As the luxury vinyl tile (LVT) market continues to grow across all sectors, demand dictates that new products push the boundaries of manufacturing capabilities and design, to offer collections that are even more authentic and which reflect current trends.
Forbo Flooring Systems has responded to this with a cutting edge collection that captures the very essence of LVT design.
The ALLURA brand represents best quality on all levels, with European manufacturing advances opening up a wealth of possibilities to deliver bigger XL sizes and formats, new embossed finishes and creative colours; from reclaimed and vintage woods with paint effects to bright linear abstract designs, ideal for mixing and matching with new textured tiles.
In response to the demand for more open and bright spaces within the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors, clients will notice a move away from dark and tropical wood types to much lighter hues. This subtle natural-look provides the perfect backdrop in any large open space for an injection of colour, via deep and rich supporting shades or colour pops from furniture and soft furnishings in bar, lounge and restaurant areas.
Likewise, the concept of bigger tile and plank shapes and sizes, along with the introduction of large scale designs help to unwrap and open up spaces - a real stand out feature for the LVT market. The new Allura collection sees planks reach lengths of up to 1.5m as advances in production techniques deliver vastly reduced pattern repeats, conveying an overall natural effect with excellent dimensional stability. This works particularly well in sizeable areas such as hotel lobbies and large retail stores, where an understated but effective design is required to create a welcoming atmosphere, where customers will want to spend time.
The combination of vertical and horizontal specialist embossing to create a “sawn” effect, and beveled edging, with lighter, softer wood shades comprise the Authentic Wood section, where visualization of realistic raw wood effects and intricate detail is taken to a new level. Meanwhile, the hugely fashionable, painted vintage and reclaimed wood finishes make the Modern Woods an altogether trendsetting selection.
Of particular note is the Abstract range with its alluring textile effects and pure colour printing capabilities. Unique highlights feature striking horizontal and vertical stripe options that are digitally printed, while the textured finish tiles create a tactile 3-dimensional design.
Lighter limestone has been added to the Stone range, in large tile formats of 75 x 50cm, while the solid colour wearlayer on the black slate design produces an intensely deep and strong shade of black never seen before. Indeed, the entire Allura collection benefits from the introduction of a clearer wearlayer that produces design clarity unlike any other.
Julie Dempster, Marketing Manager at Forbo Flooring Systems, comments: “Based wholly around key trends and in response to market demands Allura provides specifiers and end users alike with an all-together balanced collection, where elements can be used individually, or as part of a modular format to create a bespoke flooring concept.”
Indeed, with the demand for LVT set to rise, particularly in the office sector where demand is forecast to grow by over 500,000m2 by 2016*, Allura provides the opportunity to creatively mix and match, working alongside Forbo’s Tessera Carpet tiles for maximum design flexibility and impact.
Forbo’s vision of creating better environments is certainly prevalent in the Allura collection. Sustainable as it is stylish, every product in the collection is produced in Europe using 100 per cent electricity from renewable sources, with each component meeting REACH compliance. Allura now contains up to 30 per cent of controlled recycled waste in its backing layer and thanks to the introduction of new technology, such as ultrasonic cutting directly from the roll, Forbo has reduced trim waste to less than 5 per cent - significantly less than traditional press cutting methods.
