Despite the industry-wide downturn, John Bain, Brintons’ global design director, still believes sustainability will be a priority in the upcoming year. He also thinks interior designers will be even more creative and take more risks in an effort to break away from the doom and gloom of 2009.

Bain recently chatted about the carpet industry and the state of design in hospitality and what he’s sees going forward as a tough 2009 comes to a close.

What can we expect to see in 2010?
People have definitely got their eye on the environment so sustainability will be a big driver to trend in 2010. In a recession people can regroup back into the comfort zone of things that are safe and that they are familiar with so there may be some of that, but in the main, you will definitely see inspiration and risk-taking as we strive to set ourselves free from doom and gloom to create a sense of breaking free and people seeking a bit of ‘escapist glamour.’

I anticipate there will be more experimentation with surface materials in 2010 to meet with expectations about sustainability. This is influenced by the ‘eco drive,’ so products and yarns or materials made from hemp, banana, raffia, bamboo and grass will be everywhere. From cars to the interior, exploration and exploitation of anything with an ‘eco’ label will dominate next year.

Boutique hotels continue to lead the way with innovation and directing future trends. Travelers demand more value, but also seek a more unique experience. Boutique hotels provide originality and the character of interior space to meet this expectation.

Adventurous interior designers are doing really amazing things with scale at the moment, like putting a four-meter high standard lamp as a centerpiece in a hotel entrance—almost transferring the piece into art.

Any examples of these new trends and how designers will get more creative?

One of the key trends in this area, which is an extension of last year’s ‘old mixed with new,’ is the growth of salvage and ‘reclaimed’ pieces--pieces that have the patina and character of being ‘aged’ in use, but are fine pieces in their own right. The finish is distressed, but in quality materials.

These pieces are being used alongside highly contemporary interior finishes, furniture and accessories. ‘Trompe l’oeil’ effects are enjoying a renaissance once again and antique colors are working with the popular grape, aubergine and olive beige combinations that are popular today.

Quality and value will gain prominence in 2010—a sustainable positive theme. Products that are made in high quality materials last a long time and offer good value, while the quality in materials such as wool, silk, textures, cotton, natural fibers and solid woods, marble, stone, and other natural surfaces all reflect the ‘nod to nature’ that is symbolic of the sustainable agenda.

Are there any new color schemes you look forward to?

Color can lift a mood more than anything so I think people will be seeking to use brighter colors with bold design on a big, almost out of context scale in 2010. Some of the pink, turquoise and yellow colors bring a sense of playfulness in our use of color as bright splashes on otherwise natural palettes. Bright blue, yellow, green and red are natural primaries that will give impact and freshness to an interior.

I think there will be a lot of emphasis on what clients really want and (designers) working hard to match their expectations better in public areas such as hotel lobbies. It will be more about people and less about traditional space utilization in 2010.

For example, I think there will be a move in hotel lobbies toward creating area spaces that are less about big open entrances and more about more intimate areas that are more about lifestyle. I think we will see more use of big bold patterns in hotel entrances to create drama and contrast. Design and color will play a key part in this. Areas will be ‘marked out’ using pattern or color that is designed into the floor space. For instance, there will be areas that can be used by families, areas for business meetings, areas for relaxing, etc.

With regards to color for 2010, I would say the combinations that have been popular in 2009 and still have a bit of action left in them are brown taupe with celadon or jade, yellow green with grape, navy blue and aubergine, aubergine and grape with antique gold and warm brown grey tones.

The green palette and the use of brights will dominate into 2010 with stronger combinations using color accents to amplify or play down a color palette to create an atmosphere, an emotion or a mood.

Color is highly emotive. At the moment, stronger pure color accents are being used with the many neutral palettes to create a sense of drama and breaking free from the doldrums. At the darker end of the palette, deep navy, cranberry and olive greens will be used across a variety of surfaces like wool, leather and more textural materials for a more tactile approach. The sustainability agenda is an influential discussion point with regards to color use.

What are the benefits of using carpets as floor covering in a hotel?
Carpet provides many benefits in a hotel environment. It’s particularly comfortable under foot for guests; it’s a good insulator so it contributes to minimizing heat loss, and carpet also has excellent acoustic benefits--something that’s critical for a hotel. Carpet is great for absorbing sound, so for spaces like corridors and lobbies, it’s a vital tool for preventing sound pollution from one area to another.

Carpet also gives hotels another opportunity to make a strong and bespoke design statement. We work with lots of clients that want to use breathtaking Axminster carpet designs in their hotels because they know that making a feature of the floor will bring invaluable differentiation.

Carpet also helps to reduce the dirt in the hotel atmosphere because our Axminster is made from a unique 80/20 blend of wool and nylon that helps to trap dust.

Finally, woven carpet will last for between five and 10 years because it doesn’t delaminate as the backing is an integrated part of the product. This means the carpet will take longer to ‘ugly’ out in high traffic areas of a hotel.

With sustainability remaining a key concern in the hotel industry, what is your company doing to implement change?
Brintons achieved ISO 14001 accreditation this year and as part of this initiative, we now have a company-wide environmental management system. We are constantly looking to decrease waste and improve our resource management.
One example of this is that Brintons has introduced an Axminster modeling program (AMP) that allows customers to visualize custom designs and color schemes in Axminster construction through computer-generated paper simulations, rather than through traditional woven strike-offs. The use of AMP ensures significant timesaving can be achieved at various stages during an installation project. It also brings a number of valuable environmental benefits as less energy and material is needed for production and there is a reduction in shipping and pollution.

With relation to energy performance, Brintons has improved energy efficiency throughout the group during the course of the last decade. In December 2006, the company joined the Carbon Trust's Energy Accreditation Scheme; despite an increase in production capacity, our energy consumption decreased by more than 2,000,000 kWh per year.

All of Brintons’ sites are tasked with continually reducing energy consumption and this has led to a reduction in emissions. Typical results so far have been a 5-percent reduction per annum.

Also, Brintons' products already meet strong international environmental performance standards. Our carpets and rugs meet Green Label Plus standards for indoor air quality, and our carpets are used in LEED-certified buildings.

Are you seeing an increased request for sustainable products?
Yes, definitely. The LEED building system seems to be spreading outside of North America and sustainability is a concern for all of the large hotel chains. Incidentally, Brintons is building a new factory in China to a LEED standard in recognition of this.

Clients also like the fact that our carpet is manufactured using the ultimate sustainable resource: wool. And as Brintons sources wool from sheep that are bred for meat, the carbon footprint of the wool is lower than wool from sheep that are reared for their fleece.