TV's popular Real World series features chic vinyl flooring from Armstrong

In "The Real World," The Choice is Vinyl

The Real World, MTV's mega-hit reality series which puts seven young strangers in a house and follows them for four months, hosts its 15th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Produced by reality TV innovator Bunim-Murray Productions, The Real World is staged in a former bank which has been transformed into a Generation-Y fantasy house, complete with hot tub, fitness equipment, pool table - and chic vinyl flooring from Armstrong.

The Real World houses have always been purveyors of young, contemporary style and the ultimate in luxury living, and the Philadelphia home is no exception. The house is a vibrant, contemporary living space, comfortably nestled within the walls of an elegant historic structure.

The 10,000-square-foot house, in the heart of Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, was built in 1907 as the home of the Union National Bank of Philadelphia. More recently, it served as the headquarters for the Merchant Seamen's Institute and Church. The house for Real World Philadelphia is designed to reflect the essence of the city itself: Rooted in tradition, but alive with the heartbeat of the present - a visually exciting study in complements and contrasts. "In converting it to a residence, we stripped the 10,000 square foot interior down to its most essential architectural elements, preserving historic details, but reinterpreting the space from a non-institutional perspective," says Norm Dodge, the house designer, of Norm Dodge & Associates, who is well-known for his work in residential and commercial environments, including architectural renovation and interior design.

"I was absolutely determined to have the warmth of genuine hardwood floors in the kitchen as a contrast to the steely nature of the cabinets and appliances, and to blend with the warmth of the brick-stone floor in the atrium," says Dodge. "I could not believe the look of Armstrong's vinyl wood floor." Dodge was sufficiently impressed to go with vinyl in the kitchen, first because of the amazingly realistic visual, but then because of vinyl's well-known performance attributes - durability, easy maintenance and water resistance. Plus, it's quiet and comfortable underfoot.

"The look was exactly what I wanted. I knew that it would look good on camera, but when we put it down on the kitchen floor, I was so knocked out by it that I decided to put in my own kitchen. There is no higher testimony than that," says Dodge.

Dodge's highest design priorities in the house were physical and visual comfort. The challenge was to establish pockets of intimacy and an overall warmth of spirit - a cozy home environment - without denying the magnificent openness of the original plan. The new floor plan echoes the geometric forms of the original, but applies them in a decidedly non-traditional fashion. Architectural circles and fluid organic curves, accented by strong, bright colors, swirl freely within the stately rectangular framework. The same motif follows through to the furniture and accessories, much of which had been custom manufactured for the house to the designer's specifications. In addition to the kitchen, other gathering places within the house include a recreation room, complete with pool table, electronic dart board and bar, as well as a powder room which looks more like an upscale locker room and changing area.

"I tend to think of vinyl for its resiliency more than anything else. I would prefer hardwood in certain situations, but there are places like the bathroom and around the bar where vinyl is preferred," says Dodge. "Wood floors are never going to be on the cutting edge of hip. On the other hand, Armstrong vinyl floors offered upscale, knockout patterns-so much variety, intriguing and contemporary. Plus, they fit into my color schemes. No alternations were needed to fit the floor, which is not always the case. "No one, in any age group, wants something that feels outdated," he continues. "It's nice to find a range of floor products that have a cutting edge feel."

Flooring sets the tone for an entire interior space, and Armstrong sets a new tone for flooring with brassy looks such as those used in The Real World house. A whimsical and dreamy star-studded design called Twinkle™ is in the bathroom; Vienna™, a cubic pattern, is used in the game room's bar area; and Starstep's® Old Country™ is in the kitchen. Starstep® incorporates MasterWorks Technology™, an exclusive design process that replicates the look of fiber, stone, marble and wood more authentically than ever before. All the floors combine contemporary looks with the proven durability of ToughGuard™ vinyl sheet flooring, warranted to resist tears, gouges and rips. They also feature another Armstrong exclusive, Cleansweep®, which makes floors easy to clean and maintain. One of the design priorities was to maintain a warm and homey feeling - a look which is usually associated with carpet and wood, according to Dodge. "The variety of Armstrong's collections allowed me to make selections to compliment that warmth. I was not minimizing the amount of vinyl that was used. It added to the warmth because of depth of textures and colors."

The foyer opens onto the atrium which has a 22-foot tall olive tree as its centerpiece. The sleek kitchen opens out into the rest of the house. While many of the materials may look expensive, like the Armstrong floor, they're not, which makes it even more possible for young people on a budget to capture a bit of "Real World" luxury for themselves.

According to Armstrong's Allen Cubell, vice president, Residential Resilient Products, "Homeowners recognize flooring as a key ingredient in home décor, and buyers demand practicality and style. Vinyl is uniquely able to interpret the most transforming interior trends affordably and to create upscale style. What better testimony than combining Armstrong design with MTV 'cool'." Produced by reality TV innovators Bunim-Murray Productions, The Real World is the longest-running reality series in history and has ranked number one in its time slot for seven consecutive seasons for 12-34 year-olds versus all basic cable. Each season, the show brings seven young strangers to live together in a new town and rolls the cameras 24-7, witnessing as their lives intersect, their ideas are challenged, and their passions emerge. Other seasons of The Real World have taken place in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Miami, Boston, Seattle, Hawaii, New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas, Paris and San Diego. The Real World was created for MTV by Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim of Bunim-Murray Productions and Jon Murray serves as the executive producer for both. Tracy Chaplin is the supervising producer of Real World Philadelphia. Drew Tappon and Jacquelyn French are executives in charge of production. Norm Dodge has worked as a production designer in theatre and film for over 20 years, as well as in residential and commercial environments, including architectural renovation and interior design.

His stage designs include sets for more than 200 productions from New York City to Europe, as well as in Canada and across the U.S. His screen credits include fifteen feature films and numerous TV movies, series and specials, music videos and over 250 commercials and industrials. Find out more about MTV's The Real World Philadelphia by logging onto to www.mtv.com or www.bunim-murray.com. You can take a photographic tour of The Real World Philadelphia house and learn more about Norm Dodge at www.normdodge.com. To learn more about the Armstrong floors seen in the house, as well as other flooring options in resilient, vinyl and laminate, log onto www.armstrong.com.