Interiors Monthly March 2019

MARCH 2019

Belgium Interiors kingdom

JFS Review

Timorous Beasties Refreshed for 2019

EDITOR’S COMMENT

A doomed bid from the start?

An investment group thinks it can restore Laura Ashley’s profitability, but will the family owners sell up?

Investment group Flacks has indicated it is considering making an offer to buy Laura Ashley. Given that the Khoo family own 61% of the shares, it looks a bit of a non-starter. ‘We remain just as committed and passionate about this well-loved brand as when we first decided to invest in Laura Ashley over 20 years ago,’ said Andrew Khoo, Laura Ashley chairman.

And the stock market thinks the chain is worth more than the £20m Flacks says it is prepared to pay.

You can see why Flacks, which invests in underperforming companies in the hope of turning them round, might be interested in Laura Ashley: it used to make nice profits. Between 2013/2014 and 2015/2016 it made a pre-tax profit of more than £20m every year. But times change. In 2016/2017 this fell to £6.3m and in 2017/2018 it was just £100,000. And it expects to lose money this year.

The company still describes its mail order catalogue as a vital part of its strategy and an important marketing tool: I can’t remember the last time I saw a mail order catalogue. I was in a local Laura Ashley branch the other weekend and shoppers were openly remarking how expensive they thought items were, even with a 40% off promotion.

Perhaps Flacks’ interest will bring others to the party (Sports Direct, anyone?), but the chain needs a new strategy.

Certainly not in the party spirit at the moment are shareholders of Victoria. For most companies, lifting profits by 35%-39% would be considered a success. Not for Victoria, where the market expected profits of £67m, not £56.7m. Cue a further fall in the group’s share price. Since May 2018, Victoria’s valuation has largely headed in one direction: down. It peaked at £1.125bn but is now just below £450m.

But if Brexit negotiations continue at the snail’s pace they have been, Victoria – along with other UK manufacturers – could well see a boost when the cost of Hard Brexit import tariffs kick in. The clock ticks on.

Beds and bedroom

Belgium

Leoline CRAFTED CERAMICA CUSHION VINYL

CRAFTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

INTERIORS MONTHLY MARCH 2019

INSIDE THIS ISSUE NEWS 4

Victoria profit warning sends shares down

6

MUI says it has no plans to sell Laura Ashley

10 Amazon debuts first own branded furniture

FEATURES 12 New products 16 Service 18 Best of British

Be proud, celebrating 150 years, home from home

23 Belgium supplement

Luxury now, increased skus, welcome in, hat-trick,

imagine, revelation, lush, softly does it, flexibility,

integration, sound control

47 Beds and bedroom

Independence rules, rising stars, in the frame, five alive,

family tradition, support system, Cologne success

72 Rugs

From stationery to the floor

80 Review

January Furniture Show

92 Preview

Hong Kong International Home Textiles and

Furnishings Fair Editor: Andrew Kidd

T: 01273 930 029 E: akidd@interiorsmonthly.co.uk

MARCH 2019

Furniture advertising (South): Tim Boden Brintons’ Timorous Beasties has been refreshed for 2019 Visit: www.brintons.co.uk

T: 01732 441 130 E: tboden@interiorsmonthly.co.uk

Furniture advertising (North): Jarrod Bird T: 01565 631 397 E: jbird@interiorsmonthly.co.uk

Carpet, flooring advertising: Joanne Paull

Belgium

T: 01732 441 130 E: jpaull@interiorsmonthly.co.uk

JFS

T: 0091 98390 35458 E: as_gianni@yahoo.co.in

Interiors kingdom

Review

Timorous Beasties Refreshed for 2019

Representative in India: Amarjeet Singh Gianni Published by Interiors Media Limited Minerva House, Kinnings Row, Bordyke, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1NP T: 01732 441 130 F: 01732 362 919 E: enquiries@interiorsmonthly.co.uk Registered in England no. 6397722 Print: Knockout Print Design by Truprint Media © Interiors Media Limited ISSN 1756-2236

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

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NEWS

Shares fall further after Victoria warns profits will not meet market expectations Shareholders in flooring group Victoria have seen another significant fall in its share price after it warned that 2019 profits would not match stock market expectations.

The group said pre-tax profits would be 35% - 39% higher than 2018’s £40.8m, at a maximum of £56.7m. However the market had expected profits of £67m.

Victoria also said EBITDA would be between £95m and £97m, compared with 2018’s £64.7m.

Since the start of this year the group’s share price has fallen from 466p to 355p on 22 February. This valued it at £449m, after peaking at £1.125bn (890p a share) on 8 May 2018.

The group said it had continued its policy of growing market share with lower margin products.

‘Across markets that the board believes are down 6%-8% in the UK and Australia and flat in Europe, the group has continued to grow overall like-forlike revenues and gain meaningful market share by winning new retailers as customers from competitors and securing a greater share of expenditure from existing customers of Victoria.’

It also said it had not passed on increased underlay costs and faced larger than expected costs consolidating its UK logistics operations.

Geoff Wilding, Victoria executive chairman, stressed the increased profits expected for the 2020 financial year.

‘With the strategy continuing to deliver increasing revenues and meaningful market share gains, the key now is to ensure margins continue to increase.

In the November announcement the group referenced plans to recover some margin gains temporarily foregone in the drive for top-line growth. Almost all these actions Victoria planned to take to increase margins have now been successfully completed. We expect these actions to materially enhance earnings

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

The production facilities of Keraben (pictured) have been combined with Saloni

in the coming 2020 financial year.’

In hard flooring he said the Keraben and Saloni production facilities in Spain have been integrated and are able to maintain production of about 23million sqm of tiles a year with two fewer kilns. The head office functions have been integrated, meaning only one head office. In addition, surplus capacity at Keraben’s clay atomisation plant has been utilised to supply Saloni, rather then buying in clay at ‘considerably higher cost.’

He said this would boost pre-tax profits by €5m-€5.5m along with €6m more from a full year of contribution from Saloni.

In the UK and Europe soft flooring market the new carpet backing line at the group’s south Wales factory has been in full production since the end of January.

‘It is the fastest, most modern backing line in Europe and produces finished carpet at more than twice the rate

of the group’s existing backing lines, significantly lowering the production cost. Consolidation of the group’s carpet manufacturing facilities at the factory has enabled considerable production efficiencies to be achieved – enabling higher volumes to be produced with a headcount reduction of more than 100, the majority in December,’ said Wilder.

He said UK logistics costs had ‘fallen dramatically’ since the second phase of restructuring (the first having seen large costs). This would add £10m to profits.

‘In Australia the consolidation of Victoria’s Sydney and Melbourne underlay factories on to a single site in Sydney has begun and will be completed mid-way through the calendar year.

Once achieved, the savings will provide an additional AUS$1.5m of earnings to the group.’

Shareholders were also told that a period of heavy investment had ended and that free cashflow will be used to reduce the group’s debts.

WELCOME TO THE

FURNITURE SHOW THIS SUMMER FEATURING MIDPOINT

manchesterfurnitureshow.com

NEWS

We’re not selling says MUI, Laura Ashley’s major shareholder The major shareholder of Laura Ashley has said it has no intention of selling after investment group Flacks revealed it was considering a £20m takeover offer.

‘We have no intention of divesting our shareholding. Whilst I understand why potential parties would think we are significantly undervalued, I have complete confidence that we will be able to grow profitably and in a sustainable manner so as to create long-term value for our shareholders.

We remain just as committed and passionate about this well-loved Laura Ashley’s Understated Elegance brand as when we first decided to invest in Laura Ashley over 20 years ago,’ says Andrew Khoo, Laura Ashley chairman and MUI chief executive.

His comments came after the chain warned that full-year profits will be below expectations after it made a loss in the first half.

Lower UK sales, four store closures and the changing of its Japanese franchisee were cited as to why sales dropped 8.7% to £122.9m in the six months to 31 December. A pre-tax profit of £4.3m became a loss of £1.5m.

UK retail like-for-like sales dropped 4.2%. Online sales dropped by 9.7%.

Home Accessories continue as the largest UK product sector, accounting for 36% of sales, followed by furniture 28%, decorating 19% and fashion 17%.

Home accessory sales increased by 0.3% with like-for-like performance up 1.5%. ‘Continued like-for-like growth in this competitive category gives us confidence that our seasonal gift offerings and core home accessories products are meeting customer expectations in both design and price. Our bed linen ranges, in particular, have performed well’, the group says.

Furniture sales fell by 15% with like-for-like sales down 14.4%. ‘New product ranges have been added for Spring 2019 and we remain confident in both the quality and breadth that this category offers to our customer base. We expect its performance to improve during 2019.’

Decorating sales fell by 14.2% with like-for-like sales down by 13.5%.

‘As a result, our design teams are in the process of reviewing the mix of our decorating product offerings based on customer feedback and research.’

Fashion sales increased 7.2% with like-for-like sales up by 11.8%. The group sold its Manor Hotel in London earlier this month for £6m and says it will expand its hospitality business through franchising rather than ownership – there are four Laura Ashley tea rooms and one hotel.

Khoo says the group is determined to increase its international reach.

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

US move for Quinones Javier Quinones, Ikea UK and Ireland country retail manager has taken up the same role in the US. Quinones, who has only been in the UK role for eight months, took up his new role on 1 March. He will succeed Lars Petersson, who is retiring after 36 years with the furniture retailer.

Quinones began working part time at the chain’s Barcelona branch in 1997, becoming sales manager, deputy store manager and then store manager by 2011.

In 2014 he became deputy retail manager for the UK and Ireland, before succeeding Gillian Drakeford in June 2018.

Three does go into one for Direct Furniture Bury St Edmunds independent furniture retailer Direct Furniture has relocated from its three former branches in the Suffolk town into one new store.

9 February saw the opening of its Barton Retail Park store, replacing the outlets on Osier Road.

Jonathan Carter, who runs the 16-year-old company with his brother Tom, says the opening attracted hundreds of shoppers.

‘The furniture draws a lot of people from London. It’s gone very well.’

Retailer reopens in new store a week after fire A Manchester flooring retailer has reopened in new premises after the previous store was destroyed by fire.

The Darnley Street, Old Trafford premises of Dave’s Carpet Warehouse was gutted by a fire on 8 February, along with several other units. The fire is believed to have started in a neighbouring garage, and six fire engines were needed to extinguish the blaze.

Just a week later owner Dave Todd reopened two miles away in Talbot Road in the Stretford area of the city.

‘Everyone has been doing what they can to help,’ he says. ‘We've had loads of offers from people as well, one customer even offered to help decorate. They've all been saying, “Anything we can do.” It really has been incredible.’

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NEWS

Amazon introduces own branded furniture Amazon has introduced its first own branded furniture ranges to the UK. Movian and Alkove are described as offering ‘stylish products for the living room, dining room, bedroom and beyond. The home and interior lines aim to refresh the home with versatile pieces that fit seamlessly into various lifestyles.

Lighting, additional home furnishings and textile items will be introduced to the ranges in due course.

‘Designed to fit a busy lifestyle, Movian offers a flexible and practical collection of modern, Scandinavian-inspired furniture. From a minimalist single bed to a Japanese-inspired wardrobe, the product range includes trendy furniture for every space in the home. With functional products like the Andrew accent chair Movian offers quality items that are designed for customers taking their first steps to create a unique living space,’ said the company.

Alkove is described as ‘a high-end brand for customers looking for premium design and quality materials’, offering

‘a superior quality collection of sophisticated key pieces.

Stylish products like the wild oak bed and an extendable table made from solid beech enable customers to transform their homes into eye-catching and luxurious spaces.’

Delivery for Alkove was quoted as 11 days

Administration for Bennetts Derby department store operator Bennetts, thought to be the world’s oldest department store, has gone into administration.

The retailer, which was founded in 1734, appointed administrators from Bridgewood Financial Solutions after being hit by increased costs, weakened consumer confidence and online competition: a common list of problems facing retailers.

Joint administrators Paul Mallatratt and Louise Freestone said they planned to trade both the Bennetts stores as

they sought a buyer, but some jobs would be lost initially.

They said it has a loyal customer base but that had not been enough to maintain its ongoing existence.

‘Bennetts is an iconic retail brand which, over many years of trading, has earned a reputation for offering good quality products and great customer service,’ said Mallatratt.

‘Given its pedigree we are hopeful that a buyer can be found so that Bennetts can continue to serve the local community for years to come.’

US move

Oak Furnitureland has made its long expected move across the Atlantic.

The chain has opened a major store in Massachusetts. The 16,456sqft shop has opened in the Wayside Centre in Burlington, two and a half years after it started selling online to the US. ‘We are thrilled to work with Oak Furnitureland to open its first Stateside brick and mortar location,’ said Deb Di Meo of property company Wilder. ‘Now, along with our already popular mix of restaurants, fashion tenants and more, Wayside is home to three iconic furniture stores to serve our Boston area shopper.’

Sales jump for Made.com ahead of European expansion Made.com saw UK sales jump last year, topping £100m.

