Opus Carpets Commissions Tricycle to Create a Bett
Dalton, GA, January 31, 2006--As part of its intention to launch as the carpet brand that satisfies the demands of commercial interior designers, Opus Carpets today announced that it has commissioned sustainable design company Tricycle to create a fast, sustainable sample program.
"Opus is the result of taking a fresh look at how carpet should be delivered to the commercial marketplace," said Opus founder Bo Barber. "We listen to our clients and offer them what they want from the beginning, rather than trying to make them like what we already offer. The products are simple and fashion-savvy, without the sleek self importance of so-called boutique mills."
Opus is offering its first six patterns to the market this month. The patterns are broadloom for commercial applications, with no yardage minimums. Barber calls the products "anti-running line" thanks to an ability to match any color using piece dye methods.Traditionally, custom or made-to-order meant long lead times, premiums and headaches. Opus actually built this flexibility into their system and offers choice without a penalty.
The Opus sustainability platform includes the use of Solutia 6,6 nylon and BioCel backing, a high performance alternative to polyurethane made from a byproduct of coal combustion and a DOW polymer produced from soybean plants.
With today's announcement, Tricycle will perform marketing services for Opus, and initial samples of Opus will be delivered using NeoCon Gold winning SIM from Tricycle print samples. Barber approached Tricycle after seeing the company's other customers using Tricycle's services successfully in the commercial market."With Tricycle, our process allows for the fast and environmentally friendly delivery of any color a designer wants," said Barber. "Designers hear such claims all of the time, but at Opus they are the basis of everything we do."
SIM prints are color accurate, delivered on short turnarounds, use no oil and are 100% recyclable. Tricycle's ability to increase creative options for designers and architects while reducing design waste placed it on a shortlist of finalists for a 2005 INDEX: award for design to improve life, a Green Apple Award for environmental best practice and a nomination for this year's Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards for Corporate Achievement.
"The benefits to designers are obvious," said Barber. "Print samples that match any color accurately, delivered within 48 hours, without asking designers to compromise their environmental commitments. And because Opus believes in bringing transparency to carpet manufacturing, we should also point out that Tricycle enables us to launch products without wasting huge amounts of money and natural resources. Good for the business and good for the environment don't have to be mutually exclusive."
"We are pleased to add Opus to our client roster," said Tricycle president and COO Jonathan Bragdon. "A designer's goal is to bring his vision into his space, and Tricycle has proven that it is not necessary to spend weeks waiting for a custom sample, any more than it is necessary to use excessive oil, water and energy. Opus is the next obvious evolution of this paradigm shift, building a dematerialized sample program from day one."
Opus Carpet is represented exclusively by Elements, a single resource for unique, innovative and high performance commercial flooring options. Elements is made up of licensed sales representatives and design consultants for a growing number of innovative, flexible manufacturers who create products designed to solve problems for commercial designers. www.elementsweb.com
Tricycle is an international company enabling sustainable design in the interiors industry. www.tricycleinc.com.
