illusions, Geometry and Dark Ambient”.
The plank carpet tile illustrates the new opportunities in carpet tiles design. The rectangular plank is an evolution of the regular and traditional square carpet tile. The attraction of both, of course, is that they mimic the look of broadloom in their monolithic versions. But if you want to experiment with different spatial options, then the flexibility of having both helps create fresh and exciting carpet designs, no matter the size combination you use.
In fact, the plank and the square tile can work beautifully together to achieve unique and stunning flooring designs. For example, square tiles of 48x48 cm and 96x96 cm and rectangular 24x96 cm planks can all be combined to great effect. Or choose a quarter turn installment, a different pattern and pile direction and you have a completely new expression.
The great advantage of the diversity in carpet tiles design is the way in which it can facilitate better spatial design. Carpet tiles can be installed in numerous configurations to create different effects, joining indoor spaces with the people they are designed to serve. A mixture of sizes, colours, patterns and even collections, can indicate quiet or activity zones, meeting points and even promote social distancing, for example.
Start your design journey by exploring some of our fantastic colours ranging from neutral colours like grey, black, brown, beige or white to more striking colours like blue, green, red, purple or yellow.
The modularity of carpet tiles give architects and interior designers a highly creative tool that can be used to striking effect, particularly in commercial and institutional projects.
One such project was the new meeting space at the Chalmers University of Technology, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Using a combination of six different tile patterns, it was designed so that different tile designs mark zones with different characteristics:
This floor space illustrates beautifully how carpet tiles design can be used for spatial effect.
Customised carpets used to be the preserve of broadloom carpet. But with emerging technologies, it’s now even possible to customise your own carpet tiles design. Customised carpet tiles allow you to use your own patterns - such as a logo, identity, location or design - to tell your unique story, while taking advantage of the flexibility of a carpet tile.
Just one word of caution, though: small-patterned all-over custom designed carpet tiles work well because they conceal joins and create the impression of one large surface. Large patterns that must match up across tiles do not, as they can’t be reproduced in tile installation.
Carpet tiles design has come a long way from its original and limited version. It is proving to be an increasingly attractive option for those looking for diverse and creative possibilities in design, but who also seek the versatility that carpet tiles offer over broadloom carpets. The best of both types of carpet are now available in carpet tiles to create completely one-off, original flooring.
