Charred timber is not exactly new, it being used commonly in wall cladding. But in flooring? Janna Marie Bombek and Franziska Roethemeier, interior design students at Hochschule Hannover (Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts) have made this highly-attractive material suitable for flooring so that charred wood aesthetics can be fit for indoor use.
Charred timber coated with molten glass in one of the experiments
In one of their experiments, they coated timber with molten glass, which charred the upper layer of the timber and then cooled to form a protective layer. This prototype will be featured at the DOMOTEX NuThinkers showcase.
Bombek and Roethemeier were part of 14 students asked to develop concepts that embody the DOMOTEX keynote theme of UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE, or the trend towards product individualisation. Other innovations by their classmates include a carpet that purifies the air, a floor tile that changes colour depending on the viewing angle, a floor surface made of beeswax, and a type of flooring that can be sprayed on and then “cooked” to return it to its original state.
The NuThinkers showcase is part of “Framing Trends” in Hall 9 at DOMOTEX 2018, which runs from 12 to 15 January.
