Mr. Tischhauser, floors offer a lot of room to play with interior design. What influence can they have on a room?

Andreas Tischhauser: I find flooring is often underestimated, despite it being the first thing you encounter when you enter a room. But you don’t just see flooring, you feel it too – it’s a tangible element. Unfortunately, in design, flooring is often left to the last thought, even though it is so fundamental to the overall impression of a room.

Individualization has developed into a huge trend in the carpet industry. Why do you think it’s so desired?

Tischhauser: Individualization is the cornerstone of our "multi-option" society. What that means is that everyone wants to be able to make their own choices in life, to personalize their lives. This has great advantages for us as a business, as it allows us to develop a much richer and more comprehensive product portfolio. In this way, we improve our connections with customers and strengthen our market position.

What does Tisca offer its customers in terms of personalized products?

Tischhauser: Our customers have a huge range of choice: various materials, for indoor and out, different colors, and different production techniques – embroidery, tuft, weave. Clients can even select additional options, such as noise reduction or fire resistance. We also have many collections that a client can use to bring their own design together.

Ms. Diop, you are responsible for design development at Tisca. How did you come up with the idea of “"Urban Jungle" for the Flooring Spaces exhibition at DOMOTEX?

Birgit Diop: I research all the various trends for our company. One of these is "green spirit" or "urban jungle". In interior design, at trade fairs, and at home, everyone’s trying out new things with plants. Even the standard houseplant is making a comeback. For Flooring Spaces, we already have a lot of material that we can rethink and combine in a new way. That’s how Tisca is interpreting UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE .

Your "Flooring Space" demonstrates the trend of individualization by showing how certain materials, flooring, and outdoor textiles can be combined and coordinated in a room. What other factors did you consider in the concept?

Tischhauser: A room is a work of art. You can achieve different effects through specific combinations. With certain style choices, you can either bring harmony into a room, or surprises – like with urban jungle. Design combinations help individualize a room because, with very little effort, you can really express character through interior design. Our textiles are meant to transform a room into a living space, whether inside or outside. Increasingly, people are extending their living areas outside but want to maintain the comfort of the indoors. Textiles work really well to achieve this.

Ms. Diop, as a textile designer, what excites you about textiles and fabrics?

Diop: I am a very visual person. I’m always excited by the way fabric, carpets, and rugs can really bring a home together. At the same time, I find the practical functions of different fabrics impressive, for example sound insulation or heat resistance.

Andreas Tischhauser is CEO and marketing manager of the family-run textile producer, Tisca Tischhauser . Birgit Diop is head of their design and development department. Tisca’s contribution to Flooring Spaces, their Urban Jungle, will appear in the Framing Trends exhibition in Hall 9.