The group saw UK sales increase by 34% to £100.3m, outstripping the 29% increase in 2017. Group sales rose by 37% to £173m as European sales rose 40%.

Philippe Chainieux, Made.com chief executive says 2019 will see Europe overtaking the UK as its biggest market.

The business trades in nine markets across Europe and plans to expand to Portugal, Italy, Denmark and Sweden this year.

‘We had a strong year in 2018, at a time

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

when the retail sector is going through unprecedented change,’ says Chainieux.

‘Over the past 18 months, we have seen an accelerating trend towards

Made.com will expand to more European countries

customers shopping online for big ticket items, driven by a massive shift in consumer behaviours and the rise of the digital generation.

‘Our ambition is to create the leading design brand for the digital generation across Europe.

‘The digital “millennial” audience will account for 50% of consumers by 2022, and as such, to succeed it is important to craft an interaction where they are, meeting their expectations and building a design experience around them.’

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NEW PRODUCTS

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4

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1 Harvey Maria has introduced a new series of luxury vinyl tiles to its Heritage Colours range. Heritage Colours Squares includes four designs in bold on-trend Victorian-inspired shades: Linen White, Stove Black, Venetian Red and Bay Blue.

The tiles measure 22.86cm sq and can be laid in single colours or used to create striking chequer-board designs.

Visit: www.harveymaria.com 2 Innovator in cork, Granorte used Domotex to unveil a new concept in cork flooring: TRENDcollection, a budget-driven cork collection that possesses all the benefits of the sustainable and natural material. There are 72 designs across four

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

ranges, each with a different construction including a floating rigid core, vinyl top layer and digitally printed.

Visit: www.granorte.co.uk 3 The modern oak GAO Collection from Essentials by Kettle Interiors offers 21 items for dining and occasional and 12 items for bedroom. Featuring rounded corners with bevel detailing to tops and tapered legs, as well as brushed metal handles, the GAO Collection is packed full of thoughtful detailing.

Tel: 01536 444 960 4 ITC has launched Soft Origins, a two-style strong collection of ultra-soft carpet for the

home, crafted from 100% solution-dyed micro polyester. Bringing feather-like comfort to the floor, Soft Origin’s micro polyester fibre is spun into a two-ply yarn that adds resilience, with solution-dyed colour providing stain-resistance.

Tel: 00 32 5662 2211 5 Royal Charter is the latest cut-pile twist from Wilton Royal by Abingdon Flooring.

In two weights, Royal Charter (40oz) and Royal Charter Deluxe (50oz), the yarn features 80% wool content with Meltbond to achieve a finer velvet finish, delivering value without compromising wool’s resilience and unmistakable natural look.

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6 The MN Bedroom Collection from Kettle Interiors features a space-saving sliding wardrobe, the first of its kind available from the supplier. The MN Slide Door Wardrobe makes it possible to provide functional hanging storage in smaller bedrooms, with the sliding door allowing easy operation in the often narrow spaces between beds and storage pieces.

Tel: 01536 444 960 7 Pro-Screed Gold, the two-part levelling and smoothing compound from Floorwise, can be used over a variety of substrates or on top of old adhesive residue to increase the speed of the job, and is compatible with underfloor heating systems, making it reassuringly versatile. It has a setting time of 90 minutes.

Visit: www.floorwise.co.uk

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8 With 141 installation courses booked and 85 customer training days already delivered, the Quick-Step Academy for Excellence in Flooring is starting the year with a packed diary.

With its Master Installer programme fully booked until July, the effects are being felt by a growing number of installers across the country.

Visit: www.quick-step-academy.co.uk 9 Made in Britain, Unity is the latest multi-functional carpet tile collection from Abingdon Flooring Carpet Tile Division.

Using 100% solution-dyed PP for stain-resistance in a 1/10th gauge tufted loop-pile construction, Unity’s 50cm sq tiles are available in 10 colours, including a suite of grey and blue tones.

Visit: www.abingdonflooring.co.uk 10 Palma by Nathan Furniture is a modern-industrial collection of living, dining and bedroom pieces. It combines Nathan’s trademark quality teak fashioned into a contemporary style, with hardwearing metal frames brushed in epoxy resin to give each piece a distressed look and individual character.

Visit: www.nathanfurniture.co.uk

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

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SERVICE

Richard Renouf

Not a fault Sometimes saying no is the best This is a telephone conversation that I had recently.

‘Hello, are you the furniture man and do you do reports? I need you to help me prove that my furniture is faulty.’

‘Yes, tell me what’s happened?’

‘I had this furniture delivered and in less than two weeks it was faulty but the retailer has refused to do anything about it. I’ve spoken to my credit card company and they’ve said they’ll only take it further if I get an independent report saying that it’s faulty, so that’s what I need you to do. How much will it cost?’

‘Well, before I can answer that, I need some more information. What is it that you’ve bought, and what is the fault?’

‘Oh, yes, of course. It’s a suite and it was faulty within two weeks. The retailer sent someone round but they said there was nothing wrong, but you can

see it! It was a company called —, but I’ve since found out they do all the work for this retailer, so they would say that, wouldn’t they?’

‘I doubt it. Most reputable retailers and manufacturers want to ensure that all their products are the best and if they find an unhappy customer with a faulty suite they’ll get it sorted as soon as they can. A lot of them use companies that specialise in repairs and remedial work, and it’s not in either company’s interests to try and cover up any problems. Now, tell me what it is that made you complain in the first place?’

‘It’s the leather. It’s gone all wrinkly and the cushions have gone down. The creasing is really excessive. Isn’t this a manufacturing fault?’

‘Can you send me some pictures so that I can have a look, please? I’ll be

happy to give you my honest opinion and then we can discuss whether it’s worth me coming out to do a report.’

Two pictures are received by email.

This is how I reply: ‘Thanks for sending me the pictures of your suite. I can see the creasing of the covers and the settlement of the cushions that you’re not happy with.

Before I explain about an inspection, let me give you some idea about leather and about your suite.

‘Leather is, as you know, a natural material that starts its life as an animal’s skin. This is stretched out during the tanning process to make a flat material, but it will always retain the natural creases and other marks that show where it came from.

‘This means that when it is used over soft fillings which settle (a bit like a feather pillow) the creases will show, and this is part of the material’s character. It’s only when it’s tightly stretched over something very firm that it will keep its flat, smooth appearance. What’s happening on your suite is normal and natural and I can see why the retailer is not willing to accept it as a complaint.

‘I have a leather suite of my own and to reassure you that I’m not saying one thing to you and believing something different, here are a couple of pictures of the armchair. You’ll see it’s very creased and the cushions have settled, but I’m very happy with it and it’s exactly how I would expect it to be after the use that it has had.

‘I hope this gives you peace of mind, as well as saving you the costs of an inspection and unproductive claim.’

Visit: www.richard-renouf.com

The leather has creased and the cushions settled on Renouf’s suite

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Richard Renouf is an independent furnishings consultant

www.gallerydirect.co.uk | T 01795 439159

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Gallery - Mar 19 Issue IM.indd 1

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DURESTA

WESTBRIDGE

BEST OF BRITISH

The UK was ranked the third most respected manufacturer in the world

Be proud

Companies should make more of the fact that they manufacture in the UK ‘The term Best of British conjures an image of quality, craftsmanship and trust.

So why is it that when we discover a brand manufactures in Britain, we are surprised? A huge number of furniture manufacturers don’t use the Made in Britain label as an integral part of their brand identity and key message to consumers and retailers. Is this because the Made in Britain label no longer carries weigh?’ asks Nick Garratt, BFM md.

According to a Barclays report from 2018 on consumer perception of British brands, 39% of Britons are more likely to buy British-made products. The research suggests that rather than a seismic shift in brand perception post-Brexit, it could provide new opportunities for British brands. ‘And we discovered at the January Furniture Show, more and more retailers were specifically looking for British-made furniture,’ says Garratt.

When it comes to exporting, the numbers are no different. Statista carried out a survey in 2017 where over 43,000 people were interviewed across 53 different countries. They were asked

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

to consider values such as quality, security standards, value for money, uniqueness, design, advanced technology, authenticity and sustainability. This found that the UK was ranked the third most respected manufacturer in the world, underlining that the Made in Britain label is recognised and respected across the world for its quality and origin.

‘So how should companies approach the labelling of their British-made products? Using a trusted logo that lets consumers and retailers see as depicting British origin at a glance. That is why hundreds of British furniture manufacturers and suppliers to the trade display the BFM logo with its obvious and digestible meaning.

‘For those who want to go one step further, the BFM also offers the opportunity to become an Approved Member by signing its associated code of practice. This certifies, among other ethical and sustainability promises, that at least 50% of products are British made.

‘Prior to joining BFM, I spent 37 years

in a range of UK manufacturing businesses across a broad spectrum of sectors. A common theme across these sectors has been the customers’ preference to buy British,’ says Garratt.

‘I think the Made in Britain label adds trust in product quality, and a confidence in the environmental and social responsibility of the producer. In my experience in the furniture industry, it is interesting to see how the Italians and Germans are fiercely proud of their furniture industries, and at a time when the Made in Britain brand has worldwide appeal in so many sectors, we should do more to promote this in our own industry.

Consumers buy into the Made in Britain label, both at home and abroad.’

Visit: www.bfm.org.uk

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BEST OF BRITISH The buttoned Wycombe

The deep-seated Hoxton

Wycombe is part of Collection 150

Celebrations

Parker Knoll is celebrating its 150th anniversary Parker Knoll has been expertly handcrafting sofas and chairs since 1869. This year marks 150 years of great British furniture-making for the brand, which it will be celebrating with an extensive campaign of commercial activity, including new collection launches that pay homage to its past whilst embracing the future.

This activity began at the January Furniture Show, with the launch of Collection 150.

Drawing on the brand’s recently restored Frederick Parker archive, Collection 150 has been designed to celebrate Parker Knoll’s rich and extensive heritage as well as its founder’s commitment to develop sofas and chairs that are a product of skilled design, high quality, elegant

20

proportions and supreme comfort.

The collection takes specific influence from the 1920s and 1930s, a defining period for Parker Knoll as post-war Britain formed. During this time the company was commissioned by Cunard to furnish all the rooms of its ocean-going liners, from the sofas and chairs to beds and occasional furniture.

Collection 150 is a celebration of this style-defining period, combining the Art Deco influences from the 1920s with a contemporary aesthetic to create a collection of finely designed sofas and chairs that offer refined style and an abundance of comfort.

Comprised of two sofa collections, Hoxton and Wycombe, alongside their complementary chairs, Shoreditch and

Fitzroy, the range is a celebration of beautiful shape and intricate detail.

From the buttoned Wycombe to the deep-seated comfort of Hoxton, these shapes are beautifully offset by chairs that offer choice of style with co-ordinating fabric stories.

To really bring the collection to life, Parker Knoll has again developed a new fabric collection. Working with specialist mills, it has commissioned and developed a refined colour palette including contemporary plain weaves combined with cotton velvets and rich textured structures. These fabrics are beautifully accented by designs that have been influenced by artists, fashion, society and architectural elements from the Art Deco period.

Visit: www.parkerknoll.co.uk

Interiors Monthly March 2019

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BEST OF BRITISH

Celebration 3000

Petula

Home from home

Sweet Dreams is seeing increasing sales of its UK-made products Sweet Dreams has expanded its own-manufactured range and saw a rewarding reaction at the January Furniture Show. While known for its own-manufactured divans, mattresses and bed frames, the company is now witnessing strong sales of its Britishmade upholstery – including sofabeds.

Sofabeds accounted for 12% of total sales at the show and it’s the latest British-manufactured range that is the

best performer: Dusk. The corner sofabed has a pull-out section that forms the sleeping surface together with the chaise longue. The chaise itself lifts to reveal useful storage; handy for pillows and quilts if the sofabed is to be converted on a regular basis.

Dawn, a plump and inviting pull-out model, was also a good performer at the NEC, and other new British-made models Twilight and Faith weren’t far behind.

Dusk

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Upholstery sales at JFS doubled on 2018’s performance and the British-made collection is gaining traction in the market. The manufacturer has improved the sit and comfort of the range and buyers have been quick to appreciate this. The range is complemented by new models such as Harvey, a 3-2-1 suite plus stool with foam seat cushions and luxury back cushions, available in Sweet Dreams’ extensive range of fabrics, and in a choice of two finishes for the wooden legs The company is also seeing strong sales from a range of four accent chairs including Petula. This was the bestseller at the show thanks to its high back and choice of light or dark legs.

Divans and mattresses remain the Lancashire manufacturer’s core range.

Models featuring encapsulated springs are currently the top sellers, especially Celebration 3000 and Carnival 2000 from the Anniversary collection, launched in September and sporting an encapsulated mattress topped with extra mini springs.

Both contain natural fillings of wool, silk and cashmere, come in a choice of three sizes with many storage options, and feature a microquilted border to match the knit top. The velvet bases and headboards are in three colours.

