A New Flooring Collection from Shaw Contract and West Elm

Shaw Contract and West Elm partnered to create an award-winning collection that combines the look of residential flooring with the performance attributes necessary for commercial applications. The coordinating rugs, broadloom, and carpet tiles offer a range of textures that simulate handwoven rugs, bringing pops of color and pattern to corporate environments.

While designers have long incorporated familiar touches of home to enhance interiors, the resimercial trend accelerated during the pandemic, as clients sought to ease stress, particularly at the office. “We have been seeing the residential influence infused in all of our segments, especially in the workplace for the past three years. And now, as we try to figure out this new way of living and working post-COVID, it is going to be even more apparent,” said Reesie Duncan, vice president of global design, Shaw Contract.

Furniture retailer West Elm has been in the contract arena since 2015, when they launched Workspace in collaboration with Inscape, a line of 75-plus office furnishings. The company continues to work with commercial partners to bring products to market that appeal to a wider range of customers. After Duncan’s initial conversation with Cheryl Carpenter, vice president at West Elm, the decision to team up was an easy one. Both groups worked at an accelerated pace, too — ideation to execution of the line took just a year and a half.

For Shannon Crider Langley, Shaw Contract’s director of marketing, workplace and retail, it was an ideal time for such a pairing, with manufacturers placing an increased emphasis on the benefits of area rugs and carpet tile. “People want to choose where they work and how they work, and that was the idea behind this collection. We have broadloom, rugs, carpet tile, and custom options available. Layering hard and soft surfaces with this system allows users the flexibility to change proportions depending on what they need in their space.”

Quality is a Shaw Contract hallmark, yet Duncan noted that they strived to go to the next level to create a superior commercial-grade collection by augmenting the capabilities of the equipment. Exaggerated pile heights or flat weaves produced the desired tactile variation. “We were super inspired by texture and the mix of yarns. So we really pushed our machines and technology to be able to incorporate these really small fibers and achieve handcrafted, artisanal styles.”

The mid-century modern aesthetic the furniture company is known for served as the basis for the overall design concept, showcasing a color palette and patterns that call to mind the furniture company’s signature pieces. “If you think of typical workplace carpet, it is mostly mid-tones, grays, and cooler hues,” Duncan said. “We took a lot of visual cues directly from West Elm and looked at their most popular colors, but we went lighter than we typically would.”

With refreshing tones at the forefront, Duncan explained that there are also warm tints to provide balance in contemporary or traditional interiors. “There are these subtle accents like teal, gold, and warm terracotta that are meant to spark joy. We had a little bit more fun with some of the patterns and infused brights, then added softer neutrals that help to ground spaces.”

The curated collection features seven styles and four standard sizes, which Langley noted can be utilized in any number of ways. Such adaptability is one reason why area rugs are gaining popularity in the workplace. “Offices now need to accommodate transitions, from heads-down spaces to collaboration areas or Zoom pods. And we are finding that a lot of these rooms aren’t being used as planned, and so they have to be repurposed. Area rugs draw people in and provide comfort, but they also anchor a space. They are multifunctional pieces that offer the agility that is essential today.”

A hit at NeoCon, the flooring won a Best of NeoCon Gold Award for Area Rugs and an Interior Design HiP Award for Hospitality Flooring. Duncan believes the immediate success is due in large part to its resonance with the collective. “Home is a place, but it is also a feeling. People want to be connected and want to belong, no matter what space they are in. This collection really evokes that.”