Innovative Textile Flooring for Every Space

With a history spanning nearly 300 years, this French brand is at the forefront of carpet design. Committed to eco-friendly practices and innovation, Balsan is a true pioneer in sustainable development, launching numerous initiatives to preserve the natural environment, thereby actively contributing to the protection of our planet.

At Balsan, the pursuit of sustainability is blended with design sensibility and artistic vision. This approach is evident not only in the aesthetic and functional excellence of their products but also in their durable commercial carpets and innovative acoustic flooring solutions. The artistic aspect is reflected in their unique collections and special collaborations.

At this year’s S/ALON BUDAPEST, you can admire Balsan’s latest offerings in a special interior setting, presented by their Hungarian representative, Timkett. In the meantime, read on to discover Balsan’s latest collections, inspiring collaborations, and learn more about their joint project with the University of Pécs.

Collaboration with Emerging Hungarian Designers

The "Dare Your Dreams" project by Balsan focuses on creativity and artistic freedom. Its goal is to provide young talents with the opportunity to realize and showcase their ideas. In recent years, students from numerous interior design universities across Europe have been able to develop their design skills in the field of carpet manufacturing. The artistic works created during these projects are collected in thematic booklets, allowing young talents to share their visions with the world.

The tenth edition was inspired by the centenary of the Bauhaus movement. In this project, Balsan collaborated with the University of Pécs to showcase students’ graphic designs and introduce them to interior design trends and regulations through mentorship led by Timkett. Students designed hotel carpet patterns, with 19 submissions produced and exhibited, and the top three winners received a study trip to Paris. A detailed summary of this special collaboration can be found here.

Balsan x Baptiste Vandaele = BRUSH

Since its founding, Balsan has continuously strived to innovate both its style and manufacturing techniques. The BRUSH collection combines Baptiste Vandaele’s talent with cutting-edge technology, allowing the artist’s work to be scaled and offering endless customization possibilities.

Baptiste Vandaele, an Alsatian designer and illustrator, excels in creating decorative motifs with a playful, maximalist approach. The creative approach behind his collection focuses on hand-drawing, ink, and paper. This virtuoso exploration resulted in 12 unique products available in various scales.

Balsan x William Amor = Symbiose

For the 2023 Paris Design Week, Balsan gave William Amor carte blanche. Known for recycling neglected materials and his "Créations Messagères," Amor created the "Symbiose" installation in Balsan’s showroom in Paris.

In "Symbiose," the artist invited visitors to his universe and commitment to biodiversity, elevating everyday manufacturing waste to poetic heights. Inspired by the complex yet orderly structures of fungi and corals, he created an imaginary flora with refined, detailed patterns of lines, clusters, and curves. "Symbiose" becomes an organic motif where every structure interweaves, merges, and unfolds, creating a dreamlike, harmonious world.

Inspired by Nature

Each Balsan collection draws inspiration from nature. The "Moods 2024" color palette expands three existing collections (Take a Walk, Stonage, and Jungle-planks). The new pastel hues, inspired by pigment powders, blue skies, pale pinks, purples, soft greens, and creamy yellows, evoke a sense of serenity and softness.

The new design in the Recreative collection, Meteors, immediately brings to mind the terrazzo floors of Venetian palaces and Northern Italy. Mosaic tiles of irregular color pieces scattered on a smooth base brighten the floor with joyful optimism. Available in seven light shades inspired by minerals such as Carrara marble, mica slate, and kaolin, these carpets are never the same everywhere. Some are more intensely colored, like terracotta, while quartz and basalt offer beautiful variations of gray. Made from recycled Econyl yarn, the carpet boasts all the benefits of resilient textile flooring: wear and stain resistance, and remarkable sound insulation (25-30 dB), particularly advantageous in hotels.

Acoustic Solutions

Carpet naturally reduces noise disturbances by absorbing a significant portion of impact noise, body noise, and airborne sound. In a carpeted room, the "lifespan" of sound is halved compared to a room with smooth flooring. This is especially important in offices and public spaces where a quiet environment contributes to a better working atmosphere and concentration.

Balsan’s floor coverings possess excellent acoustic properties that reduce noise pollution and enhance comfort in interiors. The Sonic Comfort backing, which can be added to further enhance the carpet’s soundproofing properties, is made almost entirely from recycled materials.

Balsan at S/ALON BUDAPEST

Thanks to Timkett, you can get up close and personal with Balsan’s latest innovations at this year’s S/ALON BUDAPEST. The nearly 30-year-old Hungarian-owned company has been representing Balsan as a domestic distributor for 10 years, offering comprehensive services that accompany interior design projects from concept to implementation.

says Réka Madarász, Timkett’s managing director. "We like to be involved in the design process from the beginning, so we can avoid fundamental mistakes. Once the concept is in place, we can suggest options that meet the needs and conditions of the project, thanks to our extensive knowledge of the technical properties of the wide product range. This is particularly important for specialized coverings, such as acoustic ones, and it is essential for the guarantee that planning and execution proceed with consideration of specialist aspects. Working with designers, interior designers, and architects, we jointly select the optimal products in terms of aesthetics and implementation, or come up with unique, customized solutions."

Balsan’s innovative and sustainable floor coverings, along with their stunning designs, prove that style and functionality can go hand in hand. Discover the world of Balsan and their latest collection at the S/ALON BUDAPEST home trend exhibition, where we offer not only inspiration but also insights into future interior design trends! Join us from September 20-22 at the Budapest Arena, and in the meantime, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!