Galleher LLC, founded in 1937, and based in Los Angeles, California, is an industry leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of residential and commercial flooring products. With 350+ employees and 25 locations across four states, It’s one of the top five wholesale flooring distributors in the U.S..
We would like your feedback on design trends in the residential market. Any initial thoughts??
People have spent more time in their homes over the past few years, so it should come to no one’s surprise that being comfortable in your home has never been more valued. While this is driving a lot of folk’s desires to improve their interior environments, we are also seeing a more engaged consumer taking a more active role in determining the right floors for their home. Social media has also become a very relevant way for engaging consumers earlier in the design process. While we are certainly seeing distinctive trends, we are also excited by the diversity of interest that is blossoming from this change. From a creative standpoint it opens the doors for the continued development of distinctive floors that meet the needs of a diverse consumer.
Speaking to the relationship between designers and their clients, what changes have you seen develop?
There has been an extreme amount of change in the designer to client relationship. The traditional designer-client relationship gone more virtual with Facetime meetings and digital presentation (along with most relationships in the past 2 years.) But there's also an option for clients to go 100% virtual with new online services. Clients are also more educated about materials than ever before. With a simple Google search, it’s easier than ever as a consumer to find and purchase unique materials for consideration. This makes the designer's job more challenging as they have had to pivot to focus on proving their worth, including sometimes, 'un-educating' their client regarding misleading information that circulates online.
"But there's also an option for clients to go 100% virtual with new online services. Clients are also more educated about materials than ever before."
Does this “new normal” impact the relationship designers have with flooring brands?
As social media has become such a promotional platform and an integral part of the design process for professionals and consumers alike, designers look to work with (and link their name to) brands that they feel elevate and propel their social media self forward. If a brand's marketing and products don't jive with the designer's curated aesthetic and image, it's unlikely to be used and highly unlikely to be mentioned in a post. The strong brands make an effort to reach out to the designer community in addition to consumers as they realize the long-term benefits of the support of the design community is extremely valuable.
Turning to the design side, what are the top flooring design trends in residential flooring?
One of the most important design trends we are seeing in residential flooring is a desire for “Authenticity.” What do I mean by that? Authentic design has a sense of honesty, where the color, texture and finish all feel natural. In hardwood flooring this means using finishing approaches that draw out the unique personality of a particular wood and creating a time worn feel verses past demand for glossy, heavy pigmented “machine-made looks.” In hardwood alternatives we are focused on mirroring these natural wood trends.
Homeowners are hoping to avoid the “machine made look” of high gloss textures and pigmented stains. Instead, they are gravitating to natural colors, authentic textures, and invisible looking coatings. These looks can and are being made available in both classic hardwood flooring as well as in LVT and composite floors offering homeowners that natural look in a spectrum of different types of flooring construction.
"Authentic design has a sense of honesty, where the color, texture and finish all feel natural.
What about trends in colors or patterns?
Colors and tint in flooring are a cyclical trend, reflecting a broad array of interior design cues. We are seeing a trend that is moving away from the cool and harsh grey’s we’ve seen for years. Instead, there is an increase in more “greige” (grey-beige) as well as a definite demand for “Scandinavian light-neutral" tones. White continues to remain popular for its calming and clean look. Lighter tones make the home feel lighter and brighter.
What are some bold trends in flooring design?
Many of the top designers see the floor as an artistic palate and treat the floor as a work of art. Bold patterns, fun colors and high levels of creativity and design have all created unique and powerfully beautiful floors. This “floor as art” trend transforms the floor from a functional role to a much more integrated role with other design cues. This is a trend in a variety of locations throughout the home including foyers, dining rooms and large entertainment areas.
Finally, “maximalism,” a budding design trend that strays far from the minimalism trend, embraces more ornate patterns such as chevron, herringbone, & parquet.
What role do Interior Designers play in establishing trends?
Interior designers are some of the most creative people around and play a tremendously important role in not only identifying trends, but enhancing those trends to create a truly unique interior space. Interior design is about understanding people's patterns (how you’re living in and using the space) and designing to improve the patterns and functions of the space. Creating a human centric design.
We work closely with the design community to predict future trends and create flooring products that meet their needs from a design standpoint, a product performance standpoint and functionally as well.
What new and interesting flooring materials are on the horizon?
The flooring industry in an incredibly creative and diverse industry, where design takes the lead in colors, patterns and material selection. This diverse array of materials give designers a tremendous opportunity to showcase their talents.
Terra cotta tiles are increasing in popularity. Specifically, creative geometric shapes that tesselate
together in monochromatic earth tones. Another emerging trend are high contrast solid colors installed in a geometric pattern. Black & white checkerboard is experiencing renewed popularity, especially in the kitchens of millennials. The Pattern is moving from the tiles themselves (like a hand-painted Moroccan tile) and moving into how the tiles are shaped and/or laid out.
We are also seeing some interesting uses of “Floor framing,” which is installing the floor planks in patterns and designs that border and feature architectural or built-in elements. Essentially, the flooring becomes an integral part of the artistic design of the room to complement the other design elements.