Visit: www.sweetdreamsuk.com

Belgium

Leoline CRAFTED CERAMICA CUSHION VINYL

BELGIUM

Ceramica Bilbao

Luxury now

Leoline has turned to marble and Scandinavia for its latest UK ranges

Turning hyper-luxury instantly accessible, Ceramica brings high-end surfaces and raw architectural finishes to homes in Leoline’s latest cushion vinyl flooring.

Proving that the brand is quick to deliver the latest interior trends, these sleek floors capture the unadulterated luxury of marble, terrazzo’s discrete elegance and the power of concrete.

Sophisticated tone-on-tone combinations stay true to the authenticity of these

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

luxurious finishes, with some dramatic takes in midnight shades perfect for maximum impact.

In a range of tile formats to suit any home, Ceramica’s looks are backed by a high-quality construction that makes these fast-fit styles an enduring addition to the home. Ceramica’s Superguard protected finish means a luxury finish that’s easy to care for.

The rich, organic texture of natural

Ceramica Emilia

BELGIUM

Timberline Helsinki

wood defines new Scandinavian style, in the grand planks of Timberline.

Embracing the variety of nature with new designs in big widths along with reworked classics, Timberline is packed full of eye-catchers. From driftwoods and stylish herringbones to distressed wood and classic designs, this is a collection ready to capture the natural spirit.

Other ranges include Lana, created to look like carpet and give a fresh perspective on bold loops and intricate weaves.

The colours of Blush have been updated. From Memphis-inspired graphic clashes to the interiors of 1950s Americana, Blush holds the key to modernism and colour-blocking with its palette of vivid, escapist colours. Pastel hues of coral pink, powder blue and Scandinavian green give a retro feel, while pepper stem green, tangerine orange and aurora red bring eye-popping accents for bold Memphis looks. Deep warm aubergine, navy and turmeric add a layer of luxury, with classic white and grey providing a clean break.

Cottage style reinvented for modern homes, the Country Woods collection stays true to the warming lift of traditional wood flooring, a perfect antidote to fast-paced living. Step into authentic rustic looks given a modern touch in wide planks; Country Woods makes it easy to enjoy the relaxing tones and familiar grains of our most treasured woods. From classic oak to timeworn greys, this is a collection that captures the diversity of the natural world.

Riding the new wave of Art Deco revival, the Gatsby collection presents the iconic geometric repeats of the era in a collection of recoloured favourites and new designs. Lifted through subtle metallic grouts and grain reliefs, a palette of modern dark hues on designs such as Audrey, Noblesse and Allure gives Gatsby a rich and dramatic edge. New designs such as Gustav, Aurea and Charleston add extra impact, echoing the luxury of the era in a look for the bold.

Playful and energetic, the new Materia collection is for the colour-brave and fashion-forward. Expressive and fun-filled

Timberline Copenhagen

colourful cement tiles, abstract geometric forms, ultra-modern hexagon tiles and seamless concrete give Materia its spirit.

Maaike Dickx, Leoline product manager is already turning her attention to 2020’s introductions.

‘Vintage, rustic planks with black filler and cement tiles will be among the key trends. Simple natural herringbones and wood and mixed materials in block patterns will also feature. Large concrete tiles will have imperfections in look and size while large and small rustic tiles will be combined,’ she says.

Visit: www.leoline.co.uk

Ceramica Cascals

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BELGIUM Select’s Brio Oak

Transform’s Chester Oak

Magnificent seven New designs take Moduleo’s choice to over 200 SKUs IVC Group, the world’s largest vinyl flooring manufacturer, has introduced seven new designs to its Moduleo Transform and Select collections, taking the total number of SKUs to 215.

The additional 68 SKUs will be available from this month, to coincide with the rollout of a new in-store display unit and brochures for retailers, along with a national consumer press and digital campaign.

Four wood-effect styles and a stone tile will join the Transform collection, offering a range of shades, from ashy tones to warmer colours. The addition of the Chester Oak, Mexican Ash, Country Oak, Sherman Oak and Hoover Stone will take the Moduleo Transform offering to 153 SKUs. The new designs for Moduleo Select are Brio Oak, a wood-effect flooring in five different cool-toned colourways and Venetian Stone tiles in four shades.

Both Transform and Select offer a variety of wood-effect options in light, grey and darker tones, using cut-in and embossed registers to ensure products

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

look as natural as the authentic materials and have the textures such as knots and grains that consumers expect.

With several mottled options in the range, Moduleo’s stone-effect products provide a pure finish to any room. If the consumer is looking for something with more character, a stone product with

a rougher texture is recommended.

The brand has also recently created a herringbone collection to showcase the new short and small planks available in Moduleo’s most popular designs, to help consumers create parquet-style flooring.

Visit: www.moduleo.co.uk

Select’s Venetian Stone

Beautiful

When you re creating the perfect space, Moduleo is the place to start.

Continually inspired by the latest trends, design and performance we offer beautiful, practical and durable floors to enhance every room.

With new colours and designs available, each reflecting the distinctive textures of nature, let us exceed your every expectation.

Call our sales team on 01332 851 500 or email salesUK@moduleo.co.uk

LOV E YO UR FLO O R

Sherman Oak 22232

...starts with a Moduleo floor

BELGIUM

Welcome in

Balta home’s Prisma

Balta Group’s International Open Week will be expanded

Balta Group will be expanding its International Open Week later this year and will hold another UK Roadshow.

The 2019 event will see its rug division Balta home take part along with contract carpet tile brand modulyss, joining Balta Carpets and ITC. It will take place at its Oudenaarde showroom from 2-5 December.

The UK Roadshow will take place at Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire from 7-10 October, with 10 October reserved for retailers.

At the 2018 international Open Week Balta Carpets introduced and previewed a host of products, many of which will be introduced between now and the summer. It has added to its Wild Luxury and Leonis offer along with

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Woody from ITC’s Infinity

BELGIUM

Balta Carpets’ Warwick Castle

LCT First in Craft

the indoor and outdoor flat-weaves of Pro Nature.

The Luxury Carpet Tiles collection comes in two versions: LCT First for residential use and LCT Pro for commercial interiors. With LCT First, homes can enjoy the practical advantages of carpet tiles in distinct looks; the flat-weave effect of Craft, the modern concrete look of Graphite and the indulgence of Aristo with its deep, glossy pile among others.

ITC’s Ritzy Funky Living collection has five ranges of young and fresh Imprel polyamide styles. Uptown is a collection of three Imprel Finesse carpet styles inspired by the glamour and elegance of urban high society.

Using the flexibility and pace of digital print, the Infinity collection brings together five core themes: Botanicals, Surfaces, Moods, Rich Traces and Sundance. It is always in a state of flux, evolving as trends flow from one pattern to the next, and colour palettes discover new tones to bring life to the designs.

Chromojet-printed for large pattern repeats and available on cut or loop-pile base cloths, the collection pioneers a new concept in carpet for the home, one that is in constant motion; a truly exciting approach to fashion-forward carpet.

Balta home has introduced more than 800 new rugs, for the first time both machine and handmade. A major feature of these debuts is creating visual added value through relief, print and high-low structures.

The Contour collection introduces designs in a high-low pile construction, while the possibilities of structural effects are also explored in the Loop range.

The machine-washable New Generation

range has new collections of single material rugs, offering a sustainable look and feel for every type of interior decor.

The Cosy range has soft contemporary collections, featuring new constructions and yarn innovations.

It also introduced 200 Papilio branded designs across faux fur, recycled polyester, jute and handwoven, to cotton, linen, viscose and wool.

Visit: www.baltagroup.com

Papilio introduced 200 new designs

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

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WW AA RW RW I CI C K KC C AA ST SL T EL E Welcome Welcome the elegance the elegance of Warwick of Warwick Castle, Castle, part of part theofLeonis® the Leonis® family family th gauge gauge of soft ofand soft strong and strong carpets. carpets.

A heavyweight A heavyweight and enduring and enduring 1/8th 1/8 twisttwist in 10in classic 10 classic and modern and modern colours colours for today’s for today’s homes. homes.

BELGIUM

Hat-trick

BerryAlloc offers laminate, LVT and parquet

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Ocean laminate in Retro Chic Blue Grey Quarterround white (paintable)

BELGIUM

Glorious XL laminate

BerryAlloc has seven new laminate collections. There are three variants of Smart, aimed at young families or a first home. The 7mm collection has 14 wood decors, the 8mm collection has nine wood decors and the four bevel collection has 15 decors. All planks measure 190mm x 1,288mm and use the Duo Loc installation system.

The 8mm Impulse has 14 hard wood decors and three store decors. The two bevel version has nine wood decors and the four bevel version has 15 wood decors.

All planks measure 190mm x 1,288mm and use the Duo Loc installation system.

Finesse uses 155mm x 1,288mm planks in 13 wood and three stone decors to make smaller rooms look larger. It has four bevels and uses the 5G installation system.

Chateau is a collection of 10 classic wood decors in 84mm x 504mm planks, with four bevels and using the Chateau Loc system.

Glorious offers extra-long 2,038mm planks in three widths: 155mm, 190mm and 241mm with seven, 10 and 10 wood decors respectively. The three sizes can be mixed and matched and Glorious Luxe has a choice of six deep structure 190mm x 2,038mm planks.

Ocean and Eternity feature the Beaulieu International Group subsidiary’s Hydroplus treatment, making them water resistant. Ocean has 11 wood decors at 190mm x 1,288mm with four

bevels, three stone designs with four bevels and three stone designs with no bevels. Ocean Luxe has five deep structure wood decors.

Eternity offers 12 deep or real wood structure 190mm x 1,288mm decors with four bevels, while Eternity Luxe has eight wood decors in deep structure 190mm x 2,038mm planks.

In parquet, Saga XL and Lodge are the new collections.

The 14mm Saga XL has eight wood decors in 187mm x 1,980mm planks. The 15mm Lodge has eight aged and rustic

Lodge aged oak Patagonia parquet

Saga Normandie parquet

decors in 190mm x 1,900mm planks.

The Pure LVT collection offers planks, extra-large planks and tiles in click or glue down versions. There are 28 decors for standard size planks (204mm x 1,326mm for click and 178mm x 1,250mm for glue down); 12 decors for the large planks (204mm x 1,836mm for click and 216mm x 1,950mm for glue down) and 15 tile decors in 306mm x 612mm and 612mm x 612mm sizes for click and 325mm x 650mm and 650mm x 650mm sizes for glue down.

Visit: www.berryalloc.com

Pure LVT tiles in Zinc

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

33

BELGIUM

Imagine…

Koi

Street

Fast and flexible will be key traits of Beauflor’s Moonlight designs Beauflor’s latest use of digital printing technology is designed to allow it to create an embossed in register effect, creating a 3D and more realistic look and react quicker to trends.

Beauflor first showed what it could do with digitally printed vinyl at Domotex 2018, with its SkyLine collection, winner of the Interiors

Monthly Awards Product of the Year (Flooring) last year. It has now followed this up with Moonlight, aimed more at the residential market.

The aim is to allow it to be able to update the collection on a frequent basis and respond to trends. The digital printing allows designs on a much larger scale as there is no visible repeat.

Moonlight is part of the company’s efforts to differentiate itself in the vinyl market through design and colour.

Moonlight will have two themes: a collection of authentic designs such as wood and stone, and a range of fun designs such as a children’s map, a beach and fish in water.

Visit: www.beauflor.co.uk

Cobble, from one of the Beaulieu International Group subsidiary’s ‘fun’ designs

34

Interiors Monthly March 2019

FEATURE/PROFILE:/SUPP BELGIUM

Feature Head size/colour to suit Standfirst style standfirst Most retailers agree that staff company name and development is critical to business success

Satine Revelation

Revelation Colour is key for Ideal

Ideal’s Saphira has been expanded with the Satine Revelation range. Forget a palette of greys and more greys: the soft polyamide collection features 18 colours with earthy tones and rustic shades.

Imagination sports 15 colourful shades in 4m and 5m widths and a 1,220g per sqm weight. It is part of the Velluto soft polypropylene collection.

Dublin Heather has been recoloured, showing 15 colours, available in 4m and 5m widths and 550g per sqm weight.

Noblesse offers 20 colours in a mixture of 4m and 5m widths, while Caresse has 20 tones.

The Carus brand introduced three designs to XL Impact: Patina, Nova and Glow. They are available with a copper

XL Impact

or gold coloured two-ply accent yarn.

Refined and delicate, these metal colours can be paired with practically anything.

The designs combine the copper or gold with grey and black yarns, and the balance between grey and black can be varied.

Visit: www.ideal-bintg.com www.carusflooring.com

XL Impact (detail)

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

35

BELGIUM

Oryzon’s Amazonia Lizard

Onwards

BIG continues to invest in artificial grass and needle felt In artificial grass Beaulieu International Group continues to invest in its own yarn extrusion for its Oryzon and Turfgrass brands.

