The Oakley Safehouse at this summer's Olympics is at the acclaimed Design Museum in London. Since 1996, Oakley has sponsored a unique environment for athletes to escape and relax during the Olympic Games. Though August 12, the Oakley Safehouse will welcome over 600 athletes. Chilewich is the exclusive flooring and tabletop partner for the project.



Encompassing two floors of the Design Museum, the Safehouse features a full-service restaurant on the first level and a lounge on the second level, incorporating multiple viewing areas, a coffee bar, refreshments bar, a custom eyewear area and an interview area for media.



Oakley's Director of Sports Marketing Cuan Petersen, who has headed up the design of the Oakley Safehouses since it began and selected Chilewich as a partner for this year's games, says, “The new Chilewich tile flooring solution, BioFeltTM, is a perfect fit for what we were trying to create in London. We have a very limited build time but we wanted a world-class, beautiful floor that would give a permanent and finished look.” Durdam Rocherolle, Oakley Olympic Consultant specializing in partnerships and alliances, elaborates, “We were blown away by how easy it was to install. With a largely untrained flooring crew, we were able to install 2,200 sq. ft. with about 100 cuts in a half a day. It’s hard to believe you can pick it up and use it again so easily – it looks so permanent.”



Making it debut in a commercial setting, BioFeltTM tile system, which was introduced in June, is composed of 82% pre- and post-consumer content. It was installed using VELCRO® Brand Hook Squares that connect each floor tile to one another and to the floor. As the entire system is reusable it was both an environmentally conscious and cost efficient solution for the Safehouse.



All photos by Russ Hennings/Oakley

In addition to the BioFeltTM floor tiles, Oakley also chose eight custom size rugs for the lounge area and over 350 tabletop designs for the restaurant area. Placemats, runners, napkins and more in a variety of colors and styles will be rotated throughout the day to create a fresh look and feel for each meal service.