 In 2002, a few of us at Interface were thinking about diversification of our business. Interface is the leading global producer of commercial modular carpet tiles focused primarily on the office market. In my position as President, I was on the lookout for industry and lifestyle trends that would impact our business and possibly affect our future strategy. The big design trends at the time were: - Design show makeovers
- Young people moving back into the city
- The Starbucks lifestyle
- Shopping on the internet
- Wood and hard surfaces were in
There was a whole new generation of consumers with indvidual attitudes. In the floor covering world, wood and hard surfaces were in and it seemed that carpet just wasn't very cool. As I observed these trends, I couldn't help but wonder if they were pointing to an untapped opportunity in the carpet world. Did old-fashioned residential carpet really fit these changing lifestyles? My conclusion was that there was definitely room for a new idea. Our answer to this new landscape was to translate the modular commercial carpet tiles we knew so well for the residential consumer. To do that, we re-evaluated the design and feel of the product as well as how we were going to get it to the consumer. The result? An innovative flooring product that got people excited. A product we could ship in a box direct to the consumer.  Something that was simple to understand as well as easy to buy, handle and install. It fit many lifestyles and was far more environmentally friendly than traditional carpeting. And, most importantly, the consumer could design it themselves, or at least participate in the design process. Ta da ... the birth of FLOR! Now all we had to do was make the consumer fall in love with this new idea. So, how do you do that? We decided to give the consumer an experience so fun, beautiful and useful they had to have it. Then, make it easy for them to buy it and talk about it. That was the plan. So, in 2002, following all of these revelations, we began to build a business model that focused on selling modular carpet tiles direct-to-consumer through a catlog and the internet. We developed a new way of looking at carpeting through innovative designs, unconventional colors and an interactive approach to flooring. We showed the product in real environments through inspiring photography. And, we got people talking, which was the ultimate goal. | 