Oryzon has introduced green, cream and brown yarns to its latest ranges for a more realistic look, in ranges such as Elite Apple and Sunset Mint.

Existing ranges have also been upgraded with an improved thatch look.

Turfgrass has seen many of its landscaping products upgraded with a PU backing. It also previewed extensions to Lushtex’s different pile height technology.

After a successful 2018 for the tradeshow, residential and contract products from group’s needle felt division, with a relaunch in its heavy contract qualities: Primavera, Bedford, Magnum; the coming months will see more relaunches of its contract ranges.

Oryzon’s custom grass ranges can be used for bespoke designs

36

This will start with entry-level Chevy and Memphis, Jazz and Can-Can (both available in sheet and tile), and high end collection Hong Kong (also available in sheet and tile).

These continuous investments will help it to reinforce its position as market leader in contract qualities for the UK. Visit: www.oryzongrass.com www.beaulieu-needlefelt.com

Chevy will be relaunched

Interiors Monthly March 2019

36_[Grass_Mar19]SP3.indd 36

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BELGIUM

Softly does it

Kensington is available in 13 shades of grey and beige

Millennium Weavers has added a Saxony and a twist Millennium Weavers has added to its offer with the launch of Darwin and Kensington.

Darwin is a soft heavy Saxony in 10 shades, from subtle greys to the refreshing change of ‘salt and pepper’

tones. It features a two-ply yarn in a 2,500g per sqm weight and 4m and 5m widths.

Kensington is a heavy twist pile carpet in 13 subtle shades of grey and beige.

Available in 4m and 5m widths, it has

a 2,150g per sqm weight and like Darwin uses a two-ply yarn and is bleach cleanable.

Both ranges are available from stock.

Visit: www.millenniumweavers.eu

CONTACTS Millennium Weavers, Industrie Park, Klein Frankrijkstraat 38, 9600 Ronse, Belgium Tel: 0032 5550 9050 • Email: sales@millenniumweavers.eu Joe King, UK sales director Tel: 07806 718 881 • Email: jk@millenniumweavers.eu

SALES AGENTS Barry Enever: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, South Wales, Isle of Wight, Wiltshire.

Tel: 07850 321 862 Email: barry.enever@gmail.com Daniel Alp: Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Essex, London.

Tel: 07455 780 336 Email: danielalp82@yahoo.co.uk Keith Vowles: Channel Islands (postcodes GY and JE) Tel: 07970 464 434 Email: kvowles@btinternet.com

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Kenneth McNeill: Scotland, Northern Ireland (postcode BT) Tel: 07968 353 878 Email: kennethmcneill@aol.com Lee Harris: Cumbria, North Wales, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Isle of Man Tel: 07842 448 495 Email: Leeharrism66@gmail.com Nicky Craig: Birmingham (West Midlands), Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire Tel: 07583 085 591 Email: nickycraigflooring@mail.com

Trevor Hayfield: Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk Tel: 07811 198 794 Email: trevorhayfield@gmail.com Stephen Binnersley: Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire Tel: 07710 618 754 Email: stephen@sbsurface solutions.co.uk

Darwin Darwin Sales Agents & Area Barry Enever | barry.enever@gmail.com | +44 7850 321862 Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, South Wales, Isle of Wight, Wiltshire.

Daniel Alp | danielalp82@yahoo.co.uk | +44 7455 780336 Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Essex, London.

Joe King | jk@millenniumweavers.eu | +44 7806 718881 We are pleased to announce the appointment of Joe King as Sales Director UK at Millennium Weavers Europe.

Keith Vowels | kvowels@btinternet.com | +44 7970 464434 Chanel Islands (postal codes GY + JE).

Kenneth McNeill | kennethmcneill@aol.com | +44 7968 353878 Scotland, Northern Ireland (postal codes BT).

Lee Harris | Leeharrism66@gmail.com | +44 7842 448495 Cumbria, North Wales, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester & Isle of Man.

Nicky Craig | nickycraigflooring@mail.com | +44 7583 085591 Birmingham (West Midlands), Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire.

Stephen Binnersley | stephen@sbsurfacesolutions.co.uk +44 7710 618754 Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire,

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Buckinghamshire.

Trevor Hayfield | trevorhayfield@gmail.com | +44 7811 198794 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk

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BELGIUM

Flexibility rules

Above: Felina, from the Vintage collection Above left: from Incanti’s rug offer

Incati can respond quickly to customers’ demands In the five years since Tapibel formed its Incati (Innovative Carpet Tiles) brand, the company’s business model has been turned on its head.

At the start broadloom nylon carpets were the mainstay, backed up by carpet tiles. Now the focus is on tiles, with the option of a carpet, for example on stairs.

Attention is now turning to developing a UK-specific collection, which may be branded or sold as own label.

Standard 50cm x 50cm tiles are at the heart of Incati’s offer, with other sizes including 100cm x 50cm and 100cm x 25cm up to 200cm x 200cm available.

The family-owned company can also offer complementary designs as complete edged rugs, as another part of the overall package.

Also in development is a collection of solution-dyed nylon 6.6 softer carpets for the contract market.

Atlantic

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Investment in technology has enabled it to rapidly produce concepts of different colours and patterns for product development and create bespoke and exclusive designs.

The investment has also meant that Incati can offer a quick turnaround, having invested in yarn rather than stock, which allows it to respond rapidly to customers’ demands.

Visit: www.incati.be

Fresco

BELGIUM

Tavelmo Integration is all for the group

The Movelta Group is a vertically integrated textile group with its own preparation, weaving, dyeing and finishing plants, run by the third generation of the founding family.

It offers a wide range of fabrics and exports upholstery fabrics across the world. Some fabrics are dual purpose and can be used for upholstery as well as for curtains.

Its Movelta subsidiary specialises in weaving velvets while Tavelmo specialises in flatwoven fabrics.

Waesland provides finishing treatments such as piece dyeing, tumbling, flame retardant finishes, Teflon finishes and Easy Clean finishes, not only for its own companies but also for external customers.

Devantex specialises in exclusive custom-made velvets for the highend market. All treatments are done in-house in Movelta‘s 645,600sqft manufacturing facilities.

Popular in finishes is the Easy Clean treatment, in which the fibres of the fabric are hardened at the molecular level so most stains cannot get through, allowing the stain to be easily removed with water.

Movelta can also provide exclusive designs using in-house digital and transfer printing technology.

Visit: www.movelta.be

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

41

BELGIUM

Solid support

FC Brugges opted for a Dr panel from Print Acoustics

FC Brugges turned to Print Acoustics for help Every team wants the enthusiastic support of its home supporters, but Belgian top-flight club FC Brugge found that the noise generated by fans at the Jan Breydel Stadium was causing reverberations in the stadium’s restaurant and bar.

The Bruges club is among the most successful in the country and the 29,062-steater ground is regularly filled to capacity.

For last season's campaign, the club was searching a short-term solution with a high-end product. Architects Geodefroo + Geodefroo recommended the help of Print Acoustics.

Kristoff Ver Eecke, Print Acoustics manager suggested its Dr random grooved timber acoustical panels, and the former European Cup and UEFA Cup finalists chose a black matt HPL top layer Abet Laminati finish for

The restaurant had suffered from reverberation

42

Interiors Monthly March 2019

its performance, contemporary look and ease of cleaning.

Print Acoustics, part of the Triplaco group, strives to develop and produce the most efficient, stable and decorative acoustical absorbing timber products, based on the Helmholtz Principle, with the aim of reducing the disturbing reverberation inside a room caused by the human voice.

Visit: www.printacoustics.be

FC Brugges was in search of a high-end product

H&V are a leading carpet manufacturer based in Belgium.

We deliver direct from Belgium to the U.K supplying full rolls only, without a minimum order quantity.

Delivery is 5 working days from receipt of order.

Contact your local sales agent below for further details and sample books.

Representation

North West, West Midlands, Southern Ireland Paul Hugo (Sales Manager) 07813 714498 North Wales, Cheshire Matt Bell 07980 223303 Scotland James Hall 07787 140136 Yorkshire, North East England Steve Allitt 07971 952873 East Midlands Charlotte Jarvis 07460 875070 Northern Ireland Norman Gray 07860 495649 Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire Adam Nicol 07885 738975 South Wales, Bristol & Avon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire Emma Rees 07920 837422 London, Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, South East Jon Marsh 07976 795821 Zac Marsh 07828 663325 Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire Richard Cooper 07860 525 245 Belgium Office Johny Peeters 0032 475 71 08 69 0032 513 20 54 3

Carpets to dance about!

H&V Carpets NV, Nijverheidsstraat 26, Meulebeke, West-Vlaanderen, 8760 Belgium Email: handvuk@gmail.com

WOOD AND LAMINATE

Natural Bennett oak

Warm and soft

Using cork helps reduce noise and retain heat Egger Pro Comfort Flooring has nature at its core. The specialist insulating double cork layer inside the PVC-free flooring absorbs footfall and ambient noise. Over 40 million thermo-insulating cork cells provide a warm and soft feel underfoot, ideal for colder climates. Striking surface decors and textures give character and authenticity to the flooring, making it an ideal solution for residential interiors.

‘The collection consists of 28 trend-led decors in four board formats. The innovative surface is easy to care for and resistant to lasting marks, making it well suited to areas such as living rooms, children’s play areas and bedrooms. The collection merges ecological and

sustainable features with modern design, resulting in a desirable product with a contemporary look,’ says Craig James, Egger Flooring Products UK sales manager.

‘Egger Pro Comfort Flooring is ideal for those seeking something a bit different or an alternative to carpet. Customers like it for its strong environmental credentials and the fact it feels warm underfoot. It is easy to care for and has proved popular for bedrooms, playrooms and living rooms.

‘It has an innovative and sophisticated product composition. It is made up of an environmentally friendly UV protective layer, an HD digital decor print, an elastic comfort layer made of cork, a HDF swell barrier coreboard made of natural wood

Grey Somerset oak

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

fibre, and an integrated noise-reducing cork underlay. Air pockets in the cork layers store heat and give the floor a warmer feel. All flooring boards in the Pro Comfort range are available in a 10mm thickness, with a 31 class of use rating.’

The collection includes wood and stone reproductions as well as creative decors with striking patterns. HD digital prints and a wide variety of surface textures will give a room character and style. All decors are available in a large board format (1,291mm x 246mm).

‘The two key components of the flooring are wood and cork. In line with Egger’s sustainability policies, this material is harvested from PEFC-certified forests.

Not only does this benefit the environment it also helps promote clean indoor living.

‘The Pro Comfort boards are installed using the UNIfit! click system. This is 40% faster than other systems due to our flexible and floating installation technology. No tools are required and multiple installers can work simultaneously in one room. As well as saving time and money the UNIfit! click system has a very sturdy connection and is easy to install around doors, pipes and radiators,’ explains James.

Pro Comfort has a 15 year guarantee for residential use and five years for commercial use.

Visit: www.egger.co.uk

Egger PRO Comfort Flooring Warm, soft, quiet.

All our shown and mentioned decors are reproductions.

www.egger.com/pro-comfort-flooring

EPC012 Dark Alba Oak

EGGER PRO Comfort Flooring has nature at its core. A specialist insulating double cork layer absorbs footfall, ambient noise, and provides a warm and soft feel underfoot. Available in 28 trend-led decors, PRO Comfort Flooring is an ideal solution for any design style.

For more information contact us at EFPUKsales@egger.com

WOOD AND LAMINATE

Luxury Tiles were debuted at the show

Kährs’ UK team at Bau

New path Kährs has moved into a new product category Kährs showcased its new 2019 wood flooring designs at the Bau exhibition in Munich in January with large, striking wall samples and a ‘shop-in-shop’ concept. Designs include reclaimedthemed patterns, ultra-matt wood floors and a new collection of modern rustic wood floors: Boardwalk.

The show also saw the launch of a new product category for the company: Kährs Luxury Tiles.

‘During Bau 2019 we showcased everything you would expect from the Kährs Group: exciting new wood flooring designs and product collections as well as patterned floors and innovative point

of sale concepts, along with something we are not currently known for – Luxury Tiles,’ says Alex Davidson, Kährs UK and Ireland country manager.

‘We have taken our core skills and knowledge from working with wood flooring for over 160 years with regards to innovation, product design, environmental supply chain and consumer considerations: this has set the benchmark for launching our Kährs LT Luxury Tiles range.

‘The products have the highest specification as standard when compared to what is currently on offer in the UK market both in the retail and

project channels, whilst offering significant value compared to other branded LVT suppliers.

‘The range will launch this month with stock available to secure in March and April. Retail display solutions are now available to order.’

Kährs Luxury Tiles is a comprehensive offering of modern, waterproof and phthalate-free luxury tile designs in Dry Back, Click and Loose Lay. The range includes over 170 wood and stone designs that utilise high-resolution technology with no repetition and a highly durable ceramic coating.

