As part of the Frieze Art Fair currently raging in London, Established & Sons LIMITED are presenting 'Wall To Wall', a flooring installation by Shay Alkalay & Yael Mer.

Alkalay & Mer have drawn on inspiration from their commission earlier in the year to design an installation for Design Miami/Basel 2009. After winning the Designers of the Future Award, the design duo have collaborated with Established & Sons for a second time following on from the international success of Stack launched during Milan 2008.

Wall To Wall is an innovative installation of oiled oak herringbone parquet brick flooring which will be available to view until the 24th of October. Taking a time-honoured floor type, Alkalay & Mer have developed the traditional finish by staining the individual bricks from a palette of fifteen different colours. What was once an everyday product, with the clever, yet simple, twist of a core element, it becomes a very characteristic (and rather beautiful) mosaic design.

Alkalay & Mer investigated the connection between flooring and textiles - with their design comparable to a tightly woven knitted garment. By developing the notion of a textile rug being an intrinsic partner with flooring materials, the designers combined two conventional surfaces, to create a visually dynamic finish reminiscent of traditional textile patterns used worldwide.

‘Shay & Yael’s use of immediately understandable language and material allows us to access this installation conceptually and aesthetically at a first glance. Questions are then raised after time spent with the pieces, as to why the chaotic breakdown of pattern from the controlled knitted design to the random spattered nature at the front of the installation occurs. It is here that the design moves from a purely decorative collision of languages to something all together more profound. This work both visually and conceptually excites me from two of the best young designers working in London today,’ says Alasdhair Willis, CEO of Established & Sons.

Photography: Ed Reeve