Ted Todd: Redefining Wood Flooring

Posted in Products on 26 March, 2025

Ted Todd is a name synonymous with sustainable luxury, specialising in solid and engineered wood floors crafted from responsibly sourced materials, including rare speciality timbers, reclaimed wood, and antique finds.

Each creation combines natural beauty with exceptional durability, elevating residential and hospitality spaces through a seamless blend of elegance and practicality.

The brand’s sister company, Karta, exemplifies a dedication to sublime craftsmanship, offering an innovative and environmentally conscious approach to engineered planks with its latest collection, The Recycled Leather Series, made from recycled leather offcuts saved from landfill.

In conversation with SPACE, Founder and CEO Robert Walsh discusses the vision behind Ted Todd’s success and its steadfast commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

I understand you were just 21 when you launched Ted Todd. Could you take us back to the beginning and how it all began?
For as long as I can remember, crafting has been at the heart of everything I do. In 1993, I spent a summer restoring reclaimed pine floorboards in my parents’ garden, and my deep connection to craftsmanship and design developed from there. I soon recognised a gap in the market for innovative, sustainable wood flooring. After setting up in Warrington, the order that started it all was for 40 square yards of restored floorboards for a barn conversion – the rest, as they say, is history.

Sustainability was still a relatively new concept in 1993. How have you seen your customers’ attitudes towards it evolve over the years?
That first order showed us there was a huge interest in high-quality, reclaimed flooring. By 1995, we were restoring 18th- and 19th-century flooring to create solid oak planks. In 1997, Ted Todd became one of the first FSC®-certified companies in Europe.

We’ve developed fantastic relationships within the design and manufacturing industry, responding to the growing demand for flooring innovation and affordable sustainable options. What came next was our flooring revolution, Karta—a renewable alternative that goes beyond the limitations of plastic alternatives.

Over time, we’ve seen customers become increasingly aware of and engaged with sustainability. It’s been encouraging to see this shift, and we are pleased to support them in making responsible choices.

Karta Recycled Leather Series. Above: Colton. Top: Saxton

What criteria does Ted Todd use when selecting new wood suppliers for its collections?
We scour the world to source the very best reclaimed materials, ensuring our collections stand out for their quality and sustainability. Many of these materials are antique, with unique characteristics and rich histories, while others come from sources that are no longer available today.

We hold the largest stock of reclaimed timber—arguably the most sustainable way to choose a floor. By giving these exceptional materials a new lease of life, we preserve their beauty while minimising the need for new resources, aligning with our commitment to sustainability and responsible sourcing.

Reclaimed and antique hardwood floors are available through Woodworks, but we’ve also taken an innovative step by creating high-resolution scans of select Woodworks floors to be reproduced in Karta’s Recycled Leather Series. This approach opens up the design features of these rare materials to a wider audience than ever before, making sustainable design more accessible.

What do you believe sets Ted Todd apart from the rest?
Our immense heritage is undisputed within the quality flooring industry. To this day, sourcing wood and working on reclaimed projects remains my favourite part of the job—it allows me to do what I love from our HQ in Cheshire. Cheshire has been an integral part of our journey and was the perfect setting for launching our first Design Centre, offering customers an immersive space to explore our floors in person. This set the precedent for our Design Centres in Fitzrovia, London, and 200 Lexington Ave, NYC.

With more FSC and PEFC-certified products than any of our competitors, our collections are built to last a lifetime and backed by a minimum 20-year guarantee.

Since our inception in 1993, we haven’t stood still. Woodworks and Karta, our two other brands in the Ted Todd family, are core examples of designing for customers who want to tell beautiful stories through their purchases but at different price points.

Woodworks, Corinthia, London

Having supplied flooring to many of the world’s leading hotels, could you tell us of any exciting new projects in the pipeline?
We are fortunate to work with some of the most prestigious hotels around the globe, creating unique and inviting spaces with our flooring. Since opening our Woodworks showroom in the New York Design Centre at 200 Lexington Ave, our projects in the USA have truly taken off.

Closer to home, we recently completed the floors in the Corinthia Hotel, Brussels. This was a particularly special project for us, as it follows our work at the historic five-star Corinthia London in 2011 with GA Design. Despite almost 15 years and two refurbishments since then, the floors in Corinthia London continue to stand the test of time—a testament to the durability and timeless quality of our craftsmanship.

tedtodd.co.uk