Rising to the top
This month we’re finally able to reveal and celebrate the Gold Winners of this year’s National Flooring Innovation Awards – the showcase of the industry’s best and brightest ideas.
Following an intense and lengthy deliberation process, the Flooring Innovation Award judges have finally pared down their original list of 40 winners to only the very best, for a final list of 11 Gold Awards. Covering all flooring types, designs, accessories, installation products, as well as environmental, marketing and technology initiatives, the 2025 edition of the awards saw more than 130 entries – a record since the competition began in 2018!
The National Flooring Innovation Awards are designed to be different from most other ranked prizes across the industry, instead aiming to recognise everything that is genuinely new, exciting and innovative in the UK flooring industry, so buyers can focus on fresh opportunities.
Star judge Bridgette Kelly, former Interiors Director with the Campaign for Wool, will present the Gold Awards in person to winners at this year’s INDX show in Solihull. When the shortlist of 40 initial winners was announced earlier this year, Kelly said: “The appetite to innovate is undiminished. The flooring sector has been sluggish but the industry continues to take the initiative to drive forward and invest in a better future. Well done to everyone who made that difference.”
David Spragg, another member of the judging panel and former editor of The Stocklists, said: “It’s often tempting to think that all the best ideas have been done and the rest is just tinkering around the edges. But the winning awards entries demonstrate that this just isn’t the case. There’s plenty that is genuinely new and exciting to tempt consumers to buy in the year ahead – and to help the industry run more efficiently.”
Throughout the following pages, we’ve highlighted each of this year’s winners, showcasing why each one was more than worthy of top honours. While 2025 is already proving itself to be just as tough as 2024, if not more so, the creativity and ingenuity shown by these companies is proof positive that the flooring industry is more than capable of weathering the storm.
www.flooringinnovationawards.com
Carpets, Natural
Delft Square by Telenzo Carpets
This loop pile collection takes its influence and title from the heritage of European modern lifestyles combined with Telenzo’s Dutch heritage. The colour palette is carefully considered, neutrals that echo both warmth and coolness, modern yet traditional. It is made in 2-ply New Zealand wool. Herringbone adds an on-trend option to the Delft Square portfolio of bouclé designs.
Carpets, Man-Made
Anywhere Ca-rPET by Alternative Flooring
The Anywhere Ca-rPET collection. uses yarn crafted from recycled plastic bottles – 50 bottles creating 1kg of yarn. This innovative flooring mimics the luxurious look of sisal while delivering the softness of wool. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, Anywhere Ca-rPET is available in 4 and 5m widths and boasts exceptional durability and stain resistance.
Design, Carpets
Bespoke Carpet & Rug Edging by Nicola Edwards
Bespoke carpet and rug edging has become the essential fashion accessory for prestige flooring installations and adds unique quality to interior design. Nicola Edwards offers two main styles of edging. Using a specialised technique, the taping method is used to create a statement edge to any bespoke stair runner in an extensive range of finishes including plain and striped, cotton, linen, leather, faux leather and faux suede. Alternatively, whipped edges use yarn to overlock the carpet edges to create a more traditional, cost-effective finish.
Smooths
Divine Oak by Invictus (Associated Weavers)
Part of the classy Invictus Maximus LVT collection, Divine Oak combines a sophisticated, muted look with a dash of character in three soft pastel shades. Parquet and herringbone designs lead in popularity. Embossed in register and bevel edges add to the authenticity and an ultra-strong Scratchmaster top layer and waterproof performance add to its credentials.
As the first ‘digital design floor’ LVT product in the UK, Tarkett are delighted to have won an Flooring Innovation Award for 2025.
Unlike most other LVT floors, Inspiration Naturals by Tarkett is digitally printed and manufactured in its European factories. Digital printing brings a superb level of additional, rich detail to the finished visual but also allows the designers to ‘play’ with a 12 square metre pattern repeat – something like four times the area of an ‘analogue’ LVT. Wih this ‘almost invisible’ pattern repeat, Tarkett can be much more adventurous with the designs they present to the market.
Coupled with this innovation, there is the super matt Tektanium PU surface protection coating, which as well as radically reducing surface glare for a more natural look, offers a best-in-class stain and scratch resistance after installation.
And it is super easy to clean.
Inspiration Naturals is available exclusively to Tarkett’s Independent Retailer network & being promoted with a national digital advertising campaign - ‘The Perfect Stage for Life’ - across all key consumer platforms.
Underlay & Accessories
Grande Waltz by Wilsons Underlays
Grande Waltz is a high performance underlay combining comfort and durability whilst being sustainable for a greener future. It is part of Wilsons’ luxury eco-conscious range of underlays which features a recycled based brown paper backing with no bleaching processes compared to white paper. It is manufactured with 100% recycled foams making it ideal for those looking to tread softer on the planet! It is available comes in a choice of 9mm or 11mm thickness.
Environmental
EcoRugs by Louis de Poortere
With the launch of Ecorugs and the Take Care programme, Louis De Poortere is transforming the way the retail flooring industry thinks about recycling. For the first time, customers will be able to return their rugs to Louis De Poortere for reuse or recycling into a new rug.
To make this possible Louis De Poortere has moved away from cotton and now only makes its rugs from a 100% recyclable construction. Importantly, every part of the rug is made from the same material, even the label can be recycled. Alongside, it has set up the Take Care programme that makes it easy to return the rug directly to Louis De Poortere so it can control the recycling process.
Installation Products
Plank Grabber by FloorFix Pro
Plank Grabber is a highly innovative tool designed to solve one of the most common challenges in flooring installation: fixing gaps in floating floors and navigating tight spaces with ease. Using cutting-edge Nano Suction technology, the Plank Grabber adheres seamlessly to various plank surfaces, even those with textured wood finishes, ensuring a secure grip every time. Made in the UK, Plank Grabber takes the stress out of floating floor installations, offering a practical, efficient solution.
Marketing
Tredaire-nauts by Interfloor
Interfloor is boldly going where no underlay brand has gone before with their super high-profile marketing campaign for Tredaire under the tagline: “Feels like nothing on earth.” At the heart of this initiative was a commitment to redefine the standards of comfort and luxury underfoot. Through an extensive TV, radio, and digital advertising campaign, consumers were beckoned to explore the world of Tredaire, and retailers are being supported with exceptional merchandising and promotion.
The Tredaire-nauts have become familiar characters as they target earth with this campaign and will continue their mission in 2025.
Editor’s Choice
BioSisal by fibre
fibre’s BioSisal is a revolutionary eco-friendly flooring made entirely from renewable, organic materials.
The 100% sisal pile is harvested in Brazil from small-scale farms that avoid pesticides and chemical fertilizers, forming part of a cooperative that ensures fair wages and sustainable farming.
Most carpets have synthetic backings making the carpet difficult to recycle and invariably ending up in the landfill. BioSisal features a unique plant-based backing crafted from kenaf, hemp, and recycled sisal coffee sacks, needle-punched directly into the pile—eliminating latex, fillers, and adhesives. The result is a stylish, durable product that’s 100% recyclable and compostable, setting a new standard in natural and ethical flooring from start to finish.
Digital Technology
Smart Display by Floorify
Floorify arrived in the UK market
from Belgium in 2022 in some style and its new XXL Smart Display is one of the most innovative POS concepts in the market for vinyl floors. When a customer pulls out a sample from the rack selection, the large digital monitor above the display instantly changes to show that sample in different roomsets. The salesman is also helped as that floor’s benefits and technical details are also presented – better still, the display is linked to Floorify’s logistics hub so the retailer can see the level of UK stock available.
