Domus shows us around its Clerkenwell showroom and reveals some of its trade secrets

Domus has served the architectural and design community for over 50 years, providing innovative and extensive collections of ceramic, porcelain and stone for both residential and commercial projects.

In 2014, it launched its Engineered Flooring division to add wood, laminates and vinyl flooring to its offering. With the launch of a new website and product ranges that continue to surprise and delight, Material Source went to visit its Clerkenwell showroom to speak with Domus Showrooms Sales Manager, Jules Archard, to find out more.

Describe the space

The Clerkenwell showroom is a bit like a giant library or resource centre for architects and designers, the A&D community being our main focus when we designed the space.

As well as showcasing literally thousands of tile colours and finishes, as well as wood, laminate, LVT, natural stone and mosaic, we also present new materials and technologies in an inspiring environment, with an emphasis on commercial projects and the latest in new design developments.

What’s new?

There’s always something new at Domus – a constant stream of new designs and ideas, systems and surfaces. Right now we’re showing a lot of bold colours, a trend that’s racing ahead of all others in both commercial and residential design.

Neutrals and greys are still popular, of course, but we’re now seeing more of the blurring of lines between commercial and residential design. Commercial designers are introducing more colour and interesting shapes into their design schemes, making braver decisions in regards to colourful statements, bold combinations, curvaceous shapes and textures.

New products we have, such as New Terracotta glazed ceramic tiles, Piano designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Mutina and Storie designed by Giorgia Zanellato & Daniele Bortotto for Cedit allow designers to do this and are working well for us.

Within the last 18 months, we have also launched both laminate and LVT flooring, to complement our existing engineered and solid wood offers, and the feedback from architects and designers has been exceptional. These two flooring categories and the technologies used to produce them have advanced exponentially over the last few years.

Have you responded to any trends or feedback from clients?

We’re always keen to push the boundaries of design, and as schemes become ever more bespoke and clients more discerning one of the biggest demands from our customers right now is custom designed shapes and patterns.

We use water jet cutting technologies to modify our tiles into literally any shape or combination of shapes. And with thousands of tile options to choose from – and limitless combinations – we are able to create truly unique and original schemes for our customers, on any scale, large or small.

If a specifier comes into your showroom, what can they expect? What’s a typical process you go through?

We have an open-door policy at Domus, and although many of our customers make appointments in advance it’s also totally fine to walk in and meet one of our Design Consultants. We specialise in hands-on specification and it’s very rare that someone comes in, picks their tiles, and leaves.

It can be an involved process but we’re there at every stage to provide advice, offer support and take part in the process. In terms of the showroom experience itself, we have a range of different meeting spaces, refreshments and visual collateral to make the visit as enjoyable and productive as possible – whether you’re alone, or with colleagues or clients.

Are showrooms still relevant? How do they help your brand?

Yes, absolutely – especially since we deal in surfaces where the minutiae of finish and design are so fundamental to the material itself. It really is impossible to show the true character of our ranges in images, although this is something we’ve sought to advance on our new website, with up-close detail shots, and in many cases videos, of all our ranges.

In terms of our brand, as well as our people and our service, our showrooms are undoubtedly our greatest asset. A visit to one of them really is so much more inspiring and insightful than an online tile search.

You’ve also launched a new website. Tell us more.

As a market leader in the tile and flooring specification industry, the new web functions have been designed with advanced features to make it easy for designers and architects to access Domus’ product details and expertise.

When designers are planning for residential or commercial projects, it’s now easy for them to find tile and flooring options, with thousands of colours, finishes and sizes across their ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, glass, cement, natural wood, laminate and luxury vinyl collections…the combinations of colours, finishes, patterns and sizes are endless.

The website also showcases the latest project case studies and showroom news, now offering a comprehensive view of its materials and services, and it’s now far easier for to see and share what’s new and discover residential project news. Designers can also set up an account to order samples and save personalised mood boards using any image on the site which can then be shared with clients, colleagues or friends.

What new products do you have? Can you tell us a little about each one?

Casamood by Casa Dolce Casa is a new collection which is launching this month at London Design Festival with a new design installation in our Clerkenwell showroom. The full range includes seven different tile collections with a number of inspiring room set displays spanning a varied and eclectic range of styles.

Each of the new Casamood collections has its own distinct style, from traditional and artisanal to contemporary and modern including sophisticated porcelain marbles, stones and concrete, colourful porcelain terrazzo plus contemporary geometric patterns and minimal designs.

As mentioned, we’ve launched a number of other new collections this year including Piano designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Mutina which launched at Clerkenwell Design Week in May, Storie designed by Giorgia Zanellato & Daniele Bortotto for Cedit, Tape designed by Raw Edges for Mutina and Cover designed by Patricia Urquiola, also for Mutina.

To find out more about Domus, visit domusgroup.com. To visit its showroom on Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, London, you can pop in Monday to Thursday, 9:00 – 17:30 or Friday 9:00 – 17:00. Or call 020 7458 4000.