Visit: www.kahrs.com

The stand covered more than 2,000sqft

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Beds and bedroom

CRAFTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Independence rules

Rest Assured’s Indulgence Collection

Two collections for independent retailers are among Silentnight Group’s latest This year’s January Furniture Show saw the return of Silentnight Group after an absence of 10 years. The return to the NEC was part of its commitment to supporting national and local trade shows including JFS and Northpoint in Scotland.

A key feature of the Silentnight stand at the NEC was a new Exclusive Collection for independent retailers.

The new range with products including Atala Deluxe, Elisa Deluxe, Luna Deluxe, Cypria Deluxe and Valieria Deluxe is based upon previous bestselling products and will be launched into the independent retail market this month.

‘The new collection has been created to provide independent retailers with a new in-store proposition that dovetails perfectly into the current Silentnight Inspired Collection. The range was received tremendously well at the January Furniture Show with interest

from a number of independent retailers,’ says Stuart Law, Silentnight head of general retail sales.

The Exclusive Collection was not the only new range available for independent retailers at this year’s show, with Rest Assured launching the Indulgence Collection. Featuring the natural comfort of British wool and high performance fresh fibres to deliver a breathable and comfortable mattress collection, the Indulgence Collection has been crafted without using foam and meets UK flammability regulations without the need for additional FR chemical treatments.

Health, quality and sustainability were key themes of the Silentnight stand at the show, with the Silentnight Eco Comfort range also featuring prominently. The Eco Comfort Fibres used in the mattresses are made from 100% recycled plastic

Silentnight’s Exclusive Collection

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

bottles. With the equivalent of over 150 bottles in each mattress, in the past 12 months Silentnight has saved 105million plastic bottles from entering the oceans and landfill.

‘The high performance eco fibres spring back to their original shape for superior durability and luxurious comfort, delivering a great night’s sleep.

Silentnight’s Eco Comfort range is now available across the infant, children and adult sectors and supports the message of “eco product for all of the family”.

There is no doubt that healthier and more sustainable products are in demand by consumers and our ranges can help independent retailers provide sustainable options for their customers,’ says Law. ‘We are seeing strong interest and growing sales in this sector of the market as retailers are reacting to the demands of their customers for eco-friendly products.’

Silentnight has further plans to support the independent retail sector this year with a series of campaigns and events to increase awareness of local bed and mattress retailers. A marketing campaign is being planned for National Bed Month this month with social media activity and promotional offers for consumers. In July, Silentnight will support Independent Retailer Month with a series of regional events to promote the Silentnight brand and independent retailers.

Visit: www.silentnightgroup.co.uk

Our advanced Eco Comfort fibresTM are made using recycled plastic bottles.

Each year, we prevent 105 million of them from entering our oceans.

Which means not only do you get a great night’s sleep thanks to the amazing comfort, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment too.

Which? describes the featured mattress as one of the “best value mattresses we’ve tested”.

Awarded for the Eco Comfort Pocket 1200

After all, a great night’s sleep shouldn’t cost the Earth.

Visit silentnight.co.uk/eco today to find out more.

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Rising stars

Above, l-r: Lauren Sharples, Jack Gaffney, Joshua Cantlow

Apprenticeships are a key recruitment method for Silentnight Group This year Silentnight Group will recruit six apprentices, mainly at its Barnoldswick, Lancashire factory, where apprentices train towards being production operatives on the Furniture Manufacturer Apprenticeship Standard. Apprentices are also brought into other departments such as finance, IT, logistics, HR, customer services and maintenance engineering.

‘We’re really proud of all of our apprentices and want them to reach their full potential with us. We offer all apprentices the opportunity to progress onto higher level apprenticeship programmes, and will support their career development as far as we can,’ says Juile Dix, Silentnight training and development manager.

Lauren Sharples, 20, joined in July 2017 as an apprentice in Level 3 business administration, beginning as a warehouse apprentice, but recently moved role to operations control. ‘I liked the idea of gaining a qualification whilst also going to work, getting a full-time job and getting paid for it. I had heard about Silentnight winning awards for its apprenticeship schemes so I had high expectations, but have enjoyed every minute,’ she says.

‘The biggest benefit of the apprenticeship scheme is that you get to take part in a rotation, which enables you to spend the weeks in several different departments. This way you get to see how different parts of the company work, and how each step fits together. I really

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

enjoy my role, especially knowing that I have a lot of responsibility. What I love the most is that no two days are the same, and I like a challenge so this role is really fun for me.

‘The apprentice route gives you both the experience in the working environment and the qualification, whereas at university you only really get the qualification. Even if you are not guaranteed a job after you finish the apprenticeship, I think it would be easier to go straight into a job having both the experience in the job and the grade to go with.’

Sharples was shortlisted for the Rising Star award at the Manufacturing Champions Awards last year. ‘Unfortunately I didn’t come home with an award, but I was still lucky enough to attend the event in Manchester,’ she says.

She hopes to still be in her role in the next couple of years, and is intending to start gaining some more qualifications to help her gain promotion in the future.

Jack Gaffney, 23, joined as an apprentice electrical maintenance engineer in 2015. He says he was drawn by the idea of practical-based learning and was put off university by tuition fees.

‘The thought of paying upfront for something when I didn’t know what I was going to get didn’t feel right to me. An apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to go to college, as well as getting on-the-job training and being able to earn at the same time. That learning

opportunity is ideal, you get to develop your background knowledge and build up your skills rather than being thrown into a job,’ he says.

He says there is a good working environment at the company and he is lucky to have a mentor to help him improve his skills: he is coming towards the end of his HNC and is predicted to achieve good grades. ‘I’d like to continue developing my skills and hopefully move into a role with more responsibility,’ he says.

Joshua Cantlow, 20, joined as an apprentice electrical maintenance engineer in 2015. ‘I prefer a working environment as opposed to university and a classroom environment. The apprenticeship is what I expected and I am still happy I chose this route. The benefits of an apprenticeship over university are you gain a better knowledge through the years of experience in the job role, and you are more than likely to get a job after,’ he says. He says the favourite part of the role is the hands-on experience working with machines and also making friendships and creating contacts throughout the industry.

‘In the next few months I am hoping to finish my HNC at college, and in the next couple of years I’m aiming to be a fully qualified shift electrician and have hopefully taken and passed different training courses through the company.’

Visit: www.silentnight.co.uk

Designed with quality and comfort in mind, our new mattress collection features zoned pocket springs, luxurious British wool and high performance fresh ďŹ bres to deliver a brilliantly breathable and superbly comfortable mattress collection.

To ďŹ nd out more visit rest-assured.co.uk or call 01282 851 111

RA Interiors Monthly full page Jan 2019.indd 1

28/01/2019 09:37

BEDS AND BEDROM

In the frame

Team England gymnast Mimi Cesar putting on a show with the new Millbrook bed frame

Millbrook Beds has introduced two more divans The January Furniture Show was a fantastic springboard for Millbrook Beds to launch two divans.

Millbrook Beds’ divan sets are handmade by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques and can be made with flush-fit drawers in two or four drawer configurations to provide sleek and stylish underbed storage.

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

The storage options were expanded with the reintroduction of the Millbrook Ottoman divan. The ottoman gives extensive under-mattress storage with a hydraulic lifting mechanism to open and close.

The show also saw the debut of a new bed frame for the more contemporary bedroom. This low-profile frame is

available in three headboard styles: Adam, Eve and Eden, across the complete range of more than 70 fabrics.

At the exhibition the company saw a good mix of existing customers investing in new models and increasing their Millbrook Beds range as well as significant interest from three major new retailers.

Visit: www.millbrook-beds.co.uk

WHAT’S THE SECRET OF COMMONWEALTH GOLD

www.millbrook-beds.co.uk

#PERFECTSLEEP

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Loft in Pebble Grey

Five alive

Wiemann has added a quintet of new designs Wiemann has widened its offer with five new collections and two more finishes.

‘The January Furniture Show was a very positive start to the year for Wiemann,’ says Simon Hewitt, md of Wiemann’s sole agent in the UK and Ireland, Litmus Furniture. ‘We had over 19 collections on show and 30 displays including five new options and two new finishes. We saw great success with ranges Dakar, Miami +, Cambridge and

Monaco. Now we’re looking forward to following some great leads with new accounts over the coming weeks.’

Monaco is a combi wardrobe in dark rustic oak and pebble grey with champagne and grey glass fronts.

Limara is a sleek slider in pebble grey and Havana finishes.

Brussels is an urban-look slider in holm oak combined with the new finish slate and mirror options.

Brussels chest of drawers

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Cambridge is a classic British Shaker-style hinged wardrobe in white, champagne and mirror combinations.

Lincoln is a Scandi-look hinged combi range in dark rustic oak, holm oak and pebble grey carcase and door finishes.

Other ranges include semi-solid bi-fold Serena, in new finish champagne glass, and bestseller Loft, updated in pebble grey carcase and glass door finishes.

Visit: www.wiemannuk.co.uk

Limara in Champagne

Everyone’s a winner with Wiemann’s winning ranges!

Monaco

Stand out from your competitors with Wiemann’s award-winning Monaco.

“Why has no-one done this before to this standard? It’s a revelation – and it’s seriously practical. From the unobtrusive lighting to the size and scale, this is seriously practical, giving complete access to the whole wardrobe, and it’s flexible enough to create cracking in-store displays, no matter the space.” The 2019 Judges.

made in germany enquiries@wiemannuk.co.uk | www.wiemannuk.co.uk

IM Full page Wiemann Feb19.indd 1

27/02/2019 20:25

BEDS AND BEDROM

Smeaton

In the family The Smeaton family have been making beds for more than 125 years For six generations the Smeaton family have been manufacturing beds. At the January Furniture Show Healthbeds showed both the Smeaton Brothers and Healthbeds brands and saw orders up 300% on the 2018 show.

The company will be holding its annual At Home show from 24-28 March at its Rotherham showroom, including evening opening. There it will unveil its new Healthbeds collections along with many new fabrics.

The tradition of bed making was first started by Henry Smeaton, who

Active Life

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

made paillasse mattresses filled with straw, under the arches of a bridge in Masboro, Rotherham. On market day, he took them on a horse and cart to Retford Market to sell to the farmers who brought their animals and produce to sell.

Fortunately the horse knew the way back, as Henry had a tendency to visit several hostelries and drink the proceeds on his way home. Hence he had to start all over again the following week.

The family tradition of bed-making

was passed down to his son, Arthur, and his grandsons, Henry (known as Harry) and his elder brothers Harold and Leonard. Using his carpentry skills and drawing on the family tradition, Harry formed a business with Harold, Smeaton Brothers, in a workshop above an undertakers in Wellgate, Rotherham.

In 1968, Harry was able to build a new factory in King Street, but after only six years it was subject to a compulsory purchase order. So he bought some land in Masboro and built a new factory on Sarah Street, coming full circle back to the area where his great-grandfather had established the Smeaton name.

In 2006, the company, now known as Healthbeds, was awarded the original Which? Best Buy and Best On Test for its memory foam and pocket memory mattresses, and with this commendation, constructed its current purpose-built factory at Thurcroft.

In recent years, Toby and Lucy Smeaton have joined the family business, adding a sixth generation to the company history and helping to keep the bed-making tradition alive.

Healthbeds: tel: 01709 561 937

Making sleep and comfort affordable for over 125 years.

One stop quality bed manufacture with chemical free, natural products to the latest in Hybrid technology

Launching our new Healthbeds Collections Come and join us for lunch or dinner at our annual @Home event starting Sunday 24th March and finishing on Thursday 28th March with late nights each evening.

Don’t miss out!

Call: 01709 561937 or email: sales@healthbeds.co.uk

Healthbeds Limited | Kingsforth Road | Thurcroft Industrial Estate | Rotherham | South Yorkshire T: 01709 561937 | sales@healthbeds.co.uk | www.smeatonbrothers.co.uk

BEDS AND BEDROOM

A hybrid version of Bliss has been introduced

Time to reflect

Bliss Hybrid is made in the UK

Dormeo has introduced a hybrid version of Bliss Dormeo has grown organically through product development and innovation during the past 15 years. It has finetuned the boxed mattress concept and also introduced patented technology, contributing to giving the consumer added confidence in the product.

Dormeo has, through its long-term manufacturing strategy, relocated its worldwide production operations much closer to home over the past two years.

As part of this plan it introduced its first ‘Proudly made in the UK’ mattress and on the back of its initial success, introduced a Hybrid version at the January Furniture Show.

Labelled as the Dormeo Reflections Collection, the Bliss and Bliss Hybrid mattresses have a very unique feel, a trait that Dormeo has mastered through its multi award-winning luxury Octaspring range. With Reflections, it’s not the honeycomb foam springs that are creating the difference, rather a 4cm layer of Dormeo’s Reflect Foam above a substantial layer of memory foam that is creating a sensation that has already seen the original Bliss

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Interiors Monthly July 2018

mattress enjoy pride of place in dozens of retailers nationwide.

The Bliss Hybrid takes the core attributes of the original model and adds a layer of Reflect springs, creating a mattress that contours to the body for effortless support whilst retaining a spring-like feel to ease movement.

