Products from Forbo Flooring Systems’ Westbond and Tessera carpet tile ranges have helped bring the refurbishment of an old mill in Leeds to life.
Created as a base for leading media buying agency MediaCom, the vivid interior design incorporates Forbo’s new Tessera Circulate – a perfect reflection of the client’s forward thinking brand.
Set in an up and coming corner of the city, the mill has undergone extensive regeneration to create a hub for media businesses. For MediaCom, the interior brief was clear: the space must create a lively and inspiring place to work, with the design conveying the personality and values of the business.
Atul Bansal, Design Partner and founder of Sheila Bird Group was commissioned to design the scheme and having used Forbo’s products for more than 25 years, he was quick to see the potential of the new Tessera design. Boldly contrasting sharp geometric lines with organic curves, Tessera Circulate is a random lay batchless carpet tile that is perfect for all sizes of commercial installations. Comprising tonal blocks of colour intersected by concentric circles, it creates a refreshing and unexpected aesthetic as the circles randomly connect across the floor.
Atul specified 350m2 of Tessera Circulate in the Turbine colourway, a sophisticated mixture of black and grey, as the main component of the flooring design – installing it in the main working and circulation areas of the open plan offices. Contrasting this, Atul specified 100m2 of Westbond Colour tiles in Douglas Pink, Graphite and Prune colourways, for the conference rooms and breakout spaces.
Westbond carpet tiles are premium quality fusion bonded tiles in which the yarn is fixed directly onto the backing material, resulting in an extremely dense and luxurious product. Each tuft is individual, providing a rich velour finish with a beautiful broadloom appearance. What’s more, Westbond Colour is available in an overwhelming choice of 144 selected shades, as well as offering a custom colour service to perfectly match any bespoke client specification.
Colour and pattern played a vital role in the MediaCom interior design, as Atul explains: “It was really important that we brought the space to life and the carpet tiles from Forbo were the anchor around which we based the rest of the colours and textures within the scheme. MediaCom has a vibrant brand personality so it was essential that this was translated into the design – and like all personalities, we wanted to convey that it has multiple layers.
“The Tessera Circulate tiles instantly grabbed me with their contemporary aesthetic, and in this design they reflect the vibrant, fast-paced and youthful side of the business. Similarly, the Westbond Colour tiles in Graphite represent the mature side of the brand and its long history, while the vivid pink tiles reflect the company’s sense of humour and echo the tones used in its literature and online presence.”
Throughout the design, contrasts in colour and pattern create visual markers to highlight activity zones such as workstations, meeting areas and chill out spaces. As modular floor coverings, the carpet tiles lend themselves perfectly to this sort of application, as well as mixing easily with other materials depending on the performance requirements of each area. For example, Atul also specified 15m2 of Forbo’s Eternal Contrast in Mercury, in the kitchen areas to provide a finish that could copy easily with any spills or splashes.
“We’ve worked with Forbo for many years and one of the key reasons for this is the breadth of choice available from one supplier,” comments Atul. “This unique solution includes a huge collection of colours and textures, catering for our needs in every application area whilst delivering the price advantages of sourcing everything from one place.”
Providing variety, choice and flexibility, Forbo’s range of modular products makes it easier to mix and match multiple sizes, styles and formats of tiles. The portfolio is colour coordinated across the product ranges including vinyl, linoleum, carpet tiles, Flotex and entrance systems, offering complete design freedom for multiple application areas within one project.
Simon Price, Director of MediaCom, commented: “We are extremely pleased with our new offices and the floor coverings from Forbo have certainly contributed to the lively, creative atmosphere. The colours and patterns are a great reflection of MediaCom’s brand values and have really helped transform the space.”
