FLOR

Being somewhat of a sustainability nerd, InterfaceFLOR is quite possibly the most legendary of all companies (Ray Anderson, what!). So, in an effort to add a custom made rug to our home, I popped on the website and looked at a few designs… then I realized that they had just opened up a new showroom in Yorkville (how ritzy.) I popped by, and a sales consultant called Gerard helped me and showed me around, and all the different carpet tiles, as well as walking me through the carpet designing program they have on their website. He was very knowledgeable about the product, and really took the time to listen to what our needs were! And, he also let me know about different deals: that it was less expensive to order through him (saving on customs and handling fees) than on the website. The ordering process was painless — I went back home to play around with the designs, sent them through to him, and kapoof! Order placed (off hours, even!). We’re looking forward to receiving our tiles and putting together our rug!
On the showroom — it’s a small space but big enough for you to step on and feel all the carpet samples — most are made of synthetics, mainly because they are more easily recycled — and there are some more expensive wool carpet tiles as well. The other nice thing is that you can pick up a few carpet samples to bring home with you (3 for $ 5) to see how they might match with your décor. As well — if you sign up for the newsletter, there is a 15% discount for your first purchase. Lastly, they also have a great carpet recycling program so when you’re all done, they will take it all back and turn it into a new rug. All in all, fairly seamless, in a way that makes me want to swathe our entire place in carpet! :P
Note: shipping fees are around $ 50 since the product is being shipped from the US, so beware of that!
Also: the «high traffic» carpet tiles are the kind that are found in offices, and not very soft. I didn’t look at any low traffic ones.