$1 Million Dollar Diamond Studded LuxTouch Tiles by Pietra Firma
We think even Lady Liz Taylor would be slightly green with envy at the above wall dressed in stunning diamond encrusted wall tiles by Pietra Firma.
LuxTouch wall, flooring and ceiling tiles are hand crafted with each individual black marble tile:
“ …inlaid with 95 brilliant cut diamonds, mother of pearl and abalone. The centre of the tile consists of a pitch-black agate circle inlaid with 19 diamonds and a mother of pearl flower petal pattern radiates outwards from the centre. Each of the petals is a single piece of mother of pearl inlaid with a large precious cut diamond and the black agate pieces between the petals are also inlaid with diamonds. The tile’s four corners are inlaid with mother of pearl and abalone shell, achieving a visually stunning counter balance with the radiating flower petals.
When inlaid, the diamonds sit slightly raised above the tile, which results in the maximum tactile and visual effect. Walking barefoot on a LuxTouch floor can only be described as a truly sensual experience. ”
The $1,000,000 price tag gets you one square meter of the LuxTouch tiles – calculated by number of gems and precious and semi-precious stones: “over 1000 diamonds, 2400 pieces of mother of pearl, 400 pieces of abalone shell and 500 pieces of black onyx”. Take a look at the Pietra LuxTouch tile details shown in the image below:
At a million dollars per square meter the diamond inlaid tiles aren’t for everyone but Pietra Firma wants to redefine true luxury:
“In the 21st century world of brand extension, inbuilt obsolescence and mass market dilution, the word “luxury” has been diluted and overused.
TRUE LUXURY is not affordable, democratic, mass market, universal, brand extension or mass produced and machine made.
TRUE LUXURY is highly skilled craftsmanship utilizing rare and precious materials, a complete attention to detail, unique, personal, passionate, indulgent, exquisitely sensual, beautiful and artistic. This unique approach to luxury will satisfy the needs of customers who have a deep appreciation of the true essence of luxury.”
Images copyright of respective companies.
Home Decor Buyer Resource: Pietra Firma
Read More »Tigressa Carpet – The Shaw Floors Event Blogger Round-up
“We don’t consider ourselves carpet connoisseurs and are always skeptical of new products that get slapped with fancy names or have significant marketing dollars behind it. But Shaw’s approach of sharing their carpet construction from soup to nuts and being transparent about the entire process was refreshing and we couldn’t help but get behind Tigressa SoftStyle, here’s why.” – Charles & Hudson
“I’m kind of a geek, so I was very into the heavy-on-the-science tour of the Shaw headquarters. It was cool to see the process from start to finish, and it really illustrated the advantages of Tigressá SoftStyle carpet.
We started where most things do: inspiration. We briefly discussed the colors, research, home and fashion trends, and qualities (strength, beauty, protection) that influenced the Shaw designers. Regional inspiration boards and displays showing national and regional sales of existing products by color were interesting to study.” – Amy Bleier Long for Traditional Home
“Jocie and I just got back tonight from our trip down to Shaw Flooring Headquarters, and our brains are humming with future post ideas…here are some highlights of what we learned, saw, and touched with our own hands this week.” – One Project Closer
“Here we were in their [Shaw’s] R & D Department where they took regular carpet fibers and inserted them into the cool-aid tester (below) as well as the cooking oil. Along the way to the bottom of the jar they soaked up the liquid just like a sponge. Tigressa’s fibers just sat right on top of the liquid! “– Colour Me Happy
“The Material Girls were recently invited to a preview of the latest product launch from Shaw Floors, a new and innovative line of carpet called Tigressa. As part of the exclusive sneak peek event, I got to experience Tigressa up close and personal – and it lives up to it’s name as being both soft and strong. Tigressa has a unique fiber shape to create an ultra-soft texture and the advanced yarn engineering produces a pleasant, luxurious touch with superior durability. Having grown up in the carpet industry, I can attest to this being the softest carpet I have ever felt. “ – Jill Seidner for Material Girls
“ It seems to me that putting carpet and sustainability in the same sentence is an oxymoron. It is reported that around 800 million square yards of carpet gets dumped into our landfills per year in the US. That is an incredible amount of carpet. Shaw has recognized that this is a major problem and is working to help solve this issue. Shaw’s approach to sustainability focuses on the triple bottom line: economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. “ – Building My Green Life
“Getting a preview of the whole line [Tigressa Carpet] with Kathy Young, Director of Creative Services for Shaw. She is really the brains behind the look of all the beautiful floors at Shaw and it was a real treat to get a personal consultation on the new line with her! “ – Daily Danny
“I had the opportunity to walk on the new Tigressa carpet during the cocktail party at the Manor House Ruins, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt underfoot. Normally, I’m not a big fan of synthetic rugs or carpets because they tend to feel a bit hard and crunchy. That wasn’t the case with the Tigressa carpets I stepped onto – they were nice, cushy, soft and very inviting.”
