Philadelphia Commercial recently donated carpet tile, resilient flooring and wall tiles to renovate two rooms of the Neva King Cooper Educational Center in Homestead, Fla. The facility is a special needs school in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system that offers programs designed to provide educational services for students with severe intellectual disabilities, ages 3 to 22.
Kalyn Rothaus, interior designer, host of Office Spaces and guest host of this special edition of Designing Spaces, oversaw the improvements and chose the Philadelphia Commercial products. For the school’s sensory room, a space designed to help calm anxious students and stimulate nonresponsive ones, Rothaus chose Philadelphia Commercial’s Multiplicity, a carpet tile she had installed in a patchwork design in various colors. “I picked this modular tile in a variety of colors to appeal to the students’ sense of sight and the softness of the tiles to their sense of touch,” she said.
Quentin Quathamer, commercial brand and marketing manager for Philadelphia Commercial, notes that the tiles are made in a high-performance construction that is hard to stain and easy to clean. “In addition, if a tile is damaged, it can be easily removed and replaced.” As far as material safety and sustainability are concerned, Quathamer said, “All of our carpet tiles are Cradle to Cradle Certified, administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. This certification represents a firm commitment to environmental responsibility.”
For the home economics room, an area that includes kitchen appliances, a luxury vinyl plank style, In the Grain, was selected, as well as ceramic wall tile. “Luxury vinyl plank is a wonderful product for this area,” Rothaus explained. “It’s resilient and waterproof, and I love the durability factor and the wood visual.” All of Philadelphia Commercial’s vinyl flooring products are FloorScore Certified, the most recognized indoor air quality (IAQ) certification standard for hard surface flooring materials, adhesives and underlayments.
“We recognize that well-designed education spaces can improve a student’s performance and well-being,” Quathamer said. “We’re delighted and honored that Philadelphia Commercial can contribute to a healthy and beneficial learning environment. It’s a great way for us to give back to the communities we serve.”
The project will be featured on an upcoming episode of Designing Spaces, which will air on October 27 and again on November 3.
