UNPIGMENTED MARMOLEUM
For decades, Marmoleum has been celebrated for its rich colours and distinctive designs. Yet beneath every colour lies the material itself, a unique blend of natural ingredients with its own character, texture and warmth.
What happens when those colours are stripped away and the material is allowed to speak for itself?
Within Forbo Flooring, that question has fascinated designers for nearly two decades.
As early as 2006, experiments with unpigmented Marmoleum revealed a side of the material rarely seen by customers. Internally, it became known as "cookie", a nickname inspired by the warm, natural colours of linseed oil, wood flour, rosin and limestone that emerge when pigments are removed.
"We were fascinated by what happened when we stopped looking at colour and started looking at the material itself. Even then, we could see there was something special there," recalls Dorothé Kessels, Director Global Design.
Designer Brecht Duijf adds:
"As designers, we sometimes see possibilities long before the market is ready for them. Some ideas need time."
At the time, the market was not yet ready. But the fascination remained.
Over the years, the material resurfaced in experiments, presentations and design projects. Among those drawn to it was Linoleum designer Kita Keus, who first encountered "cookie" during her internship in 2017.
"When I first saw it in the pilot factory, where Marmoleum colours are developed, it didn't look like a product. It was being used to clean machines. But I could immediately see the beauty of the material itself. You could see the ingredients," she recalls.
Kita Keus' graduation project (2017-2018), featuring a room divider made from unpigmented Marmoleum.
For years, unpigmented Marmoleum remained an intriguing possibility. The question was whether others would see the same potential.
The first step: Furniture Linoleum
That answer began to emerge during factory tours. Architects who encountered the unpigmented material were consistently drawn to its appearance and wanted to know more.
"As soon as architects held the unpigmented material in their hands, the reaction was almost always positive. That was the moment we started asking ourselves: are people also willing to buy this?" says Peter Albertz, Innovation Manager.
In 2025, that question was put to the test when unpigmented Furniture Linoleum became available to the market. After years of experimentation and growing interest, the material had found its first true application. Designers embraced its understated appearance, tactile warmth and timeless aesthetic.
The response confirmed what many within Forbo Flooring had suspected for years.
"With Furniture Linoleum, we could confirm that customers accepted these characteristics. That gave us the confidence to explore broader applications, including flooring," says Peter.
The concept was not only embraced by customers. It also received international recognition, including the Red Dot: Best of the Best Design Award 2025, the Interzum Award: Best of the Best 2025 and the German Design Award 2026.
The success of unpigmented Furniture Linoleum raised a new question: what if the same philosophy could be applied to flooring?
Marmoleum Soul
With Marmoleum Soul, years of exploration, observation and validation came together in a flooring collection.
"By not adding pigments, we stop correcting the material. What you see is the material itself, including its natural variation," explains Peter.
Without pigments, the natural colours of linseed oil, wood flour, rosin and limestone become visible. Ingredients that are normally hidden beneath colour now help define the appearance of the floor itself.
With Marmoleum Soul we reveal Marmoleum’s beginnings, defined by honesty, integrity and transparency at its core. Its authentic composition celebrates materials that are openly expressed, shaped by nature and revealed through its visual texture, warmth and even a subtle scent.
The collection consists of four designs with fewer added pigments and one completely unpigmented design: Marmoleum Soul Origin.
"Origin is the starting point of the collection. The other colours have little sprinkles of pigments, that make them more accessible, while still keeping the material's essence visible," explains Brecht.
Made with up to 99% natural ingredients, Marmoleum Soul expresses craftsmanship, purity and enduring, understated beauty. Marmoleum Soul Origin is the essence of the material: raw, natural and the starting point of it all.
Marmoleum being a highly sustainable, climate-positive flooring option (cradle-to-gate) removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits during production and transport, without requiring carbon offsets, as the plants and trees used to create the flooring (such as flax and jute) absorb more CO₂ during their growth cycle through photosynthesis than is emitted during manufacturing and transportation. Marmoleum Soul Origin also achieves an even lower carbon footprint (-1.90 kg CO₂e/m² cradle to gate) than standard Marmoleum (-1.57 kg CO₂e/m² cradle to gate).
"Many people don't realize that Marmoleum is a natural material. We're used to celebrating materials like wood and concrete for their natural character. Marmoleum Soul invites us to look at Marmoleum in the same way," says Brecht.
As a living surface, Marmoleum Soul matures like wood, stone or leather, gaining richness over time while reflecting responsible design and transparent material choices.
As Dorothé reflects:
"The natural colours of the ingredients are always present. That's why Soul combines so naturally with materials like wood and concrete. It feels authentic because it is authentic."