Softer carpet options, wider plank hard surface choices and large rectangular tiles are just a few of the new and innovative product trends Shaw is featuring for retailers and consumers for 2014.

“From innovative new collections to state-of-the art marketing services Shaw aims to provide retailers with everything they need to fuel their business—in store and online,” said Kathy Young, vice president of residential marketing.

While thousands of retailers were able to see first-hand what the company is bringing out this year at its various winter markets held around the country over the last month, the following is a look at some of those introductions.

Carpet

Naturally, carpet collections lead as the majority of the manufacturer’s newest product additions, and Trey Thames, Shaw’s vice president of residential marketing and product management, noted “The majority of our introductions in 2014 play to the soft trend.”

As such, he noted the company is building upon the “successful launch of Caress. Our product portfolio now includes even more options under the brand with the introduction of Anso Originals and the new Clearly Chic line. These collections offer consumers ‘soft’ carpeting in an explosion of colors at a variety of price points.”

Responding to “tremendous” demand for softer carpet, Shaw has expanded its Caress line by adding five products in nearly 150 color options to the collection.

“With this focus on look and feel, we haven’t lost sight of performance,” Thames explained. “The products feature Anso nylon fiber, making them softer and more practical for residential use than ever. Shaw’s R2X stain and soil resistance treatment has been added to help preserve the original look and feel of the carpet.”

The Anso Originals Collection features 15 styles available in an array of stylish colors. Mike Sanderson, product manager, said these carpets offer the “high quality and soft feel consumers are looking for, at an affordable price point.” The collection also features Shaw’s R2X stain and soil resistance treatment “making it both visually appealing and durable.”

And, like all Anso products he noted Originals can be recycled back into carpet again and again as the collection is Cradle to Cradle Silver certified, “providing an important sustainability story.”

Shaw’s new Clearly Chic Collection offers “never before seen color and style combinations for polyester (PET) carpet” Thames noted. “Clearly Chic’s broad spectrum of colors will captivate the market in 2014. Super soft PET carpet is no longer confined by color selection.”

He explained the collection is constructed using high twist yarn for softness and is manufactured with Shaw’s ClearTouch Platinum PET and with R2X and Softbac Platinum backing for durability and protection.

Shaw’s Tuftex division has added the Impressions Collection, featuring 21 new styles including six Impressions patterns, three Naturals styles and a diversity of other additions providing a plethora of color, texture, and pattern choices, noted Bob Burton, Tuftex’ vice president.

He explained Impressions patterns were inspired by high-end, woven carpets that utilize multiple colors to achieve an elegant design, while the Naturals were inspired by the beauty of natural textiles.

Additional styles, Burton said, include “plenty of texture” such as the “irresistibly soft and heavenly shag of Celeb or the heathered texture and luxurious weight and softness in Poetic, Magical and Heavenly Charm.”

Impressions includes the opportunity for dealers to select a “sleek new merchandising system” that corresponds with—but isn’t required for—the new collection, he added. The display includes four modules and one sample cabinet to house large samples—allowing the customer “to view the full pattern and experience the beauty and texture of this collection.”

Shaw didn’t forget about its Philadelphia Queen Commercial division when it came to new carpets for 2014, including Walk the Line, Out & About and Snapshot, a combination soft and hard surface collection developed as a flooring solution for the senior living market with extra focus on the assisted living facility segment, noted Quentin Quathamer, brand manager.

Walk the Line, he said, features a “refined carpet tile product with an urban vibe that will appeal to the most discerning customer. Nine perfectly balanced warm/cool color combinations support stylish visuals perfect for the office, retail space, hospitality and urban living.”

Quathamer said Out & About features three competitively priced broadlooms designed and colored specifically for the tenant improvement market. All three products are offered in nine complementary color families and “can be used any place, any time, and anywhere.”

Snapshot is unique in that its offering stretches across broadloom, carpet tile, resilient sheet and luxury vinyl plank. “The opportunities for this versatile collection extend to education, general healthcare, hospitality, retail and office environments,” he said.

Hard Surface

Not to be outdone in carpet, Shaw has beefed up its hard surface offerings for 2014 as well, as the company continues to make itself an all-round supplier of flooring proucts.

 “The beauty of our expansive hard surface collections is that we can offer the utmost in style in a variety of materials to match the customers’ lifestyle,” said Scott Sandlin, vice president for Shaw’s hard surface business.

He noted when it comes the hard surface side, Shaw not only has products in solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminate, tile, stone and resilient, “which continues to be increasingly popular with residential and commercial customers,” the company has added to every category this year.

Resilient

Featured in the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall, luxury vinyl plank from Shaw’s new 5th & Main Collection stood the test of roughly one million people passing through the terminal daily; speaking to the product and new collection’s impressive design and durability, Sandlin said.

5th & Main is comprised of 14 styles and more than 100 looks that are reminiscent of marble, concrete and wood, making it ideal for a wide range of residential and commercial installations. “The expansiveness of this collection and our development of a customized display system illustrate our commitment to this product category and our dedication to ensuring our dealers have the opportunity to capture the growing market demand,” said Sandlin.

Hardwood

When it comes to wood, Shaw is able to provide products in both solid and engineered. Regardless of which construction type, Sandlin said the trend continues to focus on wide planks.

