Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

1 5 5 A multicoloured octopus provides a design feature in a floor covering Forbo Flooring Systems designed for a children’s play area To create innovative designs that meet clients’ specific requirements, Forbo Flooring Systems relies on its Flotex FR floor covering collection, which has been approved for marine use by both the International Maritime Organization and Lloyd’s Register. The unique, textile flocked floor covering has a smooth velour- like surface that looks and feels like a carpet but has the durability and cleaning properties of resilient flooring. It is warm and comfortable underfoot, absorbs sound and meets the wet and dry slip resistance classifications for use on flat surfaces and ramps. Consequently, it can be installed in multifunctional areas, restaurants, bars, corridors, children’s play areas, theatres, cinemas and cabins. According to Holmes, the biggest benefit of Flotex FR is that it can be easily customised with different patterns and colours using Forbo Flooring Systems’ rotary and digital printing technology. “Flotex FR is the perfect high-density textile substrate for printing complex designs and vibrant colourways in a high-definition photographic resolution,” he says. “We have a library of more than 500 Flotex Vision FR references, and we can adapt, recolour or rescale them to suit any interiors.” True design flexibility lies in Forbo Flooring Systems’ digital printing technology. “Digital printing allows us to easily produce custom new floor coverings with feature pieces, logos and bespoke design that fulfil our clients’ specific project requirements,” explains Holmes. “For example, when I was asked to develop a fun and eye-catching floor covering inspired by marine wildlife and mythical creatures for a children’s play area, I used Flotex FR to develop a feature design with elements that could be repeated in borders and other areas of the room. The multi-pattern, multicoloured, friendly octopus met the brief nicely. “Thanks to this incredible versatility, designers worldwide consider Flotex FR as the ideal blank canvas for demonstrating their creativity – the flooring possibilities are almost limitless.” CFR “ Designers worldwide consider Flotex FR as the ideal blank canvas for demonstrating their creativity”