In conversation with … Philip Byrne of Wool Solutions
In conversation with … Philip Byrne of Wool Solutions
Background Philip Byrne owns the wool flooring consultancy Wool Solutions covering the entire USA . A Lancashire man , he has a natural affinity with wool , having spent his 30-year career in the carpet industry . In 1998 he moved from the UK to the USA to lead the British company Axminster Carpets in New York , specializing in high-end retail , designer decorator and hospitality sectors . Philip launched Wool Solutions in 2008 and now exclusively represents Axminster Carpets and other quality overseas wool brands in the American residential and hospitality markets . We spent time talking to Philip about wool …
As someone who has worked in the industry a long time , do you think the consumer understands wool and its performance abilities ?
I am from a generation influenced by my grandparent ’ s era ; where there were not many options apart from wool . Today , I feel the real versatility and benefits of wool do slip by many consumers . In the USA , where there is no particular tradition or heritage of wool use in floor covering , we have to advise and educate the consumer on its many properties , but once they have experienced wool they do see why it is so good and they tend to stay with it .
Wool Solutions is about resolving flooring projects . What is your starting point with clients ?
That depends very much on the client or the market sector that we are discussing ; commercial , hospitality or residential . We deal with a wide range of high quality companies ; so we have the capability to provide a natural wool carpet solution for almost everyone . Of course , budgeting considerations have become more important in recent years but wool offers many options and so we can usually deliver .
Casinos , airports , cruise liners all use a lot of wool , tell us about the dream carpet contract and why wool works for it ...
Honestly , there have been lots , but one of my first projects when I came to the USA does stand out . We did the Von Trapp family Lodge in Stowe , Vermont . I did not know the Sound of Music was real until then . My wife , Janice , made me visit the project twice as she is a big fan , but I have to admit , it was really stunning . More recently , we did an upstate location in Axminster and it was voted one of the top 10 resorts in the USA recently . It is always good to see how good the carpet looks .
How important is keeping carpet design fresh and geographically relevant to the market ?
We are in the fashion for floors business — so keeping the design fresh is incredibly important , and — along with color — probably the strongest motivating factor in the purchasing process . But we have seen how technology has helped create a more global consensus as to color and design trends . That being said , each market has its own quirks , but wool carpet can handle that .
You represent one of most historic names in the carpet industry , do you think wool is a fibre of the future ?
Personally , I do — probably more than ever . Trends in sustainability and influences of LEED and the USGBC have made it a fibre of the future . After all , it has been utilized effectively as floor covering over the past 500 years — it has proved itself . So yes , I feel wool has an amazing future . �
Wool Solutions , Inc .
57 Cranbury Road , Norwalk , CT 06851 Telephone : 203 845 0921 sales @ woolsolutionsinc . com
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