Shaw Floors’ Tigressa Softstyle Carpets Debuts
Last week Shaw Floors gave me and several other design bloggers and journalists a fascinating (and quite interesting interactive) “behind the scenes” tour of Shaw Floors’ research and development facility and quality and testing center. I’ve journaled some of the key highlights of the Tigressa Carpets’ debut and the Shaw Floors’ facility tour in this post, and will be exploring each highlight in depth in upcoming posts. 
Prior to the plant tour on May 20th, Shaw Floors treated us to an entertaining cocktail event and fabulous dinner, held in the enchanting historical Manor House Ruins at the Barnsley Resort, to mark the Tigressa Softstyles Carpets debut.
I had the opportunity to walk on the new Tigressa carpet during the cocktail party at the Manor House Ruins, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt underfoot. Normally, I’m not a big fan of synthetic rugs or carpets because they tend to feel a bit hard and crunchy. That wasn’t the case with the Tigressa carpets I stepped onto – they were nice, cushy, soft and very inviting.
Amy Devers, of TLC’s “Trading Spaces” and more recently in “Fix This Yard”, shared her memorable moments – including a charming story of how as a two-year old she was encouraged to take risks because she knew that the newly carpeted stairs of her childhood home would soften her fall.
Shaw Floors’ has a dedicated design and creative inspiration lab that is absolutely lust worthy for those of us who love creating look books and inspirations boards. The above board is a sample of one of Shaw Floors’ concept boards birthed in the creative enclave of the lab.
On the test production floor showing one of several steps in the carpet manufacturing process.
Amazing stain repelling behavior from Shaw Floors’ Tigressa Softstyle carpet shown on this test swatch. The Kool-Aid poured over this carpet test square did NOT sink into the fibers – the liquid stayed on top (looks like a gel, but it’s not). Clean up was a breeze, and the carpet did not stain – no red tint left behind either. 
Shaw Floors are serious about quality and have invested considerable sums in their testing equipment including a CSI worthy particle detector and an advanced microscopy lab (shown above).
DISCLOSURE: Shaw Floors sponsored the trip and stay at the Barnsley Resort for the Tigressa Carpets debut.
Read More »SURYA Eco-collection Wool Rug
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| SURYA’s eco-collection hand-tufted rugs made from 100% New Zealand wool without using dyes. The "coloring" is achieved through the use of varied natural colored wools of different lengths of pile and then hand carved into the rug to create a sculptured effect. |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , SURYA
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
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Pottery Barn Color Bound Sea Grass Rug
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| Pottery Barn’s Color Bound Sea Grass Rug (click image for detailed view) are eco-friendly and budget friendly. Sea grass, a natural fiber that has a very long useful life, is best know for its natural ability to repel moisture thanks in part to its non-porous structure – making sea grass rugs like the Pottery Barn’s Color Bound Sea Grass rug a natural fit for use in kitchens, bath and outdoor rooms. |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , Pottery Barn
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
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Momeni’s Verde Hemp Rug
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| Momeni’s Verde Collection of organically hip rugs are hand-knotted from 100% hemp and colored with eco-friendly vegetable dyes. Decorating divas with chemical sensitivities will love this Momeni rug since it is free of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which are known to aggravate respiratory conditions such as Asthma and allergies. |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , Momeni
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
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FLOR Fedora 2 Rug Kit – Carpet Tiles
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| FLOR’s Fedora 2 Rug Kit (carpet tiles) made from up to 80% recycled materials. The Fedora 2 rug kit is A DIY divas dream – this wonderfully eco friendly FLOR rug kit lets you express your individuality and design flair . |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , FLOR
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
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Angela Adams Canopy Indigo Wool Rug
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| Canopy / Indigo Wool Rug by Angela Adams features multi-dimensional cut pile 100% New Zealand wool with a modern color palette of Turquoise, Loden, Indigo and Peacock.Angela Adams’ rugs are so beautifully designed that you can consider the rugs artwork for your floors. Sure, you may want to take pains to avoid walking on this floor art, but fear not . Angela Adams’ rugs are made of hearty New Zealand wool known for its durability and stain resistant capabilities.
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , Angela Adams All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown. |
Read More »
Danskina Bamboo Shag Rug
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| Danskina Bamboo shag rug (detail view). Available in 20 beautiful colors. Danskina rugs have a cult like following among home fashionistas and for good reason they are richly colored and feel like a cashmere sweater underfoot. |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , Danskina
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
Read More »Ariadna Miquel for Nani Marquina: Bicicleta Rug
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| "Bicicleta Rug" designed by Ariadna Miquel for Nani Marquina. This industrial chic area rug is created from recycled bicycle tires – now that’s creative recycling! |
Related: Eco-Friendly Rugs: The Best of 2009 , Nani Marquina
All images copyright and credited to respective companies as shown.
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