I think it is safe to say that most NeoCon attendees leave the show each year feeling inspired after having seen beautiful new products designed with intent and showrooms constructed with great care. I imagine, as it is with us, that you go home with a greater appreciation and enthusiasm for the interior design process and everything that goes into it.
Wouldn’t it be great to be inspired and moved by what you saw every day?
Shaw’s new Create Centre in Cartersville, Ga., which opened last October, does just that. Brenda Knowles, vice president commercial marketing and product development for Shaw Contract, told the FCW edit team when we toured the space last week, “We wanted a place where people wanted to be.”
Indeed, the 60,000 square-foot space, which houses Shaw Contract’s commercial brand leaders including marketing and design teams, as well as Patcraft’s team, delivers on the company’s vision statement. Knowles said they wanted to have a place where all people could come together to innovate and collaborate that would engage both associates and clients.
“It’s easy to work together and create with marketing and design adjacent to each other. There is constant collaboration,” she said.
From top to bottom, the building is thoughtfully planned, beginning with the central staircase which both invites impromptu meetings and encourages associates to walk up to their work spaces versus taking the elevator.
And, from the color palette to the furniture’s lines, there is a sense of serenity and calm. Spaces designed for gatherings are based on the specific needs of the department. For example, in the space designated for the Shaw Contract design team, there is a “campfire” circle with low-to-the-ground, comfortable seating.
Private meeting areas are also built into the plan. Each space has a name, and on the design and marketing floor, they are named after classic toys such as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Hot Wheels and Lego, for example. And, yes, each room has the appropriate toy housed inside!
Other spaces include pin-up walls, archives and a library. As well, there is space here for future expansion. One area, not yet designated for use, will be assigned a purpose once employees have settled in and can identify what additional needs they may have. Also on the horizon, artwork will be going up as a well as a mural.
In addition to engagement and collaboration, the space is built to welcome and care for all people entering the building and the environment. Outside, there is open space where some employees have created herb gardens. There is also plenty of space inside for dining. Want to take a run? There are showers for employees to use as well.
The exterior of the building also reflects the company’s local and global footprint — the louvers that provide shade to the interior are orange, both the international color of design and that of the local foothills. The exterior also features plants and flowers that act as a site for rainwater collection. No irrigation is used.
Right next to the Create Centre is the company’s custom center, pilot plant and some customer service. That building was renovated to complement the Create Centre.
While the building plays host to 180 associates, it’s also a space that is very much about the customer. “We provide solutions based on marketing insights,” Knowles said.
At NeoCon this week, while taking us through new commercial hard and soft surface products, Patcraft’s Jeff West noted, “The Create Centre’s environment really transformed and now sets a different excitement and energy here. A different space around you affects what you do every day.”