On the solid side, Shaw is bringing two new collections to its Anderson brand. Kevin Thompson, Shaw’s hardwood category manager, said Elements boasts warm and rich color tones in rich red, warm golden tone and deep aged brown, mixed widths and a unique texture. Subtle scraping and wire brushing highlight the texture of this solid pine flooring. Elements is available in a mix of 3¹/8- and 5¹/8-inch widths.

French Quarter is being added to Anderson’s Virginia Vintage line and Thompson noted it is available in a warm color line of spicy red, golden honey-tone and a sultry, chocolate brown. A subtle scrape, wire brush finish creates one-of-a-kind beauty. French quarter is available in a mix of 3¹/8- and 5¹/8-inch width solid pine planks.

“Elements and French Quarter are all about texture,” said Thompson. “Both leverage hand-scraping and a mix of widths to bring richness and depth to a room, but with their own distinct flair.”

On the engineered side is the new Royal collection in Castlewood Oak and Castlewood Hickory each feature extra wide 7½-inch widths

“Wider width planks continue to be popular with homeowners,” said Thompson. “This new collection appeals to that design trend while providing the performance customers expect.”

Castlewood’s two hickory colors and eight oak colors are “visually rich,” he said, with natural wood characteristics. It featurers a “very low-gloss, wire brush finish that emulates vintage European oil-rubbed floors and antique hardwood.”

The product is GreenGuard certified, and can be installed above, on or below ground level using a floating installation method.

Tile and Stone

“Our ceramic and porcelain collections offer high performance with the look of natural stone and wood in the breadth of sizes today’s homeowner demands,” said Vance Hunsucker, Shaw’s tile and stone sales manager. “And the patterns, colors and materials used in our decorative accent tiles provide undeniable visual interest.”

Shaw’s newest ceramic and porcelain tile lines and decorative accents bring the look of natural stone, wood or a combination of both in new shapes and sizes, he explained. Porcelain styles Lucca, Rockwood and Fossil come in a 12x24-inch size, while Phoenix, a porcelain tile that emulates the look of reclaimed wood, comes in a 6x36-inch plank. And Elegance introduces a new size and shape with a 4x16-inch ceramic tile for an elegant, modern look.

Shaw also is upping its offering of decorative accents, “often referred to as a home’s jewelry,” Hunsucker said. “Whether it’s the natural stone patterns, the mixture of glass, stone and metal, or a striated visual that creates the sense of movement, Shaw’s latest introductions can bring significant visual interest to any room.”

Laminate

Inspired by the reclaimed trends in flooring, cabinets and furniture, Shaw’s new Reclaimed Collection is ideal for customers seeking a worn wood look with the performance and lower cost that laminate delivers, noted Carr Newton, laminate category manager.

Using Shaw’s new wire-brushed, ultra-matte finish texture, he said the company has replicated the look of European oil-rubbed floors with its wire-brushed, ultra-matted finished texture.

HGTV by Shaw

Along with the above introductions, Shaw has also announced for 2014 a broad expansion to its branded HGTV Home Flooring by Shaw Collection, with new carpet, hardwood and resilient styles.

“Marrying two trusted and well-recognized home brands—HGTV HOME and Shaw—creates a winning combination,” said Heather Yamada, Shaw’s director of consumer marketing and merchandising. “With this collection, we are able to deliver a unique offering to our dealer partners: The ability to bring one of the world’s most beloved home design brands into their showrooms in beautifully designed, high quality products.”

Twenty-eight new carpet styles and patters have been added to the popular collection. The collection’s solution dyed Anso branded carpets are available in a variety of patterns—including mosaic tile, random line, contemporary botanical, basketweave and floral damask designs to name a few—were inspired by high-end woven carpets, and are available in varying price points.

Yamada said the carpet collection is rounded out with new Stainmaster styles in a variety of “sophisticated patterns, loops and textures and diverse designs—including subtle yarn variations that create a classic motif giving a handcrafted visual that adds depth and glamour to any room and selections with the textural interest and distressed appeal of a vintage classic.”

Smart Style and Eloquence engineered hardwood styles have also been added to the HGTV collection, she noted. Smart Style is an Epic engineered wood that offers “fashionably vintage, rich beauty that replicates classic hand-hewn artistry with 6³/8-inch planks featuring a matte finish.” The line is available in three hickory colors and is suitable for a variety of spaces.

Meanwhile, Eloquence is a wire-brushed white oak created to meet the market preference for lighter shades of wood flooring, Yamada explained. The 7-foot planks are available in three colors and a white filled grain highlights the natural character against the richly stained wood.

Rusticity is a solid hickory that is new to the HGTV collection, she said. Available in 2¼- and 3¼-inch planks, the color line ranges from clearly natural to richly stained. A satin finish and natural characteristics add to the beauty and style of this product.

Even more style and durability have been added to the HGTV collection with the addition of Urban Chic and Bright Idea resilient styles, Yamada said.

Designed with urban spaces in mind, the Urban Chic collection of luxury vinyl plank features clean, simple-grained woods such as white oak and maple as well as wood-like striations.

Finally, Yamada said Bright Idea offers something for all with its look of handscraped hickory, limed hickory and European oak in six designer colors at a value price

Featuring VersaLock AG technology, this 6x48-inch luxury vinyl plank can be reliably secured on all four sides without adhesive.