Let’s face it, the name of the game is to create products that consumers want to buy, period. Every investment made, whether to enhance the floor’s performance or to make it look and feel better is all about attracting the in-market customer, engaging them and making the sale.
Sounds simple but for flooring, which is the foundation of every home, it is more complicated. First, depending on the flooring type, it may only be changed or updated every seven or more years. So while you can buy that new style of shoe and easily replace it a year later when trends change, it isn’t practical for larger purchases such as flooring or other “permanent” building items such as cabinets and countertops.
Still, as the foundation of the home, flooring needs to set the style. And while it isn’t replaced yearly, it is core to reflecting a homeowner’s style — from the type of flooring they choose to the color, pattern and texture.
Carpet doesn’t need to be beige. In fact, when we met with The Dixie Group (TDG) late last month, TM Nuckols revealed that in conjunction with Fabrica’s upcoming 50th Anniversary, a new color line of “inspired design” will be launched celebrating its history of color and value. “Quality without compromise,” shared TDG’s Jared Coffin.
Shaw is getting set to launch an entire campaign around the beauty of carpet that, according to Annie Cowart, “is not the sea of sameness but bringing in color, texture and patterns. It’s about making the floor fun.” We look forward to telling that story soon!
Carpet style and design can be achieved through techniques and dyeing processes and the fibers used. That is something that has come into play with our cover feature on Mohawk’s Karastan. The brand has a long history of being an upper-end fashion carpet collection. But over the last several years, while staying on-brand, it has transformed — evolving to include hard surface and building diversity in fibers and bringing on Godfrey Hirst as well.
It’s a great story of an intentional move to elevate and differentiate the brand in the marketplace. Standing for style and quality, it also comes to market with a lot of heart and that is found in the leadership of Jason Randolph. His integrity, passion and kindness rings throughout today’s Karastan story.
Similar to Karastan’s limited distribution, Benjamin Moore paints are only sold through independent retailers leaning into a shop local strategy, something that has helped the 140-year-old brand succeed. Decisions on paint and flooring selections go hand-in-hand.
Yvonne Humphreys, director of brand marketing at Benjamin Moore, told FCW, “Consumers are often making home design decisions for different areas at once, particularly when it comes to color — such as considering flooring colors when choosing paint or other furnishings — and having various materials available to them in one place while they are in a purchasing mindset is helpful for both the consumer and the retailer.”
Indeed, there is a smart movement for flooring retailers to expand their assortments to include adjacent products such as paint. After all, when a consumer is renovating a space, they look from floor to walls to create just the right look.
We recently renovated our family room starting with new carpet purchased at Katz Carpet One a year or so ago. Flooring was first and foundational. It set the tone for the vision we had for the room and its use.
We finally found the furniture we wanted to create a cozy movie and football watching family room and purchased a new wall mounted TV. I added new throws, glassware and candle holders — everything to make it super comfortable and inviting. Now, we are working with a painter and selecting paint colors to complete the job. Seeing it all come together has been rewarding — and enjoyable!
We talk so much about lifestyles and the performance demands that go with them. But let’s not forget the aesthetic that shapes so much of what happens in a room and how people feel when they are in it.
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