EF Contract revealed new product styles and collections inspired by the textures of urban life at NeoCon 2019. Held annually in Chicago, NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interior design professionals.
“Our theme this year – Inhabit – explores the way people and cities are inspired by each other to create the texture of urban communities,” said Susan Curtis, vice president of product development and design for EF Contract. “We’re charmed by the city’s grit, that on second glance is beauty. It’s the taste of a craft brew, the song of a guitar that echoes from a local stage, the peeling posters lining the walls of an alleyway. This is what inspired us to step back and realize how it’s the collective people inhabiting each city, adding these elements day by day, that slowly build a city’s unique texture, layer upon layer. Our new products are inspired by all of these elements."
EF Contract’s new Palimpsest Collection is a pair of 18”x36” carpet plank styles inspired by the Middle Age’s practice of scraping or washing text from parchment so that it could be reused. Faint underwriting was usually visible beneath the top text creating a rich, textural effect. The styles in the Palimpsest Collection explore the modern application of layered communication in urban environments, such as posters, notices, and stickers in public places. Made with 100% Encore SD nylon, the collection features two styles, Codex, a smaller scale pattern with a metallic yarn highlight, and Script, a larger scale tip-shear carpet tile with identifiable lettering. Both styles are available in 11 versatile colorways.
The Brewhouse Collection is a broadloom product and a pair of 24"x24” carpet tile styles that are inspired by taprooms that are springing up across the country, cultivating communities and helping revitalize entire neighborhoods. Just as a local draft can define a community, the Brewhouse Collection, with its adaptable heathered yarns and well-rounded color palette, brings charm and distinction to a wide range of commercial environments. The collection features Tap Room and Tavern in carpet tile and Cellar in broadloom. Made with 100% Encore SD nylon, all threes styles feature loop construction and 10 coordinating colorways.
Craft is a 12”x48” carpet plank style that explores the relationship between artisans and makers and their communities. Imagination emerges the intersection of people and place--when artisans and makers inspire a community, just as that community inspires their process and drives them to create. Craft relys on WeaveTex, a new, propriety technical tufting process inspired by European textile design, to create a pattern that exhibits its form, function, and beauty across the floor. Made with 100% Encore SD nylon Craft is available twelve neutral tones with vivid accent and metallic yarns for extra flair.
Taking LVT to the next level, EF Contract presents Next & Switch in 2.5 mm, 6”x48” planks. This innovative collection transcends the traditional to unleash inspired and contemporary splendor and patterns that resonate with their surroundings. Next features small pebbles in a grid, while Switch is a larger scale grid with a flowing, painterly overlay. These provocative styles are designed to work with more traditional LVT styles for design flexibility. Next is offered in six colorways, and Switch comes in four colorways. Both feature a 20ml wear layer.
Visually translating the the buzz and rhythm of urban life, Strum & Maple are a pair of 18”x36” tip-sheared patterned scroll carpet tile planks. These styles take their cues from the vibrant notes and steady hum that resonates from a city’s center, such as a guitar solo on a local stage or a new band’s first living room performance. Inspired by these moments, the patterns and textures of Strum & Maple echo across the floor. Both styles, available in 12 colorways, are made with 100% Encore SD nylon and Encore BCF Nylon with ColorLoc Plus.
For more information, visit www.efcontractflooring.com.
