Milliken’s Flooring Collection Northward Bound Awarded Design Guild Mark at Clerkenwell Design Week
At a ceremony held on 24th May 2022 this year’s recipients of the prestigious Design Guild Award were announced and Milliken was proud to be counted among them. Tom Lloyd (Co-founder & Director of Pearson Lloyd and Master of the Faculty of Designers) presented the awards.
Milliken won with their Carbon Neutral flooring collection Northward Bound. It’s a high performance, luxurious carpet tile collection that uses less raw materials (thus reducing embodied carbon). This is achieved by carefully considering materials, innovating with fibre suppliers and pioneering use of yarn systems and tufting technology.
The Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, to drive excellence and raise the profile of British design and innovation. It recognises the highest standards in the design of furnishings in volume production across three categories – Furniture, 2D Design, and Lighting Design. The award is open to designers working in Britain or British designers working abroad.
Each distinct category has its own jury of renowned design experts who assess the submissions against a series of criteria, including: Are the materials appropriate? Are they from sustainable sources? Does the piece/collection show new thinking? Does it solve a problem?
“It is an absolute honour to receive a Design Guild Mark for our carpet tile collection Northward Bound. We are thrilled that the expert, independent judges recognised something in this collection that sets it apart. We believe passionately in designing products that impact the design world but do no harm to the world around us.
– Kerry Cottam, Custom Design & Visualisations Manager / Senior SDN Designer, Milliken Floors explained
Designing the Northward Bound carpet tile collection was challenging, but ultimately extremely satisfying. From the very start our objective was to use less material to deliver the same (or superior) results with no compromise on aesthetics. The well-being of the user was at the core of our development process and our mission was to significantly improve underfoot comfort and overcomes acoustic concerns by absorbing sound and therefore reducing noise levels.”
Kerry Cottam has been an in-house designer at Milliken Floors for over 11 years. Kerry is an experienced textile designer specialising in solution dyed nylon, creating successful global ranges and custom products from initial concept to launch for the contract carpet tile market.
About Milliken Milliken is a leading supplier of floor coverings, with a rich history of delivering dynamic carpet and luxury vinyl tile collections from its award-winning design studios and manufacturing facilities in Wigan, UK. Combining global insight with national expertise and proprietary technologies, Milliken is at the forefront of innovation and design, offering high-performance, expertly-engineered products. Founded in 1865 Milliken has achieved an amazing 157 years in the textiles business and is now one of the largest privately owned companies in the world, providing expert solutions across a range of disciplines, including specialty chemicals, floor coverings, and performance materials. With over 100 years of environmental stewardship, the Milliken family of companies is one of the world’s most responsible manufacturers.