December 2010 winner of the Interior innovation award 2011
Maj 2010 nominated for the Design Award, Designpreis Deutschland 2011
Press release
March 2010
Design award for Fletco Carpet Tiles A/S
STARCK by Fletco succeeds in red dot design award
With its outstanding and innovative design, STARCK by Fletco by Fletco Carpet Tiles A/S managed to impress the jury of one of the most prestigious international design competitions. In the “red dot award: product design STARCK by Fletco was awarded the “red dot” quality label for high design quality by the jury consisting of top-class experts. The festive awards presentation with more than 1,000 guests will take place in the opera house, the Aalto-Theater, on 5 July , the 2010 European Capital of Culture, the product will then be presented in a four-week special exhibition at the red dot design museum on the premises of the Zollverein colliery.
Quote: “The Starck by Fletco collection is not so much about carpets or rugs. It’s a magical game. Imagine a game in which you cannot lose. A game in which every card is a good card, every combination is a winner, all moves are allowed, and in which all rules can be made up as you go along. A collection of squares, like the letters of a novel or the notes of a symphony which give you infinite possibilities to create styles, drawings, compositions, colours… your own score, your own work of art. And what’s more, it's easy. Magical squares for my friends, particularly my architect friends,” explains Philippe Starck.
“All products that have won an award in the red dot design award had to convince an international expert jury of their quality. The products stand out from the masses with their excellent design and innovative approaches and proved their quality in one of the toughest design competitions worldwide,” explains design expert Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award. This year, designers and companies from 57 nations with a total of 4,252 products took part in the “red dot award: product design”.
The exhibition of the winning products in the red dot design museum
Together with the other award-winning products, STARCK by Fletco will be on display from 6 July to 1 August the exhibition “Design on stage – winners red dot award: product design at the red dot design museum on the premises of the ‘Zeche Zollverein’ World Cultural Heritage Site in . After that it will be presented in the red dot design museum’s permanent exhibition for at least one year. With approximately 1,500 products on more than , the red dot design museum houses the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design worldwide.
The red dot design award
Today, the red dot design award, the origins of which go back to 1955, is the largest and most renowned design competition worldwide. It consists of the individual disciplines “red dot award: product design”, “red dot award: communication design”, and “red dot award: design concept”. In 2009 the competition recorded about 12,000 entries from more than 60 nations.
Philippe Starck: Thinking square for the first time
Designer Philippe Starck has created patterns and figures for sustainable and flexible Fletco carpet tiles. The concept will be launched on 16–19 January 2010 at the DOMOTEX international trade show in . Danish carpet manufacturer, Fletco, approached French star designer Philippe Starck and asked him to create a carpet tile concept that combines high-end and visionary international design with the growing demand for flexibility, individuality and sustainability.
The result is a comprehensive, elegant and innovative range of carpet tiles that provides endless combinations of patterns and colours to match any interior design scheme. Fletco carpet tiles are made of
high quality Antron®carpet fibres. The Antron®carpet fibre brand stands for great aesthetics and high performance in carpets. The new Fletco Carpet Tiles, Starck by Fletco” range will be launched in
January 2010 at the DOMOTEX trade show in .
Ingeniousness à la Philippe Starck Fletco had three excellent reasons for wanting Philippe Starck to design the range: Starck’s cheerful,
ethical and poetic approach to design, his wealth of experience with interior and industrial design for exclusive hotels and restaurants, and his strong commitment to environmental issues.
In the Starck by Fletco collection, Philippe Starck has toyed with figures, icons and patterns. With his characteristically creative approach, he has worked to provide an option to incorporate other materials,
such as brushed aluminium, wood, glass, steel and even Nanolight, into carpet tiles, to create very expressive, individual effects.
For use in office environments, public buildings, hotels and restaurants, the carpet tiles can be incorporated with lettering, logos and other creative ideas and modes of expression for added
individuality.
The exclusive Starck by Fletco collection includes a plethora of tiles in different designs, where the individual figures, icons and patterns and the background can be combined freely in 12 different colours,
making the collection the perfect choice for creative architects, interior architects and designers who want to add an extra dimension to the sensory expression of their work. Starck has managed to develop a
deeply rich implement at the disposal of architects who can now express their personal creativity by exploring the infinite combinations.
“The Starck by Fletco collection is not so much about carpets or rugs. It’s a magical game. Imagine a game in which you cannot lose. A game in which every card is a good card, every combination is a winner, all moves are allowed, and in which all rules can be made up as you go along. A collection of squares, like the letters of a novel or the notes of a symphony which give you infinite possibilities to create styles, drawings, compositions, colours… your own score, your own work of art. And what’s more, it's easy. Magical squares for my friends, particularly my architect friends,” explains Philippe Starck.
Philippe Starck’s textiles debut
This is the first time that Philippe Starck has cast his contagious, visionary and revolutionary design approach into designing carpets. In fact, it is the first time he has ever worked with home textiles.
Moreover, this is the first time Starck has worked with a Danish company. Fletco’s Director Benny Jensen is particularly pleased about working with Starck.
“We know that customers are looking for individual solutions, adapted 100 % to meet the needs of the individual hotel, office building or restaurant. What matters is creating unforgettable experiences, unique visual expression and the perfect ambience. The interior, the function and the design of any building have to be coordinated. Our new Philippe Starck carpet tiles collection is designed to bring utmost quality design all the way down to floor level,” explains Benny Jensen.
Benny Jensen adds that Fletco will be marketing and selling the new collection to the contract sector all
across , ready for delivery from early 2010.
Sustainability as a shared value
Philippe Starck is famous for incorporating sustainability and eco-friendly solutions into his industrial designs. He is also a man who expects a great deal of his business partners.
Bearing these factors in mind, the Starck-Fletco partnership was destined to work: both are innovative brands, spearheading the markets on issues related to the environment and sustainability.
“At Fletco, we applaud the fact that a world-renowned designer like Philippe Starck prioritises environmental concerns as part of any cooperative venture. His priorities perfectly match our attitudes to the future of flooring and to how we run our company generally. We are one of a small group of carpet manufacturers that has set new standards for taking environmental issues into consideration at all stages of production,” says Benny Jensen.
One particular environmental problem that applies to carpet tiles generally is the backing, which traditionally contained PVC or bitumen. Thanks to new production technology, the backing of Fletco Carpet Tiles is guaranteed free of these and other harmful substances.
Fletco has contributed to the development of the new technology, given the name ‘TEXtiles’. Briefly, the environmental advantages of TEXtiles are that it is 100 % recyclable and made of 60 % recycled materials. TEXtiles production is almost completely CO2 neutral, and all production waste is collected and returned to the production cycle. TEXtiles is uniquely durable, giving carpet tiles a long life-time – to the benefit of the environment.
In addition to sustainability, TEXtiles offers consumers a number of health-related advantages: The materials are allergy-tested and approved, they emit neither odours nor harmful gasses, and the TEXtiles backing not only insulates for sound but also has a shock-absorbant effect.
Fletco will be presenting the new product range at the DOMOTEX trade show on 16–19 January . Philippe Starck will of course be present.