At 3daysofdesign 2026, Tarkett presents Beginnings & Endings at Galleri Susanne Ottesen. Curated by design futures consultancy TILT, the exhibition is anchored in a compelling belief: every circular future begins with design.
With a legacy spanning more than 140 years, Tarkett stands as a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions. Across nearly 25 R&D centres, 8 recycling centres and 33 production sites, it serves hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields in over 100 countries. Guided by its Human-Conscious Design® approach, Tarkett drives “The Way to Better Floors” through a deep commitment to circularity and sustainability.
Design defines what something is made of, how long it will last, and what becomes of it at the end of its life — but what if it was also the beginning of something else?
In a spirit of collaboration, Tarkett brings together three visionary designers — Yinka Ilori MBE, Laurids Gallée and Christian + Jade — spotlighting them as agents of change in circular design and material choices. At 3daysofdesign, carpet, homogeneous vinyl and linoleum are reimagined not as finished flooring, but as material starting points. With Tarkett’s innovation, each material follows a circular journey, with all exhibition elements returned after use to re-enter their own circular systems. In line with Tarkett’s Beauty of Circularity strategy, the exhibition underlines its commitment to closing the loop and doing more with less. Its approach spins around three key areas — design, materials and the circular journey — taking responsibility for the full lifecycle of materials used. It spotlights Tarkett’s ReStart® take-back and recycling programme, which recovers materials after use and supports the shift to a circular economy through collaboration across industries.
British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori will take over an entire gallery room with carpet, marking his debut at 3daysofdesign. Tarkett’s carpet tiles, rooted in cradle-to-cradle principles, are designed with end-of-life in mind. Composed of yarn and EcoBase backing, the materials are separated at Tarkett’s Carpet Recycling Centre, where yarn is regenerated and backing is reused in EcoBase production. Produced using 100% renewable electricity, the process further incorporates reclaimed materials such as calcium carbonate from the local drinking water industry.
Austrian designer Laurids Gallée will work with homogeneous vinyl flooring, made to be remade. After use, the material is collected, granulated and recycled into new flooring, cutting resource use and emissions. Through a network of partners, installation off-cuts and used flooring return to the factory, where they are processed and folded back into the next generation of products, keeping the material in a continuous circular loop.
Danish-Singaporean design duo Christian + Jade turn to linoleum, manufactured at Tarkett’s Narni facility and made with up to 97% responsibly sourced natural materials. Using renewable, abundant ingredients, Tarkett collaborates with partners to recover materials otherwise destined for waste, such as cork from the Sardinian wine industry, reinforcing a regenerative material cycle.
Of Tarkett and TILT’s collaboration at 3daysofdesign, Thomas Leneveu, Vice President Commercial Business Unit, says: “Tarkett emphasises that circularity is a collective effort. By working with partners across industries, the company actively recovers valuable materials and enables them to be transformed into new products, demonstrating that collaboration is fundamental to closing the loop. We are proud to be working with three designers who share this sentiment and look forward to bringing Beginnings & Endings to Copenhagen this year.” The collaboration underscores a simple idea: circularity only works when everyone is part of the loop…
10-12 June 2026
10.00 – 17.00
Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Gothersgade 49, 1123 Copenhagen | District Rosengård