David Green, Dormeo national sales manager saw an opportunity in the market to design a mattress range that offered unique and demonstrable attributes. ‘There’s no question that memory foam will continue to win the hearts of our customers, especially with the stand-out breathable Octaspring technology we offer; however, we’ve developed Reflect Foam to produce a product that offers a helping hand when changing positions on the bed. The bounce-back qualities ease the effort of movement – and we see this as a niche attribute that will interest mattress shoppers of all ages.’

Dormeo has recently expanded its headboard and

divan range to offer greater colour, material and styling options.

‘Along with the stylish finishes, a threeway storage divan has been added to the range providing our most convenient storage combination yet – once more, the extended range is made locally, reinforcing our push to support local industry,’ says Green.

Visit: www.dormeo.co.uk

Octasprings

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Cloud

Cool

Cotton

Join the club

Protect-A-Bed has introduced a new incentive scheme ‘Over the past year we have been significantly growing sales for our retail partners with the help of our TV display stands. Both the growth in sales and visual impact of the stands have clearly been welcomed. At this year’s January Furniture Show, with support of the displays, we have launched the Protect-A-Bed Platinum Club. The results have been excellent, with existing and new partners joining with an increased focus to maximise sales growth through the Platinum Club,’ says Paul Lake, Protect-A-Bed national sales manager.

‘The Platinum Club has been designed to build, recognise and reward success with unique promotional and discount opportunities, sponsored incentives and tailored POS solutions as well as membership rewards’, says Simon Zamet, Protect-A-Bed ceo.

‘Protect-A-Bed has developed a worldclass programme honed over years of experience, built on a singular focus. This includes a unique sales training and motivational programme, our best in class mattress protection collection and bundled guarantees, state of the art display bays, award winning customer services and claims resolution, and a next day delivery service where required.

‘The Platinum Club is a way of bringing together the very best elements of what we have to offer and what we know works well to build sales. Put the market leading brand to work for you and Protect-A-Bed will increase your profitability.’

‘This is the perfect time to join the Platinum Club as your store can gain a longer benefit throughout 2019. Plus with National Bed Month, it’s an even

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

greater opportunity to take advantage of the raised profile for our industry.

Protect-A-Bed’s ability to upskill your team and increase your sales revenue by maximising every sales opportunity has

been well documented. We can manage every step of the process for you on a no risk basis and build a reward scheme through the Platinum Club,’ says Lake.

Visit: www.protectabed.co.uk

The TV display stand

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Professional Sales Training & Motivational Programme Best in Class Product Innovation and Cooling Technology Genuine 15 Year Guarantee Programme State of the Art Dynamic Display Bays Award Winning Customer Service & Claims Resolution Proven To Increase Profit Next Day Service

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Support system

Zürich

Best known for its sandals, Birkenstock has expanded its bed offer The sandals made by the Birkenstock family business are world-famous. With its renowned footbed, a term it has used since the 1930s, which is modelled on a natural footprint in the sand, they deliver comfort that is valued by millions of wearers worldwide.

For many, however, the brand is more than just a byword for healthy and comfortable footwear. Birkenstock also symbolises a conscious lifestyle and is synonymous with functional comfort, the feel-good factor, natural materials and outstanding quality. It therefore makes perfect sense to expand the portfolio to other areas that tie in with this image.

With its line extension program, the company has sought to develop and supply further products that have a positive impact on the health, quality of life and well-being of users. This plan has seen the introduction of beds, office furniture and cork-based cosmetics.

This year the bed collection was expanded with five new designs along

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

with a deluxe version of the high-end Canberra model.

Made from oak, the solid wood Zürich bed effuses a sense of down-to-earth security with its unusual headboard that curves inward slightly. The unique grain of the wood, which is treated with nothing but natural oils, emphasises the material’s vibrant warmth. The box spring

bed’s elaborately finished, rounded slat design makes it look light and gives room to breathe. It is therefore not only a night-time oasis of tranquility but also a cosy place of retreat during the day. In spacious and open-plan living spaces, the elaborately finished headboard additionally forges an open connection with the room as a 

Basel

HEADBOARDS FOR EVERY BEDROOM Swanglen offer the widest available range of headboards to suit all your needs as well as complementary beds and upholstered bedroom furniture.

For more information and exclusive access to our retailer login please visit our website at swanglen.co.uk or contact one of our sales team: Keith Halliday (North/North Wales) 07795 256 241

Cyril McBroom (Northern Ireland) 07801 475 803

John White (South East/East Midlands) 07715 697 112

Sarah Haines (South West/West Midlands) 07916 164 624

BEDS AND BEDROOM Linz

functional, architectural element. A table can be slotted into the gaps between the slats, making it height-adjustable.

Zürich has a matching baby bedside sleeper, which can also be used as chair when the child has outgrown it.

A soft, oversized upholstered headboard with side sections reminiscent of a wing chair makes the Basel quite the eye-catcher, and exudes relaxation and security. The bed’s cocooning look is rounded off by the upholstered bed base that likewise sports an elaborately crafted, stitched

look. This emphasises the box spring bed’s relaxing feel that says make yourself comfy, read, enjoy breakfast or simply unwind. The bed takes on an especially sophisticated appearance when covered with smooth nubuck leather. The delicately yet dynamically designed bar feet made from powdercoated metal add a touch of lightness to the Basel and lend the bed a modern, weightless look.

The Linz bed offers the best of both worlds, combining the lying and sleeping comfort of a quality box spring bed with

Arran

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

the sitting comfort of a cosy sofa. The headboard with large, attached pillows invites you to relax. After a long day, you can curl up into the soft padding with a good book and take it easy. Linz is a simpler version of the Montreal model.

The bed’s floating design effuses exceptional lightness. This weightless look was achieved by doing away with the wood base and concealing the bed’s feet.

The Arran bed combines minimalist design with box spring bed comfort. Its clear lines focus attention on what really matters, namely a good night’s sleep.

The special construction design makes the Arran look like it is floating, while a floor-standing headboard appropriately brings it back down to earth: the laidback, softly upholstered headboard can also serve as a comfy backrest thanks to its height.

The bed base in a contour-cut look hints at the ergonomic goings-on inside the Arran. It can be fitted with the company’s undulating body contour box that adapts to the shape of the body, allowing for perfect pressure relief, because the exclusive body contour system is now also available in a box spring version.

The Graz’s minimalist bed base takes on a light appearance and can be 

BEDS AND BEDROOM

Graz

paired with a variety of coordinated headboards and feet. The modular system allows for all sorts of combinations of natural materials and colours. Wood, long-lasting soft wool fabrics and high-quality leathers allow customers to create their very own dream bed that’s perfectly tailored to their own style of interior decor.

For the deluxe Canberra Luxury model, Birkenstock clad the bed entirely with thick leather which boasts a lot of character and is soft and pleasantly warm to the touch. This quality natural product develops an attractive patina over the years that gives every bed its own unmistakable identity. It takes eight hours to hand-stitch the thick leather of the headboard alone.

The Canberra Luxury’s sophisticated details include open leather edges and the decorative hand-stitching that adorns both the headboard and the bed base. A floating look is achieved with a set-back trapezoid foot made from a choice of wood or metal.

For users of beds with slatted frames, the company launched two new box spring inlays. With Basic Box, a box spring inlay with a straight pocket spring core base. and Active Box, a curved box spring inlay with integrated body contour system in the pocket spring core base,

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

conventional slatted frame beds can now be converted into fully fledged box spring beds. The slatted frames can simply be replaced by the box spring inlay with integrated body contour system or straight box spring base as desired.

The centrepiece of the Birkenstock sleep concept, the idea behind the body contour system, is simple but effective: the undulating form of the body contour system corresponds to the shape of the human body, which it transposes into seven ergonomic zones on coordinated slatted frames and mattresses. From the elastic head and neck zone and the cushioning lumbar zone through to the

soft heel zone, the seven zones of the system ease the strain on the body and spine at those points where lying down increases the pressure on the mattress and slatted frame. At the same time, the body is supported in the right places, even when lying on one side. Thanks to its high point elasticity and optimum relief, the system facilitates regeneration of the entire musculoskeletal system.

The top of the mattress has a layer of latex and cork granulate.

Birkenstock beds are manufactured to order by Austrian upholstery and bed manufacturer ADA. Visit: www.birkenstock.com

The stitching on the Canberra Luxury’s headboard takes eight hours

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BEDS AND BEDROOM Nola

International appeal Steens enjoyed success at imm cologne imm cologne was a real success for Steens, launching a significant number of globally inspired ranges. Focusing these launches at Cologne has proved very popular with many international customers From a UK perspective, the visitor list was both extensive and of high value, with most placing orders for new products. In addition, a good number of high quality new retail accounts were opened and a good number of active leads are also in progress.

Whilst many products may have been designed with other countries in mind – for example Maga was aimed at the Scandinavian market – their design and specification also proved of great interest

to UK visitors. This is the true benefit of holding an international event where Steens’ full range of design and development capabilities are showcased.

Steens has built an enviable and award-winning capability in the design and supply of children’s bedroom furniture. The launches will both improve the recognition of its expertise and increase its market share where it has ambitions to be the market leader in all our markets, according to the company.

The Venice living and dining collection, originally designed for a Scandinavian customer, was instantly recognised as having international appeal. Including a large collection of tables, chests, cabinets and TV units, this classic design was

a real winner. It also reinforces the major advantage of Steens having strategic partners in many countries where product designs and developments can then be rolled out to other geographical markets. A similar story was to be found with the Skjern and Skyline collections.

With the reclaimed and industrial look becoming ever more mainstream, Steens also showcased the Scandi version of this look through its New York dining and Slimline living cabinets. Combining metalwork and structured pine proved very popular and demonstrated the benefits of being responsible for all processes through design, development, manufacture and supply.

Visit: www.steensgroup.com Maga

New York

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

STEENS GROUP A/S

WHAT AN IMM 2019 SHOW! OUR NEW RANGES HAVE EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS

PAVONA

MAGA

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RUGS

Art becomes life

Nairi Aster Natural

Rifle Paper Co has debuted its rug collection Think stationery and rugs are not what first springs to mind. But this is what Rifle Paper Co has done, in partnership with textiles producer Loloi Rugs. After all, if the illustrations of Anna Bond, Rifle Paper Co co-founder and chief creative officer can make the move from writing desk to premium wallpaper, why not to the floor as well.

Bond’s artwork has been integrated into a series of original designs inspired by antique Persian carpets, lush gardens and vintage patterns. Iconic Rifle floral patterns like Juliet Rose and Wildwood are also present in the collection, as well as the brand’s travel art prints, which have been translated to cushions.

The collaboration launched with three collections that encompass a range of designs, materials and price points.

‘When thinking about rugs and cushions, my goal was to create designs that brighten up the home by bringing in unique colours and patterns,’ explains

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Bond. ‘The pieces in the Rifle Paper Co × Loloi collection are meant to be enjoyed for years to come, so it was important to me that the designs are not only

beautiful but also well-crafted and made to last.’

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RUGS

Les Fleurs Floral Vines Ivory

Les Fleurs Floral Vines Ivory

from anything we’ve done before. As huge fans of Anna Bond and the Rifle Paper Co aesthetic, we’ve genuinely enjoyed the collaborative process with its talented team. And this is only the beginning – expect lots of new rugs and cushions for years to come,’ says Cyrus Loloi, Loloi principal.

Featuring designs reminiscent of the iconic Rifle Paper Co aesthetic, the Les

Nairi Aster Black

Fleurs Collection is a soft, 100% wool collection crafted by artisans in India.

A fresh take on florals, the bold and over-scaled motifs are accentuated by hours of hand-carving, creating depth and dimension.

Bold and bright, the Palais Collection grounds any space with whimsical motifs and playful colours inspired by Bond’s illustrative artwork. Each piece

is printed on a polyester base, ensuring comfort underfoot, colourfastness and stain-resistance.

Vintage motifs meet modern homes in the Nairi Collection. Made in Turkey, with polypropylene and polyester, it has a neutral colour palette and a broad range of sizes, including runners. The collection is designed to fit the aesthetic of any room.

Visit: www.riflepaperco.com SUCCESS STORIES

Anna Bond

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

Launched in 2009 by Bond and her husband Nathan, Rifle Paper Co has since grown into a stationery industry leading brand known for greeting cards, planners and calendars. Its signature aesthetic, shaped by Anna’s hand-painted illustrations, appeals to a spectrum of customers with a look that is both modern and timeless.

Its products are stocked in more than 6,000 stores across 60 countries.

Loloi Rugs is a family-owned company that designs and manufacturers rugs, cushions and throws for the trade.

Founded in 2004, it is a member of the ARTS Awards Hall of Fame, having won Best Rug Manufacturer five times, in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

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BUYING GROUPS

All change

The display stand before and after

Metro member Seymour Dugan Interiors used the group’s marketing service The Metro Group not only negotiates highly competitive terms for its members but also helps them sell market-leading products at a profit.

