Desso has been designing and manufacturing carpet for almost 80 years. The company has factories in Europe and its products can be found in commercial and public buildings worldwide. Patricia Beks from Desso looks at how the design of interior spaces is changing, from the floor upwards.
It’s the world’s greatest resource. Light: more than one of life’s building blocks, it is the foundation stone on which all life depends.
It’s also a fundamental component in architecture and interior design, because light gives colour and texture, shadow and perspective – providing the visual contexts within which buildings are set, and where interior spaces can function to best effect – whether in the intimacy of a candle-lit restaurant or the clinical efficiency of an operating theatre.
Creating those synergies between aesthetics and functionality, themselves governed by space and light, have illuminated architecture since Roman times, when the guiding principles of architecture were first recorded.
At Desso, we understand from long experience the design process and how the dynamics of space and light can create functional buildings that look good on the outside and work well on the inside, enhancing learning or productivity, or inspiring thought and creativity.
In the new architecture of the 21st century, we also understand how the built environment has to work well at a human level, in physical spaces that are stimulating and yet engage with people’s basic human needs, allowing for privacy, contemplation, relaxation and interaction – interiors that, quite simply, allow for ordinary human activity.
Creating interior architecture on a human scale is a relatively new design concept, driven by new building materials that allow for greater expanses of glass, new technologies that have transformed interior layouts, and a new psychological ethos that puts more emphasis on high-quality and sustainable working environments.
Until recently, interior design was predominantly about use design. It was largely about function: about square footage and the costs of office furniture. Increasingly, designers are – either formally or informally - using research methods to find out how people really use space and what they want from that space - particularly in high-stress locations such as schools, hospitals and residential care homes. Increasingly, it’s now about user design.
It’s a changed set of priorities, putting people at the centre of the design process, and building interior spaces around the needs of the individual rather than simply the functions they have to perform. It’s a process that recognises that all of us operate best in environments that connect with our instincts – inspiring us to learn better, be more productive, and happier.
We have reflected that changed approach in interior design in our new carpet ranges, and have added a new word to the design lexicon: Carpetecture. It’s a bold word that gives voice to our belief that good design should be about a building’s entire interior space – ceilings, walls and floors.
Our belief is that flooring should be integral to the design process, because it’s also integral to spatial perceptions and to fulfilling the overall design vision. In Carpetecture, the floor is part of the architectural experience, creating balance, warmth and a sense of unity between all its varied components.
The concepts enshrined in Carpetecture were initially inspired by the repeated strata and parallel lines that run through buildings – the horizontal ceilings, repeated brick patterns, the vertical corners, even the individuals steps on a staircase – all working together in patterns that we are understand and are familiar with.
However, we have taken the design process further, taking inspiration also from the linear and organised structure of buildings, but integrating it with the natural environment – a design echo to instinctually link a building’s hard contours with softer shades from the world outside, and all expressed through nuances of light and shade.
We have also carefully documented how we arrived at each design, and are able therefore to give customers an analysis of each carpet’s design heritage and the emotive reaction it is intended to achieve – giving them a new perspective from which to make choices and decisions.
Carpetecture is about recognising the importance of carpet as a design tool, using colour, pattern and texture to create identities for each area within a building - and which influence how people respond to their environment.
Carpetecture brings together a range of carpets and tiles in over 100 colour palettes, from subtle to vibrant, and together representing an evolving philosophy of carpet design that puts people first and which, through light, colour and texture brings architectural vision to life.
