Beautiful colourful floors

The era of personalisation is upon us. Brightly coloured rugs and carpets resembling works of art are becoming key design elements in interior decoration. We put the focus on currently trending floor colours.

We can already create our own paint colours, design panoramic murals from our holiday snaps and we've been able to upholster sofas in the fabric of our choice for years; today, exclusive and original designs are adding value to our homes. But why not design a truly original floor covering? You can already commission made-to-measure carpets and rugs choosing the pattern, finish and size. In fact, made-to-measure rugs and carpets are nothing new among buyers, architects and interior designers especially in hotels. So why not in your own home? Rugs come in a range of styles and effects (stripes, geometric shapes, intricate colour shadings, arty compositions, etc.) and the fashion for high impact floors shows no signs of abating!

A world of fantasy beneath our feet!

A good example are the designs by interior decorator François Champsaur in the Hôtel du Ministère (Paris 8th arrondissement), which use highly coloured graphic forms on the floor reminiscent of the designs of the 1950s. Or in the Hôtel Vernet (Paris 8th arrondissement) where the designer, a passionate collector of contemporary art, creates a dialogue between the artworks and the floor and ceiling. Here, the design approach echoes the building's classical architecture. The subtle shift consists of adding rhythm through the use of colour and abstract forms on the floor to add modernity but without marring the classical elegance of the building. Here, the carpet designed by Jean-Michel Alberola echoes the fresco painted on the ceiling. An approach also adopted by the architect Jean-Philippe Nuel in the renovated Palais de Justice in Nantes, which now houses the Radisson Blu hotel.

Hall de l'hotel Radisson Blu © Christophe Dugied

When carpets inspire design

To inspire us, the colour forecasters Global Colour Research & Antron® carpet fibre by INVISTA™ have joined forces to come up with new colour palettes. Their 2014/15 colour palettes are a source of inspiration for carpet manufacturers, architects and designers alike. Their four colour themes entitled - Mysterious Illusions, Eccentric Icons, Glorious Nature and Playful Spectrum - are helping designers find new ways of incorporating the floor into a comprehensive design project.

Mysterious Illusions

Playful Spectrum

Glorious Nature

Eccentric Icons

Our advice!

If you want to give your floor a strong graphic identity then make sure that the walls are relatively plain or you risk overwhelming the room. Use neutral tones on walls to achieve harmony and balance. Pick up tones from your floor and reflect them in accessories but don't go overboard; the idea is to make your floor the star of your decor. A beautiful rug can act as a stand-alone piece of artwork or complement existing artwork.