At #NeoCon09, 3rings reviewed PLYNYL, a woven vinyl flooring by Chilewich. While that’s a great product, if we’re going to talk about woven vinyl flooring, the place to start is Sweden. Since 1949, Swedish company Bolon has been manufacturing woven vinyl floor coverings. In fact, Bolon was the first company to produce the flooring. Three generations later, Bolon is still run by the Eklund family, and their product is still manufactured in Sweden.

“Dawn” of the Twighlight Collection. Manufactured by Bolon.

The “exclusive flooring has the feeling of textile, but with the benefits of vinyl flooring; durability and simplicity of maintenance and installation.” The top layer (weave) is fused with the rear coating, which is composed of PVC and glass fiber. Bolon’s flooring is also slip-proof and water-resistant, making it an ideal choice for commercial projects—and for high-traffic areas especially. Bolon tries hard to market their woven vinyl flooring as alluring: “For us, flooring is so much more than just something to walk on. It’s an experience. Our flooring is design, fashion, cool, crazy and rock n roll.”

Their 09 collection entitled Twilight exemplifies this beguiling sensuality. A group of 12 different designs with names like Luna, Dusk, and Umbra, the Twilight Collection is inspired by “the state where neither light nor darkness prevails.” The weaves feature deep, rich hues like chocolate, merlot, and teal, along with lighter tones of sand and smoke. Bolon explains that “the colours are reminiscent of dusk—the change from light to dark, shadowy and shimmering at the same time.” Twilight comes in rolls, so you can enjoy wall-to-wall coverage. The May 2009 issue of Wallpaper included a feature on Bolon woven vinyl flooring, which speaks to the company’s appeal. Noted architects and designers the world over have also chosen Bolon. With clients like Renzo Piano, Giorgio Armani, and Tom Dixon, Bolon has to be as good as it looks—and sounds: “Twilight from Bolon is a frontier between the floor, the room and whatever lies between.” Given that their ad features a scantily clad beauty seemingly enamored with the floor, I’m certainly willing to explore their frontier.