Flooring brand Forbo has revealed how its floor covering acts as a clean canvas for designers to print on, as shown in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.
Called Flotex, the flooring product is flocked using nylon 6.6 fibres, which are hard-wearing and resilient, and can be used across a variety of environments.
According to James Holmes, head of design for Forbo’s textile business unit, the material is unique because it is flocked instead of being woven or tufted – a process that makes it particularly suitable for printing.
“When you print on it, it just lends itself to any manner of imagery because of the level of detail you can capture,” Holmes said.
He added that the densely packed fibres allow for almost the same resolution and print quality as on paper or vinyl.
“From a designer’s perspective, Flotex is an amazing substrate,” he continued. “It’s like a blank canvas.”
Holmes explained that Forbo completes a trend report every two years, which informs its Flotex designs.
“[The trend report] is where we capture things that we feel are important for interior design moving forward,” he explained.
“Using the trend report as a basis, we create some capsule collections.”
This year, the collection is informed by nature and biophilic design and is called the ‘Natural World’ collection. Flotex senior designer Sophie Beddington describes why Forbo selected this theme for the collection.
“Nature and biophilic design is something that continues to trend,” Beddington explained.
“I think we’re all wanting to feel the outside and bring that outside in and have the feeling of nature around us.”
“We really try and communicate the essence of that trend in a distilled form that is instantly recognisable,” added Holmes.
The brand has debuted its 2025 trend report on its website. To find out more about Forbo’s Flotex flooring, visit the company’s website.
The photography is by Forbo.
Partnership content
This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Forbo. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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