NEWH - Spring 2021 - 70

COVER STORY

Inspired. Inclusive. Intentional.
AtlasMasland aims to stand out as it forges ahead
By Alia Akkam
Photos courtesy of AtlasMasland

ad 2020 unfolded as planned, AtlasMasland would have officially
revealed its new brand identity to the tens of thousands of design
professionals gathered at Chicago's Merchandise Mart for NeoCon
in June. " It wasn't the big shout it from the rooftops we wanted it to be, " says
Elena Córdoba, executive director, design & product development for the
flooring company based in Saraland, Alabama. Lack of a splashy event aside,
AtlasMasland successfully pulled off a relaunch in the midst of a pandemic.
The Dixie Group, which owned Masland Contract, bought Atlas Carpet
Mills back in 2014. Four years later, Atlas and Masland merged into one vast
commercial flooring division while maintaining separate personalities. As of
2020, a crisp, simple logo fusing blue and green, nods to the old Atlas and
Masland corporate color palettes, symbolizes the newly established union of
these two legacy brands.
" People know Atlas and people know Masland, and we kept the best of
both. We are not who we used to be. We are improved, and we are forging

Above: From the Living series, the Achievements portfolio includes the Purposeful and
Spirited patterns

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ahead with changing the face of the company for the better, " says Córdoba,
noting that AtlasMasland is currently nurturing a three-pronged business
ethos: inspired, inclusive, and intentional. " We want customers to have a
memorable experience across the board. We want to stand out. "
This is reflected, for example, through AtlasMasland's eco-conscious
initiatives, like the use of breathable Sustaina-a non-PVC and nonpolyurethane recycled backing system free of all red-listed components-
as well as Universal Fibers' Thrive, the greenest solution-dyed, highperformance nylon 6,6 carpet fiber. Consisting of 75 percent pre- and
post-consumer recycled content, Thrive reduces carbon emissions by 70
percent, with an annual offset benefit that is tantamount to nearly all of the
trees in New York's Central Park.
" We want to make the planet better for our kids and grandkids, however
we are not compromising on design. We are still leading, " explains Córdoba.
" I tend to go down my own road and push color to places where other people
usually don't. It's not that I'm fearless. I feel the fear
and do it anyway because someone has to step out
first. "
AtlasMasland hasn't refrained from introducing
new products during the crisis, although the debut
of the hush-hush MAGNETude, which was also
slated to appear at NeoCon, will now arrive sometime
during the first quarter of 2021. In the hospitality
sphere, Room Service, designed specifically for
guestrooms, was unveiled with three understated,
undulating patterns-Peak Season, Executive Suite,
and Concierge-in nine colorways running the gamut
from neutral gray to warm charcoal. Considering
the gradual vaccine rollout and travel restrictions
that are still in place, " we're not expecting much to
happen there right now. It's going to take a minute for
hospitality to recover, " Córdoba points out.
Instead, AtlasMasland is lavishing much attention
upon Revealed, a carpet tile offering designed with
the workplace in mind that channels the art of
archaeological excavation, and the versatile Living,
another newcomer that melds elements from the
senior living, multifamily, and hospitality realms. " In
my designs I try to make sure there is crossover
application; it might be geared for a certain market
but it can also go other places, " adds Córdoba.

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NEWH - Spring 2021

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