Quick-Step interviewed at the Ideal Home Show
After visiting the Ideal Home Show we managed to track down Mr Philiep Caryn – Quick-Step International Marketing Manager for this exclusive interview.
It is great to see Quick-Step back at the Ideal Home Show for another year. With so many new products and innovations how have you found the start of the show?
Not only will visitors to this year’s Ideal Home Show be able to discover Quick-Step Stand, they have been also be able to see just how Quick-Step laminate, hardwood and luxury vinyl flooring can transform their home in Ideal Home Magazine’s famed room displays. Forming a focus of the UK’s longest running home and interiors exhibition, the Ideal Home Magazine Room Sets show just how to bring the latest looks to the home and provide an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the depth and versatility of the Quick-Step brand. Using Quick-Step’s LIVYN luxury vinyl planks in the bathroom in the rich and variegated hue of Reclaimed Oak Brown, Ideal Home Magazine is showcasing the ideal floor for use in bathrooms. 100% waterproof and with glue-free installation thanks to Uniclic, LIVYN Essential Click V4 features a 20-year warranty. For the living room and bedroom, Ideal Home Magazine has turned to the natural beauty of Quick-Step Hardwood. For the living room, Ideal Home Magazine is using the majesty of the extra long Imperio in Rough Grey Oak Oiled with a unique sawcut finish that deepens texture and enhances the rustic feel of the floor. In the bedroom, the reclaimed aesthetic of Variano, with planks made up of different length and width offcuts, is featuring in the bright tone of Painted White Oak Oiled.In some of the busiest and messiest areas of the home, the dining room and kitchen, Ideal Home Magazine has turned to the durability and low maintenance of Quick-Step laminate flooring. Choosing both decors from the extra long and wide Largo collection, the Ideal Home Magazine stylists have gone for the on-trend grey of Dominican Oak Grey in the dining room and the complementing Light Rustic Oak in the kitchen.
“As one of the leading flooring brands in the world, we are keen to demonstrate the versatility, practicality and style of our collections,” comments Philiep Caryn, international communications and sponsoring, Quick-Step. “We are delighted to once again be involved in helping Ideal Home Magazine to achieve beautiful and inspirational room sets that always prove a highlight of the exhibition. The simple fact that the team at Ideal Home were able to find floors that reflected the key trends for all rooms of the home from one brand is testament to the diversity offered by Quick-Step laminate, hardwood and vinyl flooring.”
Another highlight of the Ideal Home Show, House Beautiful Multi-Generation Home, has featured Quick-Step laminate flooring over two floors, underlining its practicality, durability and style.
Turning to multi-award winning Quick-Step laminate flooring, the House Beautiful stylists have selected two floors from the collection, turning to the traditional intricate parquet look of Versailles White Oiled from Arte and the on-trend style of Light Grey Oak Oiled from the excellent value Classic collection. Light Grey Oak Oiled from the Classic collection works alongside sleek, space saving storage, a light and modern kitchen and open plan living area as House Beautiful team draw upon their expertise and knowledge of interior style to create an inspiring and contemporary interior perfect for multi-generation living. Featuring throughout the two bedrooms, Arte Versailles White Oiled laminate flooring adds a traditional twist in a look that’s increasingly sought after, yet with the low maintenance and easy installation of laminate flooring.
“We were delighted to once again have the nice opportunity to work with House Beautiful to inspire visitors to the Ideal Home Show,” says Philiep Caryn, international communications and sponsoring, Quick-Step. “The House Beautiful home was and is always a real highlight and this year’s concept was particularly exciting. Moreover, the use of Quick-Step laminate flooring throughout the home demonstrates that, as a floor with the qualities required for modern life, there are few surfaces that can match laminate’s fast to fit, durable, easy to look after and stylish nature.”
I have noticed the introduction of three new engineered boards launched at the show – Imperio, Variano and new designs in Quick-Step Villa Parquet – can you tell us a little bit more about the idea behind these products.
