“You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince.”  Can the same be said about selecting a carpet? After scrutinizing over three dozen samples for our own office renovation we think the answer is YES. But it was worth it, and oh what a handsome prince we found!

Because there are literally millions of carpets to choose from, we came up with a list of “design dealbreakers” – a set of can’t-live-without criteria for weeding out the unworthy frogs. Since perhaps we are a bit more obsessed than the average office dwellers about these choices, we thought we’d share so that you don’t have to live in a carpet sample room when you are choosing.

#1 Health – Besides acoustical value and having something soft underfoot, carpet can help trap allergens and improve air quality or they can degrade it. New carpet installations often emit toxic chemicals, released in a nasty process called off-gassing. To ensure the health of our office inhabitants, we made sure that the carpet itself was CRI certified Green Label, and the adhesives were low in VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound). http://www.carpet-rug.org/commercial-customers/green-building-and-the-environment/green-label-plus/index.cfm

#2 Life Cycle Assessment – It was important for us to know where our carpet came from and where it would go in the future. Is it made from raw or recycled content? How much energy is required to manufacture and transport the carpet to site? Is it recyclable or will it end up in a landfill?  For us, durability and sustainability were paramount. http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/std/lca/lca.html

#3 Cost & Installation – Budget and schedule are important in any project, and our renovation is no exception. Working directly with suppliers and installers helped us to make this process run as smoothly as possible.

Once we narrowed down a list of suitors, we had a beauty pageant of sorts, comparing the aesthetics of each option. Since tall, dark and handsome didn’t really apply, we looked for options that complemented our Studio G brand and signature  color, as well as the character of our physical office space. Pattern, scale and texture were also important.

The Result: Hello, InterfaceFlor’s Alliteration!  Lively linear stripes of pale blue and bold green caught our eye, while a holistic zero emissions policy melted our hearts. And because of InterfaceFlor’s unique manufacturing process, no two tiles are alike, ensuring a one-of-a-kind look.

For more information about InterfaceFlor visit: https://www.interfaceflor.com/