FORBO’S WIDE PORTFOLIO OF FLOOR COVERINGS THE GO-TO FOR UNIQUE COMMUNITY HUB

As part of a wider investment into Whitehaven, Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners (with funding from Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Multiplied – SiX – programme and the government’s Coastal Communities Fund) looked to facilitate the creation of a new striking community hub: The Edge. Alison Tordoff (previously Fidget UK Ltd), contracted as the interior designer, called upon Forbo’s varied range of floor coverings to create a modern and functional interior. 

Prominently located on Whitehaven Harbour, The Edge is a brand-new coastal activities centre that will enable visitors and locals alike to explore the Cumbrian coastline through watersports, walking, cycling and other outdoor pursuits, as well as a range of indoor activities and cultural events. A three-storey structure, it contains changing facilities, a café, public toilets, meeting spaces and a mezzanine area for a variety of uses. The top two floors also contain en-suite hotel-style accommodation. 

Speaking about the building design, Alison Tordoff, Interior-Architect (previously Fidget UK Ltd), said: “The architects, Northmill Associates, designed the building itself, taking inspiration from a pebble found on the beach near to the site. From here, the frame was built, with its interesting and unique angles creating an eye-catching finished look. 

“We were then brought in to consult on all the interior finishes, including the flooring. It was essential that we considered the usage of the space, as well as complementing the striking exterior appearance. We had a rough branding package that we used to help plan out the colours and tones we wanted to specify, but a lot of our work was drawn from the stunning rural location on the Cumbrian coast.”

Forbo’s floor coverings were the specification of choice by the architect, with Alison and her team happy to work with this selection. “I’ve worked with Forbo on many other occasions and so I knew we would be getting a quality product,” Alison commented. “They also have a really comprehensive portfolio of floor coverings, that I knew could be easily applied to the different spaces within The Edge to deliver on both design and function.”

Function was one of the driving factors behind the specification of Forbo floor coverings, with each product selected for its durability, ease of cleaning and – in certain circumstances – slip resistance too. Alison spoke more on this, saying: “Given the intended use of the space and the types of activities visitors would be engaging in, ensuring a safe, clean and hard-wearing finish was crucial. For this reason, we specified a large amount of Forbo’s Surestep and Safestep safety vinyl, which we had installed in the bedroom ensuites and across the ground floor café and reception. Providing proven Health and Safety Executive (HSE) compliant R10 slip resistance, this product would protect visitors from slips or falls when returning to The Edge from watersports or other such outdoor activities.

“To further prevent slips and trips, we also had Forbo’s Coral entrance matting installed within the entranceways to help reduce walked-in dirt and moisture. This would also help to bring down cleaning and maintenance costs, as well as protecting interior floor coverings, with Coral’s ability to absorb significant amounts of moisture and scrape dirt particularly useful.

“These floor coverings were all specified in varying grey tones to create a very neutral base. The building’s many windows and quirky geometry meant we didn’t need to do too much to make the interior design interesting. Forbo’s Grey Seagrass, Black Seagrass, Elephant and Taupe Concrete were ideal for this, with slight differences in tone that created a lovely striped pattern in the café and reception area.”

Forbo’s Tessera carpet tiles were also specified on the project, with a combination of its Cloudscape, Chroma and Harmony collections used across the bedrooms, circulation areas and meeting rooms.

Alison continued: “The carpet added this lovely, neutral backdrop, that was also comfortable underfoot. We found that the natural patterns with the collections, particularly the Cloudscape range, were very reminiscent of the natural outdoors setting. We had this flooring laid in a varied pattern, complementing the building’s asymmetrical shape and making these circulation areas an interesting space to navigate through.”

The Tessera carpet tiles were specified inOcean Winds, Grey Dawn, Pathway and Aqua Symphony – all nature-inspired colourways, making them ideal for The Edge.

Speaking on the wider specification of Forbo, Alison said: “For the first-floor mezzanine, there is a large open area with a double height ceiling that we called The Lookout. We envisaged this space as being the perfect spot for people to relax and catch-up before an event or heading outside on a walk. As such, we chose to specify Forbo’s Allura LVT planks in the Light Timber Gradient colourway. This not only created a really interesting look to the space but also played with the different shadows and light points being cast by the asymmetrical windows around the building. Allura is also a durable floor covering, with its 0.7mm wear layer ideal for a high footfall space such as this.”

Opened in October 2025, The Edge had been widely anticipated by the local community, with Deanne Shallcross, Chief Executive at the Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, saying: “This unique building certainly divided opinion among the local community, but since The Edge opened we’ve been amazed and delighted to hear so much praise for the interior. For years people have watched the unusual design take shape but weren’t able to appreciate the fantastic spaces inside. Thanks to all the skilled and creative work by Alison, visitors are blown away when they enter The Edge and it’s already developing a great reputation”.

For their work on this project, Alison Tordoff won the Project of the Year category at the 2025 Forbo Awards. Alison spoke about this, saying: “When I found out we had won I was absolutely thrilled, I couldn’t quite take it in at first! It’s such an honour to have your hard work recognised by your peers. The Edge is a fantastic project and to get to work on a building that’s right on your own doorstep made it even more fun to be a part of.”

Visit Forbo’s website to find out more about its solutions for the leisure and hospitality sector:https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-uk/segments/leisure-hospitality/pbcvj9#accordion_0