Mansfield Woodhouse firm offering the '˜future of home design'

One Mansfield Woodhouse business can make this happen, as Laminate Master is set to open its new interactive showroom later this month.

The company, working under the umbrella of conglomerate From The Floor & Up, has been operating out of its Yorke Street premises since 2010, although Stephen Brown, owner, has been working in the industry for 14 years.

Earlier this year, Stephen wanted to test himself and find a new niche – moving into the interactive world of home design and taking the business “into the future”.

He said: “I am looking to develop the business as an interactive showroom and moving into more fields such as doing ceramic tiling, wall panelling – which is a new concept – and also internal doors.

“One of the things we want to do is help people with their design ideas from the showroom and work with them to see what fits their ideas best.”

From The Floor & Up is taking the concept of an interactive showroom to a new level – allowing customers the option of designing rooms using touch screen technology.

Customers can also choose from a number of preset designs and alter them on the touchscreens, based on what they want from the room.

Stephen said: “The showroom will feature a large television with Pinterest on it, helping give inspiration and ideas for home design.

“The touchscreen monitors will have designing software built in, based on the products we sell, where customers can choose colour schemes and products and design a room that suits them.

“In the past it has been a bit of a stress for people to visualise what they would like and then to find inspiration.

“This type of interactive design is the way of the future.”

The concept is something Stephen sees as innovative, because not many places have such an “interactive and personal approach to design”.

One of the other draw factors in his interactive showroom is one of a kind, because it allows customers the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the room they would like to design.

Stephen said: “We have also got Virtual Reality, which we will be using in partnership with supplier QuickStep.

“With this, you can design the walls and furniture you want just like with the tablets, but with the VR you can actually visualise what the room will look like.

“We will be taking 360-degree shots of the interior that we have created and customers will be able to experience what it is like to actually be in the rooms we design.”

Taking the leap into a new world of design has taken its toll on both Stephen and the business.

However, despite a few set backs, he is positive for when it reopens and is excited for a new chapter.

He said: “It has been stressful and we had a few delays along the way, but the showroom is looking great and I cannot wait to open properly by the end of the month.”

Although no firm date has been set, Stephen plans to open no later than the end of September.