Tarkett Invites Designers to Attend Design Days Event Featuring New Products and Educational Seminars
A worldwide leader in sustainable and innovative flooring solutions, Tarkett is announcing the grand opening of its newest showroom, located at 215 N. Peoria Street, Floor 10 in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. To celebrate the grand opening, Tarkett invites architects, designers and other industry professionals to attend an event series called Tarkett Design Days 2022, June 13-15.
Fulton Market District is widely considered one of the hottest submarkets for commercial real estate in the Chicago area, boasting hotel accommodations, bars, restaurants, retail, and notable corporate residents like Google, Dyson and MillerKnoll. In addition to its 10,000 square-foot space, Tarkett has access to the building’s rooftop patio with 360° views of the city skyline. Overall, the space is designed for the needs of today’s workstyles, with natural light, access to the outdoors, and flexible spaces for both independent work and collaboration.
“Fulton Market is home to some of the most innovative global organizations and serves as a destination for premier commercial interior brands,” said Tal Fegan, senior vice president, strategic accounts for Tarkett North America. “The neighborhood is a creative hub for design professionals, and has a great culture scene for music, art and culinary experiences. We think it’s the perfect central location to serve our customers and our employees with beautiful displays of Tarkett’s unique product solutions.”
The new showroom was designed by Kuchar, a woman-owned boutique based in Chicago. Project designer Rachel Benitez said the space draws inspiration from the dynamic Fulton Market neighborhood and its industrial roots.
“The space is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, so one is surrounded by natural light, downtown views, urban living, and the constant movement of the former industrial district. A sophisticated, neutral palette creates a clean backdrop for gentle nods to the neighborhood’s character. The aesthetic is truly a celebration of the floor,” Benitez said
Design Days EventsTarkett Design Days will feature new product introductions, showroom tours and a series of educational seminars where leading experts will discuss the latest research on the future of workplace design, biophilic inspiration, and healthy materials, along with a truly unique networking event centered around representation and inclusion.
The schedule of events includes:
- Rooftop Reception – Monday, June 13th, 3-6 p.m
- Emerging Trends: The Future of the Workplace 2030 with Hannah Nardini – Tuesday, June 14th, 8-9:30 a.m.
Hannah is the Founder of WKSpace and has over 20 years of experience as a designer and workplace strategist. She has carried out an impressive body of research throughout the pandemic, tracking the changing attitudes, wants and needs of employees and employers across the globe.
Using the latest U.S. data, as well as accumulated insights gleaned through Tarkett North America and CoreNet Global’s longstanding relationship, Hannah will share a 360° view of the future workplace seen through the lens of ‘human-conscious design’, health & wellbeing, sustainability, diversity & inclusion and social impact. Exploring the emerging workplace trends, she will discuss the design strategies needed to optimize the office in 2030.
- Women of Color in Design – Tuesday, June 14th, 10-10:45 a.m.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, a group of industry professionals and women of color joined together for a spontaneous virtual call that gave them space to connect and grieve. The time was so valuable, the group continued meeting regularly to discuss pertinent topics, including leadership, education, and community involvement. Their numbers eventually grew to include students and professionals from a variety of disciplines, and Women of Color in Design was formed.
During Design Days, the members of Women of Color in Design will have the opportunity to meet in person for the first time, after more than two years of collaboration. Women of color are invited to attend this celebratory networking event and consider becoming a new member.
- Get Inspired: Circular Stories, Biophilia, and Regenerative Design – Tuesday, June 14th, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Speakers:
- Ren DeCherney, Director of Materials, Impact Group for The International Living Future Institute
- Rachel Berkin, Sustainability Product Manager for Tarkett North America
Join Tarkett in welcoming the International Living Future Institute as they share the inspiration behind their rigorous standards. As a community, we can learn to design, specify, and incorporate products that positively impact our world through the principles of circularity, biophilia and regenerative design. Tarkett’s newest collection, Inspired Nature, is designed with biophilic principles and circular strategies. Learn how these core principles can positively impact our planet through thoughtful design strategies.
- Specify Sustainability: Transparency Tools + Technology for Optimized Material Selection (session located on Rooftop) – Tuesday, June 14th, 4-5 p.m.
Speakers:
- Annie Bevan, Executive Director, mindful MATERIALS
- Kathleen Egan, CEO and Co-founder, Ecomedes
- Dhruv Raina, Director of Product Stewardship, Tarkett
Join Tarkett and its partners from mindful MATERIALS and Ecomedes for a rooftop session exploring a world where healthy materials are the norm rather than the exception. Sustainability continues to be a prominent driver in specifications and flooring selection. Tarkett is committed to ensuring material transparency, optimization, and circularity for its vast portfolio of products, which are all free of antimicrobials and ortho-phthalates. This can only be accomplished through collaboration with the industry to catalyze technology to aid in the education, specification, and communication of optimized materials for people and planet.
Everyone who registers and attends the Get Inspired or Specify Sustainability events will receive a pair of Allbirds Tree Runners shoes as a special thank you and reminder that Tarkett demonstrates Proof in Every Step of its sustainability journey.
New Product Introduction
In addition to the events above, Tarkett will launch its newest product collection during the event, and will also offer a sneak peak at a few more to come.
Inspired Nature is a new collection of modular carpet and Powerbond® hybrid resilient sheet, along with a coordinating digitally-printed LVT, that explores the wonder of nature and its ability to heal. Available in June, the collection was born at the height of global isolation—a time when we saw the natural world beginning to restore itself to a healthier balance.
Also, Tarkett will offer a sneak preview of its new 4.5mm LVT collection. The new LVT can be installed next to Tarkett’s modular carpet products, ethos® and Flex-Aire Modular®, without transitions, and also helps soften acoustics to support more productive workspaces. The collection will be available early 2023.
In addition to these new product releases, the full Tarkett Solution SPECtrum™ will be on display in the Chicago showroom, including Victory LVT, Renewal Series, Acczent sheet vinyl and LinoFloor. The company will also showcase custom LVT and soft-surface designs, available through the Tailored by Tarkett™ program.
The Fulton Market showroom will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 13-15. Tarkett will offer complimentary shuttle service from the Merchandise Mart area and Downtown Chicago to Fulton Market.
For more information, including shuttle times and locations, or to register for Tarkett Design Days 2022, visit https://contract.tarkett.com/inspirednature. Everyone who registers and attends Design Days will receive a $75 Tisbest gift card at the event, which can be used to make a donation to the charitable organization of the attendee’s choice.
About Tarkett
With a history of 140 years, Tarkett is a worldwide leader in innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, with net sales of €2.8 billion in 2021. Offering a wide range of products including vinyl, linoleum, rubber, carpet, wood, laminate, artificial turf and athletics tracks, the Group serves customers in over 100 countries across the globe. Tarkett has 12,000 employees and 34 industrial sites, and sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to change the game with circular economy and to reducing its carbon footprint, the Group has implemented an eco-innovation strategy based on Cradle to Cradle principles, fully aligned with its Tarkett Human-Conscious Design® approach.
Visit www.tarkett.com (North America) or www.tarkett-group.com (Global)