A Creative Awakening: Shaw Contract's Latest Design Innovation

A creative awakening

Shaw Contract’s newest hospitality collection, Awaken, debuted at the HD Expo in Las Vegas earlier this year.

The custom collection of rugs and broadloom was designed using Shaw’s innovative, brand-new tufted technology, which allowed their design team to create cut and loop carpets with multiple pile heights and up to 16 different colours in one style. 

Inspired Design

Inspired by on-trend, large-scale, abstract florals, their creative team was excited by this opportunity to design a collection that was artistic and a little bit feminine, something that Shaw Contract isn’t usually known for.

The new technology gave them the flexibility to play with the gradients and colour-blending that lent itself perfectly to the watercolour and painterly motifs that feature heavily in this collection.

At the same time the combinations of different loop levels added even more depth and dimension to the finished carpets. 

A study of the design process

When asked about her creative process, Shaw Contract Design Manager Lauryn Pierce said she saw the Awaken collection as a study of how the creative design process evolves with the help of new and emerging technologies.

“As artists, we start with pen and paper, or other physical elements, but how do we use technology to create even more original and unique designs? When we first started designing this collection, we just took it back to the basics and let ourselves create freely. I started with watercolours and acrylic paints.”

Lauryn then explored how they could layer in technology to create more ethereal visuals and texture. Taking the original paintings, she used AI technology to blend them before digitally painting further layers of pattern and texture on top.

It was this layering of different processes that pushed the designs of the Awaken collection to a place that felt new and unexpected. 

The Awaken collection successfully balances the dramatic with softer, more ethereal elements. Featuring unique, organic-shaped rugs and a colour palette ranging from bold to lighter, neutral tones, the Awaken collection is the perfect addition to any hospitality space.

Available to order by Summer 2024.

To explore more of our hospitality collections.