Higher Education Design: Our Muted Palette Flooring Solutions that Inspire

^{Curated Spaces Higher Education Muted Palette}

^{Article written by: Lilly Carroll | Published by Shaw Contract}

Higher Education Spaces demand flexible design and high-performance materials that work hard under pressure and respond to unique needs of college and university life. The Muted Palette from Shaw Contract's Curate Collection provides space ideas that optimize engagement, support instructors and inspire learning for the next generation of innovators.

Versatile curated palettes cater to a wide range of environments and price points, from classrooms and boardrooms to luxury hotels and high-end apartments, thoughtfully designed to adapt to diverse market needs and budgets.

^{Floorplan of Higher Ed entrance space using Swift (Carpet Tile) + Landscape + Migrate (Carpet Tile)}

Welcoming Students with Purposeful Design

Thoughtfully incorporating university colors into space design fosters a strong sense of culture and belonging, welcoming students and staff the moment they step inside.

• Swift is an entryway Carpet Tile that creates a high-performance transition area from outdoors to interiors. It targets dirt, moisture, and bacteria to protect and maintain an interior flooring investment.
• Landscape + Migrate are perfect for college flooring as they infuse spirit by incorporating school colors in a subtle, sophisticated manner. The darker carpet tiles with textured patterns hide stains and wear in high-traffic areas. The deep plum and slate palette extend from the lobby to the lecture halls.

^{Keith (Carpet Tile 5T643) In Fresco (42411)}

Spaces for Focus and Function

Build and encourage collaboration through space design. Complement bold, graphic patterns with striations of soft, textural linear patterns for student and staff engagement.

• Keith Carpet Tile provides graphic and visual patterning in student collaboration zones.
• Hand Stitch Carpet Tile offers comfortable and inspiring spaces to provide focus for professor and instructor private offices.
• Pivot EcoWorx™ resilient is a PVC-free flooring that is extremely durable and offers resilience against staining wear in the most demanding learning environments.

^{Floorplan of Higher Ed lounge, office, & corridor space using Keith (Carpet Tile) + Hand Stitch + In Unison (LVT) + Pivot (EcoWorx™ Resilient)}

Designing for Collaboration and Comfort

A welcoming environment is essential in fostering a sense of belonging on campus, especially in shared spaces where students gather, collaborate and recharge.

Product Highlights:

• Andy Carpet Tile is designed to brings personality to classrooms, collaboration areas, workplace spaces, and more, offering a bold, graphic edge to this study zone.
• Our Budget-Friendly Pleated Strataworx® Carpet Tile works well in low-traffic areas such as study rooms, offices and back-of-house spaces, all while coordinating seamlessly with a variety of Shaw Contract flooring solutions.
• In Unison LVT include a variety of visuals, colors, sizes and thickness options offering high-performance durability and easy maintenance.

Designing for Impact: Sustainability & Sound

Flooring choices influence more than aesthetics, they shape acoustic performance and support sustainability goals. Together, these elements contribute to healthier and more effective environments across campuses and workplaces.

Sound Advisor® helps you select the right floor covering for your project by presenting the industry’s most comprehensive set of data— all collected at the same lab, allowing you to accurately compare the difference between floor coverings.

Eco-conscious flooring options help reduce environmental impact without compromising performance: 

• EcoWorx™ and StrataWorx® platforms are PVC-free and recyclable.
• Curate Collection is made with EcoSolution Q100® fiber. EcoSolution Q100® is a high performance 100% recycled content nylon fiber* with a low carbon footprint as reflected in the EC3 tool.
• At the end of its useful life, we’ll reclaim and recycle PVC-free EcoWorx™ Resilient styles to make more EcoWorx® products through our Environmental Guarantee.
• Shaw Contract has reclaimed nearly 1 billion pounds of post-consumer flooring.