These days most retailers understand the need for own-branding and Metro is no exception. For more than 20 years the group has promoted its own brand – Carpet 1st, which is a collection of the bestselling products in the UK with the support of the most successful manufacturers.

Metro sources group display systems and graphics but sometimes members want to do things their way: an idea supported by the group.

One recent project was carried out in Northern Ireland at Lisburn retailer

Seymour Dugan Interiors. The company wanted to revitalise its flooring showroom by introducing custom-made displays to showcase a collection of successful hand-picked products. Fitted displays were created and Metro was contacted to use its bespoke marketing service.

The displays were measured and designed to complement the colour scheme of the store. Upper wall graphic panels covered otherwise bland open spaces, display headers in matt black with gloss laser-cut lettering and acrylic pricing holders were created and the transformation was complete. The whole project was fitted in one working day, transforming a basic painted stand into a retail display.

The updated hard flooring department

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Small generic price cards were printed making it simple to change over products without the need for additional printing, with sales messages that could be inserted into positions where prices were not required.

Steve and Adam Moralee from Metro’s marketing team also built and fitted entrance signs and upper graphics for the store’s hard floor department to conceal the storage area, in the form of a 20sqm display with opening access.

The entire job was fitted in one 11-hour visit and demonstrated how, with a little help, retailers can costeffectively market their own business in their own way.

Visit: www.carpet1st.co.uk

The showroom entrance

REVIEW

Ayla’s Dune chair

Showtime

January Furniture Show saw thousands of product introductions Adjustamatic introduced Cysur (comfort in Welsh) as the new de-branded Adjustamatic collection. It includes sizes from 2ft3in x 6ft3in to 5ft x 6ft6in across several price points and has a range of six mattresses.

Lavish, glamorous and decadent: three words to describe the Wonderland themed collection at Alexander & James.

Pom-pom fringes, frills, flounces, bolster cushions, shaggy fabric and a touch of William Morris all featured among the chesterfield-style sofas and story-telling chairs. Colours include dark green and plum and forest fruit shades. ‘There is lots of layering and accessorisation,’ says Michelle Hoines-White, Alexander & James brand director. ‘More is more.’

The concept behind Wonderland is ‘nonsense and tyranny in a world spinning out of control; balanced by ambitious escapism and fairytale themes, combined with the idea of gratitude and being appreciative of what one has.’

In the Wardrobe collection of natural fabrics and leathers, the theme was more

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modern and minimal. The modular sofa on show mixed fabric covers with new dry-cleanable loose-cover leathers for a laid-back feel.

‘The loose look is very different to upholstered,’ says Hoines-White. ‘It’s a twist on shabby chic, but there’s nothing shabby about it as it’s more expensive.

There’s a lot of work in cutting to get loose covers to fit properly and natural fabrics are more expensive anyway.’

Artistic Upholstery’s London collection comes in bespoke sizes and the removable plinth unscrews from the base, making it suitable for small houses. The foam inside the seats is wrapped in feathers, and the feathers in the seat backs have had the stems removed for added softness.

Bazaar Group debuted Ayla, its first retail brand of soft seating, with seven designs: the Dune and Drift chairs, Halo and Mirage pouffes, Horizon lounger and Oasis loveseat and snugchair.

Teak root, a by-product of teak that is normally not used, was the focus of

several pieces at Bluebone, including coffee tables and a new console table.

There was also a new table in charcoalstained mango, a new range of artificial plants and some so-called ‘vegan hunting trophies’ – animal skulls made of resin and teak. 

Park Knoll’s Wycombe

REVIEW

Wiemann’s Brussels

Breasley introduced an ottoman bed with the divider between the two halves of the base cut away towards the foot, making more space across the width. This has been enabled structurally by making the divider out of a single piece of wood, which makes the bed more sturdy. Also new is a top-end mattress with 3,000 pockets. Breasley also added new covers to its main memory foam mattress collection and the Viscoool collection.

Headboards are available in new fabrics.

A new look-book shows retailers ideas for how they can dress the beds with cushions and throws in various shades and textures to make their displays more attractive and to emphasise the bed as the focal point of a fashionable bedroom.

Celebrity unveiled a tie-up with mattress producer Mammoth to use its foam in its recliners and sofas. All products in the five ranges in Celebrity’s ZipSpeed collection will now have Mammoth’s medical-grade foam, at the same price as the previous specification.

Gallery Direct’s Lagom

‘This allows us to help more people and gives more people access to our product.

It fits with our core beliefs and values,’ says John Tuton, Mammoth founder. ‘This is the first time we have made our technology available to another company.’

A drop-down bed, pull-out table and pull-out ironing board were among the modular bedroom features that attracted lots of interest at the Cinquanta3 stand, according to Stuart Bruce, UK agent.

Part of Battistella, better known for the Novamobili brand, Cinquanta3 was showing for the first time as a stand-alone brand. The company’s range of sliding, hinged and bi-fold door wardrobes come in any finish and any combination to fit any space. Carcases can even be cut to fit under sloping roofs for use in loft rooms. Retailers can use the company’s planning software to fit the furniture to their customers’ dimensions.

Collins & Hayes introduced more colour to its offer. The Jefferson sofa has contrast piping and is based on the Lavinia –

Cinquanta3

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Interiors Monthly March 2019

which has new fabric options – and offers the option of slip cover, leather or fabric.

The high-back Hacket chair has the same cover options. Radley and Heath have new fabric options while Alison has a tailored slip cover.

The trend for smaller furniture for smaller homes was seen at Egoitaliano, whose collection of water-repellent and stain-resistant recliners and rocking/ swivel chairs in suede-effect fabric come in new compact sizes. Its high-end D-move modular sofa range, so named because of its movable parts, can make a seat wider or deeper. The various pieces in the range are free-standing and easily moved into different configurations.

Gallery Direct introduced the Lagom brand to its soft furnishings catalogue.

The contemporary Scandi-inspired collection features Nordic-styled throws and feather-filled cushions which combine geometric patterns with modern designs and vibrant colours to give contemporary pieces with a hand-embellished twist to make them unique.

GNG Group has added an entire bed to its Komfi mattress range and is offering a lifetime warranty on certain products: previously it was 15 years. The company has increased its own brand, contract and custom sizes options and is offering new POS. Handicraft, a show newcomer, launched its latest product, GlassVirtuoso, solid wood tables created by fusing wood with liquid glass. The products are hand-made to order, with many types of wood available. Pigments can be mixed to create any colour – even materials like glitter can be added for special effects.

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INC R E A S E Y OU R T U R NOV E R

In the always changing landscape of brick-and-mortar and online retail stores, it’s now more important than ever to communicate with your existing and prospective customers. In order to support this changing landscape, Ordorite are delighted to launch GROWHUB, an innovating new way to get your customers back in store, with the end goal of increasing your turnover.

GROWHUB uses a digital science approach to show who has not come into the store in a given time frame, and prompts you to follow up and send personalised messaging via SMS, email, letter or newsletter to those customers. The system will provide you with industry guided material based on customer trends. Vouchers and loyalty schemes will also be available to entice customers back in. This powerful hub will give you key performance indicators such as the amount of turnover generated, number of quotes converted from a campaign or follow up, previous and current customer purchase trends, and customer data of whom has shown interest in your brand. We’re delighted to be showing this innovative new module at the January Furniture Show and will be giving free digital assessments to customers at the show.

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REVIEW

Orla Kiely’s Fern

its new range of indoor furniture.

Gwillam Crockford, Hartman area sales manager says garden furniture has gone so upmarket in recent years, reflecting the use of the garden as another room, that there is little difference in style and quality. Conversely, some interiors items could also be used outdoors as they are made of treated teak and have aluminium legs that don’t rust. Its recyclable Julia resin outdoor chair comes in three versions: no arms, half arms and full arms.

Highgrove Group’s Highgrove brand now offers Zonagel, a gel sheet that is ergonomically designed to offer the right level of support for different parts of the body. It incorporates Equasleep technology to regulate surface temperature. It’s available in 2,000 and 3,000 pocket options.

Iain James Furniture introduced a new French polished rosewood dining table and sideboard, matching tea table and console.

Julian Bowen’s introductions included the Curve dining collection in American white oak with a matt lacquer finish. Its extending dining table can seat eight and the coffee table has a false double drawer accessible from both sides. The Richmond dining range has added a midnight blue finish while the bedroom range, in

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Elephant’s Breath, includes wardrobes with deeper than standard drawers. The Hayward sofa in velvet comes with black and light oak legs so shoppers can chose after purchase or swap them later.

Nolte’s ranges of bedroom wardrobes have been simplified by slimming down the previous 26 collections to three: Mercato (good), Horizon (better) and Concept Me (best). A trend for people to turn spare rooms into walk-in wardrobes to improve their property, rather than moving home, has been addressed with several options from Concept Me 400.

Features include a lockable safe and pull-out table. Mercato 2.0 now offers three door types – sliding, hinge and the new option of bi-fold.

Nordic-C, the Danish recliner manufacturer, made its JFS debut. After more than three decades of focusing on the Continental European market, the company has formed a partnership with Nordic-C UK, headed by md Peter Anderson and sales director Simon Orr – having developed Memafoam cold cure foam which meets the UK’s flammability regulations. There are three initial Content by Content’s Alto

REVIEW

Whitemeadow’s Dali

collections: Classic, Traditional and Living, with two-week delivery on core ranges in leather soft cover with four week delivery on other products and options.

Pure Designs showcased its range of contemporary tables made from Dekton, a ceramic-look material made from raw materials that are much harder than ceramic. Resistant to scratches, UV, staining, fire and heat, the tables come in a variety of colours and have a 10-year guarantee.

Siren’s new Freja sofa was inspired by the Danish concept of hygge. ‘It’s about neither too little nor too much, and engineering exceptional comfort,’ said Simon Langford, Siren designer. The sofa uses chipped foam, which gives the look and feel of fibre but the performance and reliability of foam. The same filling is used in the seat, back and scatters for total comfort, says Langford.

Sits had a new cord fabric available on several sofa designs with a choice of fixed or loose covers. Colours on the stand included mustard, blues and greens and dusty pink.

A trend for multi-purpose furniture was seen at Skovby, where new multi-use chairs and stools can be used as dining or desk chairs. The company’s bar stool can now reduce to dining chair height and the 55 chair is now available with a swivel base for use in an office environment. The 101 table has two lift-up leaves so it can be used as a desk or can be extended to seat from three to six people for dinner.

The large drawer has two wire shelves that provide storage space and the table is on wheels so it can be easily moved from dining room to home office.

Staingard debuted the Ava, which it claims is the first turnable, all-seasons

mattress-in-a-box in the UK. The Ava mattress has a cooling layer for spring and summer and a memory foam layer for autumn and winter. It has also been Staingard and Sanitized treated.

TCS has added a new top-end model, Natural Sleep, to its Royal Coil bed range, with a wool, cashmere, silk and cotton option to the existing entry level and mid-range beds. There are several new designs in the fabric range made at its own plant and a new offer of dining table and chairs in the cabinet range.

The company also launched several new sofa and chair ranges, all modular and available as three-seater, two-seater, corner and sofabed, with turnable back cushions filled with foam. There are accent chairs to match each collection.

Whitemeadow debuted its partnership with fashion designer Orla Kiely, including a full range of beds, sofas, chairs and accessories. ‘It’s been getting

Sweet Dreams’ Tuscany

interest from retailers who really want to engage with the Orla Kiely brand by stocking products such as wallpaper and bed linen from other brand partners,’ says Zehra Gezer, Whitemeadow marketing manager.

Its Content by Conran brand introduced the tailored Alto, while among the Whitemeadow bed frames was Dali, its tallest yet at 158cm. Seine has wings on the headboard that can be buttoned closed or left open. A trend for slouchy, oversized designs was seen in the new extra-large Luca sofa, snugglers and stools.

Woodman Chairs previewed new chairs, tables and bar stools that it will introduce in the coming weeks. The company said retailers expressed strong echoes of its mantra that the retail world is increasingly about being alert and offering greater choice, style and alternative products.

Visit: www.januaryfurnitureshow.com

Julian Bowen’s Richmond in Midnight Blue finish

www.interiorsmonthly.co.uk

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REVIEW

New direction

The company introduced upholstered bed frames at the show

The Great Chair Company expanded into upholstered bed frames The Great Chair Company brought a host of new products to the January Furniture Show including a new category of upholstered bed frames.

‘Throughout 2018, from our launch at last year’s show, our customer base and product offer grew at pace. We pre-marketed some bed frames at the Autumn Furniture Show in Stoneleigh and from there we understood clearly the huge demand for a fast track simple service supplier,’ says Mark Symes, The Great Chair Company commercial director.

‘Our business foundation is all about being in stock and delivery within 24-72 hours depending on where you are in the UK or Republic of Ireland, so to extend that simple offer to upholstered bed frames was a logical progression.

