alternative aims to bring people together
Alternative has spent 26 years exploring what its world will look like. Today this great British brand is built on the pillars of People, Product and Planet. People are those who make Alternative alternative; Products champion craftmanship and Planet, gives back with smart sustainability. These are integral to everything it does, the core of its revitalised website and new Play Studio.
For Alternative it’s never just a carpet but design-led flooring that gets as much adulation as any other interiors feature. Exceptional carpets, rugs and runners made from the finest wool, natural and faux fibres where texture, colour, and pattern surprise, excite and delight. Expect Quirky patterns in British wool, eco undyed wools and exotic natural fibres.
The shift to simply Alternative sees this award-winning brand embrace interiors in a lifestyle direction. Go online to see flooring to fall in love with and discover why different feels good. These messages are captured in series of films that tell the Alternative story.
For Alternative, it’s never just a stand but a Play Studio that is the result of years of adventurous brand building, serious product investment and total commitment to retail and service culture. Lorna Haigh, creative and marketing director comments: “We inspire people to express their personality with our designs and we want everyone, clients, designers, suppliers, retailers and each other to feel happy working together. We’re unconventional, playfully disruptive, and after all, choosing flooring should be fun.”
The Play Studio is designed as Play Wall shelving and Play Table. The stand has back lit graphics, LED lighting and Perspex finished shelves make selecting floor coverings simple. The table has space for samples books, mood boards and the Design Workshop. Each product has a QR code for customers to interact with and view products online. Every product is linked to lifestyle imagery.
The investment in innovative collections continues. Woosie is Alternative’s first wool sisal blend. The winning design in Alternative’s student competition with The Glasgow School of Art is the springboard for modern Quirky Tartans that celebrates British design, nurtures talent and supports the wool industry.
As well as collaborating with design leaders like Ashley Hicks, Ben Pentreath and Margo Selby the most recent relationship revolves around a healthy planet.
The message is we care about treading lightly. Every sample delivered involves carbon emission. Through a pioneering partnership with Ecologi, Alternative plants a tree for every sample order placed online. To date over 8,700 trees have been planted. AND every Play Studio partner gets their own mini forest.
Being transparent about what’s in the products and using ethically sourced natural fibres is part of the sustainable journey.
Where hard-wearing synthetic fabrics are the only practical option, designs and production quality can be trusted to last.
Choosing flooring is also easy thanks to online services. Make Me A Rug is a tool for creating personalised rugs. If you want to order your rug online, it can be delivered to your nearest Alternative retailer with the Click ‘n’ Collect option. Show Me My Room visualiser now works for stairs to see your favourite carpet in your space. If you want to learn how real people decorate browse the new at home section.
The new sales director
Richard Hackett comments:
“From the outset it was clear to me that Alternative’ s heart is bringing people together and delivering great products.”
Our brand is committed to retail, to buying locally, to making sure that our beautiful products look their best by being fitted perfectly by our selected professional retail partners. Our new vibrant team want to be part of a progressive interiors brand which has strong values and does what it says. Delivering with outstanding product, bright marketing and superb service. It is undoubtedly a new and exciting time at Alternative for both its people and customers.”
Alternative flies high in the face of convention, finding the best and often unexpected ways for people to fall in love with its ‘manu-crafted’ characterful floors, making them the life and soul of any interior.
At Alternative, the sky is the limit.
T: 01264 335111 www.alternativeflooring.com
Instagram: alternativeflooring
Twitter: @AlternativeFlr
Facebook: @alternativeflooring
