If you work in commercial development—whether as architect, builder, or designer—you might be familiar with esoteric terminology like “tufted construction,” “textured patterned loop,” or (my personal favorite) “UltraSet Fiberglass Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite Tile.” While these phrases might sound like gobbledygook to us mere mortals, they’re prime selling points for the Mohawk Group’s latest commercial “collections and collaborations” featured at #NeoCon09 (in spaces #3-377 and #3-121 to be precise).

City by City Collection. Manufactured by Mohawk for the Bigelow division.

“What’s Next” for Mohawk – the name of the company’s design concept lab and a question/statement of purpose that aptly describes this carpeting manufacturer’s forward-thinking vision – are new lines of carpeting for commercial application uniting Mohawk’s four renowned divisions: Bigelow, Durkan, Karastan, and Lees Carpets. Despite coming together under the umbrella of Mohawk, the four products from each subsidiary have undeniably distinctive identities.

City by City Collection in Chocolate. Manufactured by Bigelow.

Animal Attraction. Designed by Todd Oldham for Durkan.

Fluid Terrain. Designed by Irena Pe’er for Karastan.

Sixth Sense. Manufactured by Lees.

Durkan Hospitality’s Merit® Custom Designs for the Proximity Hotel, North Carolina.

Bigelow’s “City by City,” originally developed for the international commercial market, features modular tiles inspired by the architectural aesthetic of three Asian cities: Chengdu, Delhi, and Seoul; “Animal Attractions” by Todd Oldham for Durkan is a plethora of animal prints—every beastly size and shape from tiger stripes to cheetah spots, iridescent peacock feathers to highly-textured snake skin; Karastan’s “Fluid Terrain” by Irena Pe’er is a celebration of organic shapes—this collection’s constantly morphing palette is matched only by the whims of Mother Nature; and, not to be outdone, Lees Carpets’ “Sixth Sense” might be familiar to psych-test aficiondados. Inspired by the ubiquitous Ink Blot, this line is “beyond sight, beyond sound, closer than touch, taste or smell… it’s tangible color, texture that speaks. It’s the beautiful dimension we occasionally glimpse in dreams… five transcendent modular patterns in a prism of terrene hues.”

Hyperbole aside, this is an impressive collection. So whether scouting for expansive interiors a la the Proximity Hotel or for a modestly-sized space in your personal high-traffic area, it behooves you to navigate the NeoConian labyrinth to space #3-377 and dip your toes into Mohawk’s wares.