We've reached the big five 'oh!

And we don’t feel a day over 21

At Karndean, we’re proud to be celebrating our 50th anniversary during 2023. The world has changed over the last 50 years but we’ve always stayed true to our founder’s original vision: sourcing inspiration from the natural world to adapt, perfect and deliver products that are both design-led and durable. Let’s look back over our story…

Our past

In 1973, Mike Walker founded Karndean, initially with the aim of making flooring products easily accessible to all. Over time, his desire to provide floors that were both beautiful and highly practical led him to focus exclusively on luxury vinyl and to create his own designs. With the family home acting as both office and warehouse, Mike set out with his van, some samples and his faithful Great Dane, Smokey, to visit customers and carve himself a niche in the flooring market.

Mike travelled the world to source inspiration from nature and pioneered the authentic replication of real wood and stone species which is still central to Karndean’s design quality. Always at the forefront of technology and innovation, our first range dedicated to the homeowner was Knight Tile, which offered customers a wide range of design options at an affordable price. Recently updated worldwide, Knight Tile continues to introduce the latest trends at an entry level price point.

Our present

Fast forward 50 years, and Karndean Designflooring now has offices around the globe, with more than 500 employees. We still uphold the values of our founder and when we design product, we design with our customers, our colleagues and our communities in mind. We call it designing for life and this ethos sits at the heart of everything we do.

Smokey the Great Dane continues to be part of the Karndean family too, via our logo, and has become an inseparable part of our brand. You can even spot him in various guises throughout our brochure. Why not take a look or even order a copy straight to your home?

Our future

As well as being proud of our past, we’re excited for the future and have a clear, ongoing commitment to develop beautiful, durable, designflooring that replicates the beauty of the natural world in a responsible way, doing our best for people and planet.

So, here’s to our story of remarkable craftsmanship and service and to the next generation – with you by our side!

Designed for life