Read any story about architectural development or new constructions big and small, and you’ll notice a throughline, especially in Southern California: creating structures that have a net-neutral effect on the planet is often a top priority. Headline-grabbing words and phrases like “sustainable,” “recycled” and “LEED-certified” introduce projects from ADUs to skyscrapers, often with splashy features like tech-enhanced climate control, green roofs and highly advanced water management systems.
These facets are amazing and necessary, of course, but what about comfort and beauty? The heart of the home is in its interior design, and that design often stems right from the structure’s foundation. So, if a home is built from the ground up, then so was the sustainable, seamless resin flooring manufacturer SENSO, says founder David Bols, who established the international company in his one-bedroom apartment.
“I always had a passion for design – a passion for creating something tangible, physical,” said Bols. “It took maybe five years until we had a SENSO product that was market ready, and it took the same amount of time again to fine-tune the product to create perfection in a way that is beautiful and durable, and that’s essentially what we want to do every day.”
Of course, a decade is no short amount of time to develop a product, and Bols lived a spartan lifestyle chasing this dream. “I had €11,000 saved in my bank account, which isn’t enough to start a company, but I was okay eating pizzas for five bucks every day for a while just to get the ball rolling,” he said.
Bols’ entrepreneurial spirit was part of his impetus to continually expand SENSO as well – which in 2024 operates across Europe, the Middle East and now invests heavily in expansion in its US entity. Three new locations will open in Los Angeles (Culver City), New York City and Miami, all hotbeds of modern design and forward-thinking building practices. And while seamlessly poured flooring is not new in the world of industrial design, SENSO’s unique formula and materials create an instantly noticeable blend of beauty, feel, and most importantly to the company’s ethos, sustainable building blocks of design everywhere from hospitality, office and home.
New Methods, New Materials and a New Focus
Bols describes himself as a “country boy,” spending his youth exploring the natural spaces and forests in The Netherlands. This love of nature and dedication to its stewardship were major factors in SENSO’s vision to create a truly sustainable resin flooring – a style of floor covering adopted in the 1960s but marred with the use of harmful petrochemical binders. Bols and his team saw the potential in the style, but also its urgent need for innovations, and set out to create a completely different chemical formula for SENSO, deriving the needed resins and binders from sustainable, plant-based materials.
When we founded Senso, this was in the mid-2000s, Bols said, this style of technology was deemed too expensive and unnecessary, but as climate change awareness expanded, SENSO’s product gained traction. “About 10 years ago ... Scandinavia was one of the first regions that started asking about sustainability. Now, everybody’s on top of this – every building needs to be LEED-certified or WELL-certified or needs to reduce CO2 emissions because of climate change,” said Bols.
“Companies and architects are saying, ‘We need to find something else, because these older products or traditional products just don’t cut it anymore.’”
A Statement in Modernity
The look of SENSO’s resin finishes aligns with modern styles in both Southern California and beyond. With almost limitless interior possibilities that can be combined with the SENSO product, floors and walls of homes, offices and even shopping malls can get the look and feel they’re hoping to achieve with beauty and durability. “Design is really very much embedded in our DNA,” said Bols. “We want products that are sustainable, yes, but also products that look good too – the aesthetics are equally important.”
SENSO finishes can be mixed with any tone and different natural materials to match any design. From classic terrazzo-style finishes to finishes made with discarded fishing nets (yet another notch in the company’s commitment to a cleaner planet), each SENSO product has a custom-created feel for each placement. “If you aim for a certain overall finish or atmosphere in a space, I think what we’ve been able to do really well is translate that into a quality product that becomes a tangible asset in any space,” Bols said.
“That’s helped shape the design of our collections.”
A Seamless Lifestyle
The SENSO flooring system, an artisan, poured-by-hand product, allows for true seamlessness in its interior finish. A true seamless floor can unify a space, allowing open flow between rooms and foster cohesion instead of cut-offs, breaks, trims or joints. A mountainside villa in the Spanish Sierra Nevada showcases SENSO’s ability to transform a normal space into a beautifully flowing work of art.
The unique blend of SENSO resins creates something that belies traditional terrazzo or concrete seamless flooring: warmth. “It’s like walking on air,” says Bols, “because the petrochemical products are very hard and tough and rigid and also have a cold feeling. We encourage people to kick off their shoes, walk around, touch with their hands and bare feet and feel the comfort and the suppleness of SENSO.”
An Experience in the Making
As SENSO is something that is as much tactile as it is visual, feeling is believing. Luckily for Southern Californians, the opportunity to immerse themselves in the SENSO experience is coming as soon as this spring. That is when SENSO will open its first showroom in the region, choosing to curate a space in Culver City’s chic Arts District and reflecting Bols’ personal love of California’s gorgeous outdoor experiences.
“Culver City is really progressive. I like what they do and the initiatives they have and the traction they are getting around the Arts District. And I think they’re doing amazing things to the city – attracting a lot of new businesses – it’s a great place for us to be and to inspire clients when they walk down the street and enter our space.”
The showroom will feature design inspiration, a patio, communal area and kitchen as well as a hotel suite and outdoor space to host events. Most importantly it will allow for a firsthand connection between comfort, design, innovation and the end user. It’s that nexus that truly drives the company, says Bols.
“I really enjoy revisiting a project that we’ve done and completed after a few months,” he said. “Then, seeing real people living in that space and enjoying it every day – that’s the real reward of what we do.”