Michael Chmielecki

A flurry of high-intensity tornadoes inflicted heavy damage on homes and offices in Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas on May 4.

Design firms are seeing a surge in the popularity of carpet tile for the commercial segment. More customers are requesting it. More designers are incorporating it in their projects. Manufacturers are increasing the design options and flexibility of their products, thus making modular patterns an attractive alternative to fixed colors and patterns.

Eight months of painstaking work was required to complete the construction of DuPont Flooring Systems’ new Houston branch headquarters. This new workspace, at 7108 Old Katy Road, was designed to capitalize on the design possibilities presented by 50,000 square feet of space -- an increase of 20,000 square feet compared to the company’s previous Houston facility at 5849 Westview Drive.

Margaritelli USA Inc., the subsidiary of Italian flooring manufacturer Margaratelli Italia, recently opened its first showroom in the United States dedicated solely to the company’s Listone Giordano line of prefinished hardwood. Though more than 300 Listone Giordano showrooms are currently in operation in countries as far ranging as Israel, Brazil and Japan, the new showroom is the first of its kind in the United States for Margaritelli.

The Atlanta International Area Rug Market takes place Jan. 16-19, and exhibitors are ready to spotlight high style through their latest area rug introductions.

Floor covering industry professionals will walk among the bright lights of Las Vegas, Jan. 29-31, as Surfaces 2003 opens with more than 900 exhibiting companies ready to greet attendees and answer questions.

Laminate flooring has come a long way since its introduction in America more than a decade ago. Where once laminate was expected to simulate the appearance of wood, now the product is manufactured to look like wood, stone and ceramic, and to replicate a wide range of textures for traditional, contemporary and exotic tastes alike.