search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
    • Breaking Flooring News
    • eNewsletters
  • PRODUCTS
    • Carpet & Area Rugs
    • Hardwood
    • Installation Products
    • Installation Tools & Equipment
    • Laminate
    • Resilient
    • Specialty
    • Tile & Stone
  • A&D
  • INSTALLATION
  • MARKETS
    • Commercial
    • Residential
  • AWARDS
    • Installation Awards
    • Top Flooring Products
  • EDUCATION
    • Continuing Education
    • Webinars
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MEDIA
    • FLOOR Podcast
    • Videos
    • TISE 2025 Videos
    • Product Spotlights
    • eBooks
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Commercial Market Seeing a Surge in Eco-Friendly Interiors

By Michael Chmielecki
June 11, 2004
J. Robert Bazemore's design for Brayton International's High Point, N.C., front desk incorporates 12-by-12-inch cork tile with a factory-applied finish. A sisal rug offsets the waiting area.


This installation at Storck USA's Chicago offices uses Atlas Carpet Mills carpet to offset the industrial loft space.
Recyclable materials, green products and sustainable floors have become the watchwords for most commercial interiors. With the U.S. Green Building Council and its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification paving the way -- and with manufacturers making green products more readily available and cost effective -- commercial design firms are champing at the bit to incorporate environmentally friendly floors in their interior designs and, by extension, bring them into their clients' workplaces.

"It seems LEED is taking the lead on everything," says J. Robert Bazemore, owner of the Charlotte, N.C.-based design firm J. Robert Bazemore Inc. "There's a lot of conversation about the environment and how flooring is impacting it. Consumers and end users are becoming more savvy about it."

The hallway for Brayton International's offices, designed by J. Robert Bazemore, uses Bentley Prince Street modular carpet tile over a raised floor.
Bazemore says part of the reason that sustainability is getting more play these days is because manufacturers have brought down their costs on sustainable products, and that much of the available flooring options offer aesthetic value as well as environmental sustainability.

"You want stuff that is performance based but also aesthetically pleasing," Bazemore says. "I'm seeing a move toward a modular look, with larger-scale carpet tiles, more unique patterns, random striking, and random grids."

Aside from the popularity of carpet tile (and that other commercial mainstay, stained concrete), Bazemore is seeing a surge of interest in environmentally low-impact floors such as bamboo, cork and linoleum.

"Bamboo is just white hot right now," he says. "Cork, as well, is just a beautiful material. It ages really well."

OWP/P was able to save some of the original wood floors from the historic Daniel Burnham building for its own Chicago offices.
Not all clients have felt the urge to go green. Tom Zurowski, principal for Eastlake Studio in Chicago, says that his firm still has to bring the green issue to the table for most of its clients, but some of them are starting to see the long-term value in going green.

"In doing corporate interiors, I see a lot of discarded carpet and drywall. The landfill quantities are pretty scary. I can't imagine how that's affecting landfills these days," Zurowski says.

His firm still incorporates a lot of carpet into its designs, using colorways and textures as anchors for an overall palette, and branching out from there to complementary tones and styles.

"We like the styles that have different scales of the same pattern, or that use the same colorway," Zurowski says. "We also try to sneak some texture into the projects without the clients becoming too suspicious."

He says that double-stick installations -- where a pad is glued down, then carpet glued down on top of that -- is more common these days, partly because of comfort and also because of familiarity.

OWP/P used stained and polished concrete flooring and Shaw Contract carpet tile for the Kimball Showroom in Chicago.
"It takes a little bit more sophisticated of a client to request modular and carpet tile," Zurowski says. "It's a cost issue. We're seeing a lot more wood accents being incorporated into interiors to complement the carpet."

On the other hand, Chris Coldoff, director of interior design for Chicage and Phoenix-based OWP/P, says there is a trend in commercial interiors toward "less carpet in general."

OWP/P, which is part of the pilot program for the upcoming LEED-CI rating system (LEED for Commercial Interiors), is seeing more "carpet tile, linoleum floors, natural cork and stained concrete" in commercial installations.

"I think the two main issues with flooring are sustainability and durability," Coldoff says. "I'm seeing a lot more carpet tile instead of broadloom these days. I haven't specified broadloom on any sizeable job in the last two years. Carpet tile design and technology allows for greater sustainability and fewer adhesives. Also, many carpet tile products come with recycled-content backing."

Coldoff thinks that clients are gravitating toward sustainable flooring because they're better educated on its advantages -- a combination of "good PR and healthier environments for employees," he says.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Michael chmielecki 200px

Michael Chmielecki wrote about the floor covering industry for BNP Media for more than ten years. As editor of Floor Covering Installer and senior editor of Floor Trends, he always sought ways to better connect and inform the installation and contracting community. Mike has a degree in journalism from the University of New Hampshire.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • resilient flooring

    The 7 Types of Resilient Flooring

    The resilient flooring category is comprised of many...
    Resilient Flooring
    By: Resilient Floorcovering Institute
  • QuickDrain USA’s ShowerLine linear drain

    Tips for Curbless Shower Installation Using a Linear Drain

    Consider these four tips when planning for a curbless...
    Flooring Installation
    By: Darryl Jones
  • 2024 New Flooring Product Guide

    2024 New Flooring Products Guide

    We explore this year's introductions in area rugs,...
    Flooring Installation
    By: FLOOR Trends & Installation Editors
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

AHF Products CEO Brent Emore

AHF Products Names Brent Emore CEO

NFM Kansas City Anso Gallery

Nebraska Furniture Mart's Second Anso Gallery Brings Collaborative Retail Model to Kansas City

wenich-mit  iStock  Getty Images Plus  via Getty Images

How Amazon Speed Can Transform Your Flooring Business


Download the Free Moisture Meters Guide

Events

December 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Investing in your Business

What's Your Top Business Investment Priority for 2025?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

See More Products

FLOORtalk podcasts - Listen Now

Related Articles

  • In a Challenging Market, Resilient Emerges as a Bright Spot

    See More
  • ‘We are a fashion business': Even in a soft market, laminate looks go upscale

    See More
  • LEED-ing Them Home: As ‘green' reshapes the residential market, the floor seems a good place to start

    See More
×

We’re rolling out the red carpet of flooring knowledge!

Stay in the know on the latest flooring retail trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing