National Opera Studio - London, UK

The National Opera Studio is the leading opera training organisation in the UK, providing a link between the music colleges and the six main UK opera companies. In the Summer of 2017, the London-based studio underwent a full refurbishment with the aim of creating a more modern, professional space to welcome the variety of artists, staff, music coaches and professionals (donors?) that visit the studio on a daily basis.

Beep Studio were brought on board to help bring this vision to life and they turned to Tarkett and DESSO to supply the flooring. Working with Beep Studio, the National Opera Studio chose a combination of Tarkett’s Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) alongside DESSO’s Salt carpet tiles to create a bright and airy space.

Tarkett’s feature strip in royal blue was selected to complement the lilac, cream and duck egg blue colour scheme used for the walls and furnishings. Tarkett’s iD55 Scandinavian Oak was specified for the Reception and Office areas and iD55 Rock Grey vinyl tiles were specified as the more practical choice for the kitchen area. For the training rooms, DESSO’s Salt carpet tiles were chosen to optimise the acoustics for singing classes and provide a calming, neutral base for the space whilst complementing the blue tones used throughout the building.

Emily Gottlieb, Chief Executive at the National Opera Studio, said, “The studio looks and feels bigger, fresher and more inspiring. The royal blue feature strips in the Tarkett flooring really tie the colour scheme together and the DESSO carpet tiles have created a calming and creative environment in our music rooms. We’re all thrilled with the final result. The cleaners have also commented on how easy it is to keep the floors looking good. It’s made all the difference in the world to the people who work, teach and learn here - we all feel really uplifted.”

“Nicholas Alexander, the creative construction firm, also played an integral part in managing the project and ensuring the smooth operation. Overall, it was a brilliantly smooth installation process, with no challenges.”

To thank Tarkett and DESSO for supplying the flooring and for offering their support throughout the project, the National Opera Studio team has named an office in their honour.