We've reached the big 5-0!

And we couldn’t have done it without you

We’re proud to be celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. While a lot has changed since 1973, we remain true to founder Mike Walker’s vision: sourcing inspiration from the natural world to adapt, perfect and deliver products that are both design-led and durable. We’re grateful to our customers for helping us reach this milestone, and we look forward to the next 50 years as a family-owned business committed to creating luxury vinyl flooring designed for life.

The early days: a van, some samples and a loyal Great Dane

Mike founded Karndean with the goal of making flooring products more widely accessible. But it wasn’t long before he recognized the immense potential of luxury vinyl, which would allow him to create his own beautifully designed flooring with practical benefits like durability and ease of maintenance.

With the family home serving as both an office and warehouse, he set out in his van with some samples and his faithful Great Dane, Smokey, to visit customers and carve a niche in the flooring market. Mike travelled the world for inspiration, seeking to bring the beauty of nature into people’s homes. He pioneered the lifelike replication of real wood and stone species – a defining quality of our designs to this day.

Representing the cutting edge of innovation and technology, Knight Tile would become the first collection available to homeowners, providing a wide range of design options at an affordable price. Fittingly, this flagship collection was updated in 2023 to coincide with our 50th anniversary, as Knight Tile continues offering the latest design trends at a great price.

A global business rooted in family tradition

Today, Karndean Designflooring has more than 500 employees and offices around the globe. But we proudly continue to uphold our founder’s vision and values, designing with customers in mind to create beautiful flooring that’s built to last. We call it “Designing For Life,” and it’s at the heart of everything we do.

Smokey the Great Dane is still part of our family, too, an unmistakable representative of our brand. You’ll spot him everywhere – including all of our brochures.

An even better tomorrow

As we celebrate our history, we are excited about the future. It’s a future that includes a commitment to continue creating beautiful, durable designflooring in a responsible way, making the health of the planet, and the well-being of its people, a priority.

So here’s to a proud past and a great future – and to you for making it all possible.