It’s good to know that in just three months we have grown our bed business from zero to more than 700 floor placements and that’s growing rapidly.

‘The key is our ability to manufacture private label fabrics for the larger group customers and maintain an exclusive prestige collection for independent retailers. We are constantly told by our customers that the quality of our

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product, the outstanding price points and the simple minimum order of just one unit delivered super-fast is so compelling and a huge commercial win.’

The company plans to introduce an exclusive range of sofas later this year, followed by a collection available to the wider trade in 2020.

‘I’ve got great plans for our sofa collections. We have just agreed an exclusivity agreement with a major Spanish fabric mill that gives us access at advantageous rates to some very exciting and fashionable accent fabrics.

This combined with our continuing development of base plain covers directly with mills in China and our own low cost home production of the finished sofa will mean our great sofa business will be best positioned to take advantage of our existing and very substantial account base of retailers,’ says Symes.

‘Recently we have increased our sales office team to support the growing sales demands. Our highly experienced field sales team exhaust themselves in their efforts and our warehouse operations strain that bit more each week as more and more orders need

to be despatched. We are fortunate we are not tied to legacy issues, and we can be quick to react to market trends and adapt our business to the everchanging needs of the retailer and furniture consumer.’

Visit: www.thegreatchaircompany.com

Compton armchair in Isla

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REVIEW Keaton

Otto

Record breaker Westbridge had its best JFS ‘We had one of our best ever January Furniture Shows. With a brand new stand and nine new models there was plenty to be proud of. The feel of the show was a happy one, with buyers buoyant and enthusiastic for our product.

‘Hall 1 had a great buzz and our stand was so busy at times we didn’t have time to take a breath: just how we like it. The hard work that went into creating our show offer definitely paid off as the results were record breaking,’

says Nichola Bell, Westbridge Furniture Designs sales director.

‘Slouch is a superbly comfortable sofa range with soft, squishy arm pads and a choice of seat interiors, in a gentle pastel palette. It is a fun and fashionable upholstery range.

‘Lucille is a glamourous addition to the Westbridge family. This sofa range offers both standard and pillow back options, soft or firm seats. It is available with or without the hand studded detail and

Slouch

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more than 100 fabric choices. Made to a high specification, this has to be the jewel of the range.

‘Our bestselling Keaton has a fresh country look, with a fantastic new body fabric and a combination of velvet and British wool.

‘Otto is a cute but stylish accent chair, available in more than 100 fabric choices.

It can sit with any range and is perfect as a standalone bedroom chair.’

Visit: www.westbridgefurniture.com

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REVIEW

Glass top options are transparent and grey

Star turn

Fusello’s design is award winning Alf DaFre’s Fusello dining table is a design born of tradition: the spindle legs evoking the spools for winding thread used to make Lombardy’s prized Cantu lace.

The combination of the legs and top options give the table an innately soft appearance.

The company had reason to celebrate at the January Furniture Show after Fusello took home the Living and Dining category prize in The Furniture Awards.

The table is available in three sizes: 100cm x 200cm, 100cm x 240cm and 100cm x 280cm.

The base is available in a choice of

18 colours, including matt brushed oaks, and there are three top options: wood, glass and marble.

In the wood tops there are the 18 finishes of the legs; in glass there is the option of transparent or grey, and there are two black marbles.

Visit: www.alfdafre.it

The table is available in 18 wood finishes

There is a choice of two marble tops

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FUSELLO is a table born out of tradition The base is made up of spindle legs, evoking the spool for winding thread used to make Cantu lace.

The table’s innately soft look is given not only by these legs but also bythe different physical forms the top can take on, and the use of wood, a material offering the very best sculptural qualities.

Alf DaFrè Strada Maestra D’Italia 32 31016 Cordignano Treviso Italy.

Phone: +39 0438 997111 Fax: +39 0438 997245 E-mail: alf@alf.it

WINNER

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REVIEW

New tricks

Trigano

Alpha Designs surpassed its expectations Alpha Designs Upholstery specialises in contemporary fabric upholstery, which is manufactured at its Wolverhampton factory.

‘We once again surpassed all sales expectations on our new models at the January Furniture Show, successfully launching Nido, Riposo and Trigano, with also a new velvet fabric treatment

on the established Pagoda collection.

This will hopefully prove to our current and new customers who visited the stand that we continue to be a progressive UK manufacturer at the forefront of designs and fabrics.

‘These new Spring ranges, designed and developed with a leading furniture designer, offer a further breadth of

styles, with total flexibility on all fabrics across all models,’ says Barry Webb, Alpha sales director.

Alongside its successful commercial ranges, which ensured 2018 was its best year to date, and a can-do attitude to business, these new models will continue the growth of Alpha Designs, he says.

Alpha Designs, tel: 01902 492 937

Pagoda

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ALPHA D E S I G N S Elegant upholstery, handmade in the UK by a family company with passion, dedication and care

Riposo 4Str Pillow Back

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07/12/2017 16:43

International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair, 20-23 April, Hong Kong

PREVIEW

A decade of ideas Next month will see the tenth edition of the show The HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair is returning from 20-23 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Entering its tenth edition, the show is an ideal sourcing platform and an information exchange hub for fine home textiles.

The exhibition will run concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, which is the largest event of its kind in Asia. The twin shows will together form a one-stop sourcing platform to meet buyers’ needs for all kinds of household items and home textiles. Last year, almost 49,000 buyers from a total of 112 countries and regions visited the two events, with more than 19,000 buyers attending for the Home Textiles Fair.

This year, more than 300 global exhibitors are expected to present a vibrant selection of textile products.

Exhibitors are categorised under seven

More than 300 exhibitors will take part

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Above left: There will be three Indian pavilions. Above: More than 19,000 buyers are expected

Interiors Monthly March 2019

theme zones to ensure an easy-to-navigate setting and superior sourcing experience.

Hall of Glamour, the premium zone of the show, features high-end, design-led textiles and furnishings. Leading companies including Ava International, Craftex India, I&S Co, J-Tex (HK) Co and Kerala Balers will be returning to the exhibition. Alongside first-time participating brand Casablanca in the Baby & Bedroom Textiles zone, these exhibitors will showcase their quality textiles covering bedding, curtains, carpets and towels.

Environmental awareness is on the rise and so is the demand for green products. Consumers, particularly those in mature markets such as Japan, the US and western Europe, are enthusiastic about eco-friendly properties of natural fibres. To cater to the surging demand, the show highlights environmentally friendly and sustainable products by labelling exhibitors with green products or hotel supplies for effective sourcing.

Other zones include Bathroom & Kitchen Textiles, Carpet & Floorcoverings, Window Fashion & Accessories, Upholstery & Furnishing Products and Design Solutions & Trade Services.

Casablanca Home, a well-known Hong Kong brand, will be participating for the first time to present a variety of bedding products, including the patented Anti-Mosquito Summer Quilt.

Using advanced technology from HHL Technology Vital Protection from the UK, the Mosquito Repellent Series has been proven as highly effective in repelling

mosquitoes, midges, bugs, sandflies and fleas within 30cm.

A spectrum of quality textile products from eminent brands will be showcased.

Korean exhibitor I&S Co is returning to present a wealth of high-quality rugs and mats, including the Dwinguler Yoga Mat. It has a three-layer structure, with foam top and bottom to provide cushioning and support and a fabric layer to prevent bending. It also has a non-slip embossed surface to prevent the mat from moving during use, making it suitable for intensive exercise such as yoga and pilates.

The show will once again welcome group pavilions. Three textile industry associations from India: the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC), Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) will showcase the best of their textile products in group pavilions.

Adding to it will be two new groups from Tongxiang Zhouquan and Pujiang, in China’s Zhejiang province, with premium bedding products, especially quilts.

To facilitate business matching and networking, an array of activities will be held during the exhibition, including product demo and launchpad sessions, where suppliers can introduce their latest products to buyers in an interactive and relaxing atmosphere.

Participants can also keep abreast of the latest market trends and updates at the forums and seminars held by experienced professionals and experts in the industry.

Visit: https://hkhometextilesfair.hktdc.com

AREA SALES MANAGERS Associated Weavers, one of the largest and most respected carpet brands in UK are looking for two motivated and committed Area Sales Managers to enable the company to drive forward in the fast-growing Luxury Vinyl Flooring market.

We have an opportunity in the following two areas.

• North West and North East England.

• Midlands, South Wales and South West England.

• Associated Weavers will add a new edge to the ever growing Luxury Vinyl Flooring market, creating innovative display and market leading branding, this is an opportunity to join a dynamic and forward-thinking company at the beginning of a new exciting era.

• The ideal applicant will have proven detailed experience of Luxury Vinyl Flooring with a good understanding of the market, ideally living on the territory, you will be required to visit existing Associated Weavers customers as well as source new customers selling display stands, managing their Luxury Vinyl Flooring account and of course building the brand.

• The role is suited to someone who is a great communicator with good sales, IT and planning skills, you must be driven to succeed and enjoy working hard, you will also hold a full driving licence.

• As an ambitious professional you will welcome this outstanding opportunity to further your career with such a high-profile company.

• A competitive salary, attractive bonus structure, pension scheme with a company car, iPad and phone will be offered to the successful applicants.

Interested applicants, please forward your current CV and covering letter to jonathan.davies@associatedweavers.co.uk

Exciting Sales Opportunity

Exciting Sales Opportunity

Sales Representative

Sales Representative

West London / Middlesex / part Surrey

Devon and Cornwall

Earnings £50,000 +

Earnings £50,000 +

Cormar Carpets is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of tufted carpets,

Cormar Carpets is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of tufted carpets,

supplying stylish, quality carpets to the retail, contract and wholesale trade

supplying stylish, quality carpets to the retail, contract and wholesale trade

throughout the UK.

throughout the UK.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual with the

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual with the

ability to realise the full potential of this established territory. Knowledge

ability to realise the full potential of this established territory. Knowledge

of the carpet trade is not essential, however previous sales experience is

of the carpet trade is not essential, however previous sales experience is

required as applicants must be able to demonstrate a proven successful

required as applicants must be able to demonstrate a proven successful

sales record.

sales record.

The ideal candidate would live on territory, although this is not essential.

The ideal candidate would live on territory, although this is not essential.

As a consequence, we will accept applications from those who live in close

As a consequence, we will accept applications from those who live in close

proximity to the territory shown.

proximity to the territory shown.

An above average salary and benefits package is available for the successful

An above average salary and benefits package is available for the successful

applicant, including basic salary plus commission on sales, company car and

applicant, including basic salary plus commission on sales, company car and

pension scheme. Previous applicants may apply.

pension scheme. Previous applicants may apply.

Please send your CV and hand written covering letter summarising your

Please send your CV and hand written covering letter summarising your

relevant skills and experience for the attention of Carla Grant, HR Manager,

relevant skills and experience for the attention of Carla Grant, HR Manager,

Cormar Carpets, Brookhouse Mill, Greenmount, Bury, BL8 4HR.

Cormar Carpets, Brookhouse Mill, Greenmount, Bury, BL8 4HR.

Close date for applications: Wednesday 13th March

Close date for applications: Wednesday 13th March

RECRUITMENT If you are looking to recruit staff for your furniture and flooring stores.. then INTERIORS MONTHLY offers a great package!

Our online package is just, £175. Your advert will appear in our jobs section on the website until the position is filled, or you ask us to remove. Our weekly newsletter, which is mailed every Thursday to 12,500+ industry professionals, also includes a list of these latest jobs.

If you have both online and quarter page recruitment advert in our magazine, the cost will only be £250!

Costs for larger recruitment adverts are available upon request.

Please contact Jarrod on E: jbird@interiorsmonthly.co.uk T: 01565 631 397

Retail Sales Executive Ulster Carpets’ is one of the world’s largest and most progressive carpet manufacturers, servicing global retail and contract markets. We now have a vacancy for a Retail Sales Executive with responsibility for developing sales through our Independent retail accounts covering North Wales, Cheshire, The Wirral, Manchester & The Potteries.

We offer a competitive salary, company car, medical cover, contributory pension scheme and profit related pay, along with good development and progression opportunities.

To apply send your tailored CV and a covering letter detailing how you meet the following criteria: 1. Sales experience ‘on the road’ as a manufacturer’s representative (ideally a minimum of 2 years) 2. The ability to achieve sales targets, provide details of results and achievements 3. The motivation and enthusiasm to grow and increase sales in the territory Applications should be emailed before Friday 15 March 2019 at 12 noon to recruit@ulstercarpets.com, or by post to The Monitoring Officer, Ulster Carpets, Castleisland Factory, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 1EE. To speak with a member of our team telephone 028 38334433.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer

Premier

The perfect finish

Gripperrods® Premier Floor Edgings provide an exceptional finish to premium flooring installations.

Available in two finishes; brushed steel nickel and chrome to co-ordinate with modern home accessories.

interfloor.com 01706 238 810 14087 Premier Range Ad_297x210mm_100%_V2_S5.indd 1

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