Flooring Expert Shares What’s Hot In Arizona

Photo: David Fox

The Insider: Cale Clayton

Craftsman Court Ceramics

You could say Cale Clayton has a thing for floors. In 2006, he founded Scottsdale-based Clayton Floor Covering & Design, a venture that snowballed over the years into his partial or full ownership of four other flooring companies: Select Interiors, Beyond Concrete, The Design Group and his latest acquisition, Craftsman Court Ceramics. Now at the helm of five Valley businesses devoted to beautiful flooring, Clayton sees firsthand the ins and outs of the industry and the local creatives who bring each project to life, from tile artisans to skilled installers. “It’s hard to be in five places at one time,” he laughs. “I have to trust a lot of people to make decisions.” Here, he shares the people and places captivating him right now.

Top trends? People are beginning to gravitate toward more interesting tiles and decorative designs, like cement tiles that have different patterns. They want their houses to be unique, and using tile is one way to do that.

Locals to watch: We collaborate with several designers and architects, and they all do a fabulous job–and are all a little different, which I like. A few of my favorites are Studio V, Vallone Design and Kim Anderson Design.

Must-visit establishment for design lovers? We work a lot with Fox Restaurant Concepts and really enjoy the projects by Sam Fox, like The Henry. It has a sophisticated industrial feel, and the interior design harkens back to several decades of inspiration.

For nature inspiration: I love Camelback Mountain; it’s such an iconic part of Phoenix. But when it comes to enjoying the outdoors, I’m not a big hiker–I prefer golf.