Last week Shaw Floors gave me and several other design bloggers and journalists a fascinating (and quite interesting interactive) “behind the scenes” tour of Shaw Floors’ research and development facility and quality and testing center. I’ve journaled some of the key highlights of the Tigressa Carpets’ debut and the Shaw Floors’ facility tour in this post, and will be exploring each highlight in depth in upcoming posts. 
Prior to the plant tour on May 20th, Shaw Floors treated us to an entertaining cocktail event and fabulous dinner, held in the enchanting historical Manor House Ruins at the Barnsley Resort, to mark the Tigressa Softstyles Carpets debut.
I had the opportunity to walk on the new Tigressa carpet during the cocktail party at the Manor House Ruins, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt underfoot. Normally, I’m not a big fan of synthetic rugs or carpets because they tend to feel a bit hard and crunchy. That wasn’t the case with the Tigressa carpets I stepped onto – they were nice, cushy, soft and very inviting.
Amy Devers, of TLC’s “Trading Spaces” and more recently in “Fix This Yard”, shared her memorable moments – including a charming story of how as a two-year old she was encouraged to take risks because she knew that the newly carpeted stairs of her childhood home would soften her fall.
Shaw Floors’ has a dedicated design and creative inspiration lab that is absolutely lust worthy for those of us who love creating look books and inspirations boards. The above board is a sample of one of Shaw Floors’ concept boards birthed in the creative enclave of the lab.
On the test production floor showing one of several steps in the carpet manufacturing process.
Amazing stain repelling behavior from Shaw Floors’ Tigressa Softstyle carpet shown on this test swatch. The Kool-Aid poured over this carpet test square did NOT sink into the fibers – the liquid stayed on top (looks like a gel, but it’s not). Clean up was a breeze, and the carpet did not stain – no red tint left behind either. 
Shaw Floors are serious about quality and have invested considerable sums in their testing equipment including a CSI worthy particle detector and an advanced microscopy lab (shown above).
DISCLOSURE: Shaw Floors sponsored the trip and stay at the Barnsley Resort for the Tigressa Carpets debut.
