An exclusive interview with Daniel Butz, OBJECT CARPET CEO.

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Daniel Butz
CEO

Daniel Butz Daniel Butz

There are so many carpet companies and products to choose from, what makes OBJECT CARPET the right choice?

Our customers appreciate OBJECT CARPET’s remarkable design, outstanding quality, and service. They see us as a solution provider for their individual needs in rugs, carpet tiles, and fitted carpets.

Since the foundation in 1972 by my father Roland Butz, OBJECT CARPET has had an appreciation of aesthetic looks, color, and architecture. This drives us forward to find expression in extraordinary designs.

With innovative techniques and production methods, we are setting new standards and can turn visions into reality – and this for more than 40 years now. We combine the best raw materials and unique designs in order to create products which stand for durability and give shape to high-class rooms. Optimally matched to the high demands of the contract sector, our carpets are unique in quality and function. They withstand the toughest exposure conditions – even in high use areas.

With over 1,200 textiles and colors as well as individual customized products, the OBJECT CARPET collection offers a unique variety for modern interiors. Elegant and unusual designs are possible in the form of rugs, carpet tiles and fitted carpets. Nearly all qualities and designs are always in stock at OBJECT CARPET and are available to leave the factory within 48 hours. We provide first-class service for first-class customers.

Designed for use in commercial and residential sectors, all carpets made by OBJECT CARPET are non-toxic and suitable for allergy sufferers. They fulfill the requirements of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) certified buildings and thus comply with the highest ecological requirements. Recognized quality seals from TÜV (Technical Inspection Associations) and GuT (Association of Environmentally Friendly Carpets e.V.) guarantee best indoor air quality. Our products are exclusively made from high-quality branded fibers. This ensures a long product life and the highest economic efficiency.

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Can you tell us a little more?

Another important feature is that carpets made by OBJECT CARPET provide for well-balanced room acoustics. Thanks to the best absorption values, they improve listening conditions and speech intelligibility – in the office and in conference rooms, hotels, shops, restaurants or at home. Together with leading room acousticians, we have enhanced the carpet substructure of BlackThermo®Felt Acoustic Plus so that the footfall sound has been demonstrably reduced by up to 40 dB. The special construction of carpets, combined with BlackThermo®Felt Acoustic Plus, guarantees that the improved acoustic characteristics remain stable for many years. The high density and heat setting of its backing ensure perfect suitability for the contract sector and durability in highly frequented areas.

A key reason why our customers and clients choose us is because OBJECT CARPET fulfills individual needs. For a minimum quantity of 200 square meters, we manufacture special solutions which interpret our customers’ ideas of shape and color.

Can you tell us anything about the eco-friendly aspects of OBJECT CARPET?

OBJECT CARPET assumes responsibility. The careful use of natural resources and the consistent sustainability of our products and methods of production is a part of our corporate culture. From the procurement of raw materials to production, to use and disposal, the natural life cycle of our products is optimized and made sustainable. The use of branded fibers guarantees the high durability of our carpets. In the production of our products we focus on environmentally friendly and resource saving production techniques. Our ability to spot future trends in markets very early on allows us to respond quickly to recognize future market demands and challenges and enables us to spot potential areas for improvement. In order to guarantee this, OBJECT CARPET is a member of GuT (Association of Environmentally Friendly Carpets e.V.). Most recently, we won the BauTrend Award for the 100% recycled collection Green Card with Econyl by Aquafil.

OBJECT CARPET has been licensed with the Environmental Profile ENP 337 by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) for used fiber material. All qualities from OBJECT CARPET fulfill the requirements for use in DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) licensed buildings and so contribute to meeting the standards set for environmentally friendly, resource-saving and sustainable building.

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As an international company, do you find that trends differ from country to country? If so, how are you able to provide products that meet trend demands for US, Germany, and other countries worldwide? 

Our products emphasize the building concept´s architecture and interior designs. We have many different styles in our color range – from very modern to traditional designs. But most of our carpets have their characteristics in the interaction of high and low structures, bright and dark colors and matte and glossy effects, e.g. Rondo. So there are many single-color designs which have intelligent effects fitting in different ambiances and emphasizing different interior design trends.

Another asset is that we have very close contact to architects and interior designers and are always in communication regarding projects, trends and designs. As those architects have projects all over the globe, we have a good idea of ongoing international trends.  And currently, we see the choice of more high-class products with a clear luxury statement in terms of flooring and carpet.

What has the past year been like for you and OC? What were the highlights of 2014 for OC? 

The past year was very intensive with the launch of a new RUGX edition and the new Supergraphic Collection. We were very satisfied with 2014 having supplied product to the Library Learning Center by Zaha Hadid on the new Campus Wien, ÖBB Wien, as well as new Google subsidiaries and Porsche Showrooms. Sales were very satisfying as well.

What does OC have in store for 2015?

 In January we launched the new RUGX Configurator, where you can create our handcrafted RUGX in the size, colors and finishing’s you desire. It is very fascinating to see the individually created carpet in different surroundings.  The US version will be available shortly.

One of 2015’s design highlights is our brand new collection, Web Flex. Its precise, finely woven and fascinating surface, reminiscent of an elegant twist, is utterly captivating.

We are also proud to introduce GREEN CARD with ECONYL yarn this year.  For the production of ECONYL®-Yarn our supplier Aquafil uses 100% recycled material. The use of ECONYL®, the first 100% recycled Polyamid, minimizes the environmental impact in the production. Thanks to an innovative process, materials which would normally end up as landfill waste or harm the marine eco system (e.g. old fisher nets) are recycled and reused. It is estimated that the abandoned fisher nets floating in the seas represent one-tenth (640.000 tons) of the total garbage in the sea (source: UNEP). Furthermore, the materials used in the carpets can all be salvaged in treatment facilities, reworked, and used again in floor coverings.  It’s a complete recycling system.

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Is there anything else you can tell us?

We are also excited about the new pattern book Tutto Bene/Tutti Frutti. TUTTO BENE is the new and – in design terms – more restrained counterpart of the variant TUTTI FRUTTI. Both are loop variants for the contract furnishing segment, crafted in a durable, multi-coloured design made out of sustainable solution-dyed yarn. That yarn is dirt-resistant, anti-static and resistant to chlorinated cleaning and disinfecting agents. Concomitantly, the solution-dyed fibres ensure uniformity of colour over a large surface area. Their suitability for chair castors and staircases also makes them the ideal floor covering for public areas experiencing high footfall, such as office buildings or healthcare facilities.

The three new flat-weave variants of the new collection, WEB CODE, WEB UNI, and WEB PIX, are available both as wall-to-wall-carpets and as self-laying tiles. The collection is functionally upgraded by means of the coating applied to the reverse of the wall-to-wall-carpets using BlackThermo®Felt Acoustic Plus, which comes as standard, and exhibits extraordinarily high acoustic values and outstanding walking comfort for a such flat-weave carpet. Photo shootings will be at the end of this month in very nice locations and brochures will existent from beginning of April on.

Another highlight this year will be the new collection which will be launched in September at the Maison & Object Paris. It will be very fine and high class products of first choice in the luxury domain.