This week’s find is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. It is also, like many past finds, a bit of a chameleon.
It’s a rug! No wait…cement tile! … ? ? ?
It’s actually vinyl. A solid sheet of vinyl with a very cool rug-like pattern. The vinyl floorcloths from Spicher & Company are not a new idea, though. Floorcloths actually date back to the 18th century, when they were made of cotton canvas coated with linseed oil, and were often found in formal dining rooms atop, or in lieu of a fine oriental carpet. These eventually evolved into linoleum – a wall-to-wall floor covering thats heyday has since waned – but it’s easy to see why it was so popular. It offered a low-cost, low-maintenance flooring solution with a variety of design and pattern options.
Spicher & Company’s vintage vinyl floorcloths bring back all of the benefits of linoleum, but in a much more hip and flexible form factor. They’re available as runners, area ‘rugs’ both large and small, rectangles and squares. There are more traditional designs (like the above examples, from Spicher’s Williamsburg licensed collection), as well as more modern patterns, all in a variety of colorways.
Some great geometrics…
A classic checkerboard…
And I really love the large-scale plaids!
This is the perfect product for those who want to have a rug under their kitchen table from an aesthetic perspective, but can’t imagine how they’d keep it clean, with kids spilling milk and dropping crumbs on a daily basis. I visited Spicher’s High Point showroom last April, and was so impressed by the range of design options, and the quality of the product.
Rugs Direct carries the line and seems to have the most SKUs available in the world of e-commerce.
What do you think of vinyl floorcloths – would you ever use one?
Have a great weekend! xo