Hospitality Design - May 2015 - 28

advertorial

Q&A

with

stacy walker
global director of
customer experience, milliken

What makes your company stand out
among the competition?

Milliken offers the unique technical innovation,
design expertise, and environmental responsibility
required to create meaningful floor covering
solutions. Our array of technology enables us to
provide endless color options, custom capabilities,
and incredible performance in both modular and
broadloom carpet - ensuring designers can always
select the ideal carpet for projects.

How important is customization?
How has it enhanced your products or
relationships with clients?

Custom-inspired environments help connect the
brand and guest experience. Floor covering is one
of the most expansive spaces to achieve this.
At Milliken, we can create a variety custom
floor covering. Designers can re-color existing
patterns and develop new designs using our étage
online tool. Or, if a completely unique approach
is desired, Milliken designers collaborate with
customers to bring their vision to life. There's an
advantage to partnering with a company driven
by technological innovation - and our customers
appreciate it.

What is your company's process for
creating new products?

We're inspired to look at the world through fresh
perspectives, and it's deeply reflected in our
new products. Abstract shapes that are revealed
when hyper-focusing on an everyday form, like
the human profile. Proven technology used in
new ways to create functionally and aesthetically
superior floor covering. Using all facets of
high-resolution print technology to not only
create stunning floor covering, but also simplify
installation.
We push the limits of what floor covering
can be, enabling designers to create meaningful
interior experiences.

How is technology playing a role in
product development?

Technology is the springboard that both inspires
and brings our products to life. Milliken designers
and print research scientists constantly re-invent
what's possible with our technology to create
beautiful designs with unparalleled performance.
Industry-leading technology also enables
us to create large-scale patterns on modular

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May 2015 hospitalitydesign.com

carpet - a rare feature in hospitality design. Our
high-resolution technology prints patterns in tile
registration for a virtually seamless aesthetic.

Why is it important to be a sustainable
company and how are you sustainable/
eco-friendly?

We feel a deep responsibility to minimize our
environmental impact through both sustainable
manufacturing practices and the products we
create. Our holistic approach is proven. The
Milliken family of companies is a carbon-negative
manufacturer certified by the Leonardo Academy
Cleaner and Greener® Program, which allows
us to offer carbon-neutral carpets. We were also
named to Ethisphere Institute's list of World's Most
Ethical Companies for the ninth consecutive year.
Additionally, our carpets feature recycled
content, are PVC free, third-party certified by
NSF 140 and CRI Green Label Plus, and carry
Environmental Product Declarations and
Declare labels.

What trends are you seeing in the
industry? How will you incorporate them
in your products?

Designers are using modular carpet to create more
functional and beautiful guestrooms. Whether
it's to create a color gradation across the floor
plane, room borders, or rug insets, the guestroom
becomes a canvas with modular carpet - with only
a few SKUS. Additionally, carpet tile enhances
sustainability and ease of maintenance.
We're constantly evolving our technology
to create the most functional and aesthetically
inspiring modular carpets for every hospitality
space.

Tell us something surprising about your
company that people may not know.

Milliken is an expert in color chemistry. We
have a keen understanding of how to manipulate
the makeup of color to deeply saturate textiles
yet resist unwanted stains. We can even make
color disappear. Color chemists at Milliken are
also responsible for washable colorants founds
in washable markers and paints. And, Milliken
color clarifiers make polypropylene in consumer
goods, such as food storage containers, colorful yet
transparent.
The result: a more colorful world from the
ground up.
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Hospitality Design - May 2015

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