The stylist of the Ideal Home Magazine roomsets, Mrs Sophie Robinson has turned to the natural beauty of Quick-Step Hardwood. For the living room, Ideal Home Magazine Roomsets has used the majesty of the extra long Imperio in Rough Grey Oak Oiled with a unique sawcut finish that deepens texture and enhances the rustic feel of the floor.
In the bedroom, the reclaimed aesthetic of Variano, with planks made up of different length and width offcuts, is featuring in the bright tone of Painted White Oak Oiled.
With such a wide range of market leading products across the Parquet and Vinyl marketplaces, it’s now great to see the Laminate ranges Quick-Step Classic and Quick-Step Largo have new designs. Can you tell us more about these?
Quick-Step laminate remains a popular floor covering. The fact is that Quick-Step laminate floors are extremely scratch-resistant and easy to clean.
Moreover, it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from real wooden or tile floors because of the attractive decors, realistic structures, and innovative joints.
Laminate floors are affordable and that’s a welcome bonus. The most popular wood species is oak. And so, oak is on show in many forms within the various Quick-Step laminate collections: from classic to weathered.
The weathered trend can range from a look with cracks, saw cuts, and nail holes to a lighter variant with a patina or peeled paint.
Country interiors with a soft romantic look are the keynotes for this floor. This elegant oak design with nuts and panels stands out for its poetic look.
The neutral, light colour of the “Long Island Light Oak” brightens up the room and creates a feel of openness. The long, wide planks of this Largo floor create depth in your room and give your interior an exclusive look.
For many years Quick-Step has supported and promoted it’s products at the Ideal Home Show – how does this show compare with other exhibitions as a platform to showcase your products?
For over 100 years the Ideal Home Show has been helping to transform British Homes. From kitchens and bathrooms, to bedrooms and basements, from fixtures and flooring, it all under one roof at this award-winning show. Whether you have a substantial home project or want to add those finishing touches that make a house a home, the Ideal Home Show has everything you need.
Have you made any decisions on the Ideal Home Show for 2015 ?
Yes, we will of course evaluate the 2014 edition and we are thinking of participating in 2015 next to our own stand, we will have of course interest in working together with the 2 leading Home & Lifestyle Magazines as in 2014 Our Partnership with Ideal Home Magazine since 1995 has always been successful! The collaboration with House Beautiful Magazine this year was excellent ! We are proud that we can be a partner of them.
Finally, I know readers will be interested to hear if all preparations are in place for the Tour de France London stage in July – I know we will be there cheering for both Quick-Step – Omega Pharma and Mark Cavendish.
If you are sponsoring an international UCI World Tour cycle team, you need to make every effort to link your product to your team.
It is essential that the public knows what your brand stands for and where you can buy the product. With Mark Cavendish on board, we have a wellknown UK cyclist who attracts a lot of people and get a lof ot free publicity on online and offline media platforms
Quick-Step is not only printed on the Mark Cavendish shirt. An intensive communications campaign has also been implemented Worldwide. From Australia in January, over South America, Middle East, Europe, USA, Beijing, … Communications has always been and will continue to be an important marketing instrument due to the fact that Quick-Step is active in 110 countries.
Besides advertising and product placement on television, internet, social media and in newspapers and magazines, Quick-Step also sponsors many TV programmes related to sports.
These online and offline media activities have always produced spectacular results. During the Tour de France alone, more than 800,000 people reacted to receive a Quick-Step cycle shirt or to be invited as VIP in the Quick-Step following car. Some 1,500,000 people signed up in Europe for the Quick-Step media activity. All together, there were more than 2,700,000 European end consumers who participated in a media competition held by Quick-Step during the Tour de France.
“During the entire cycling season of 2014, a lot of end consumers will participate in competitions which are organised by Quick-Step in co-operation with various European TV stations, radio broadcasting companies, newspapers and magazines,” says Philiep Caryn.
