Editor’s note: The following is one in a series of profiles highlighting the winners of this year’s NFT Styling Excellence Awards. Entries were judged earlier this year by showgoers at Surfaces and by readers online. A complete list of winners is available in the April issue of NFT.

Shaw Living won first place in this year’s NFT Styling Excellence Awards for its ModernWorks collection of area rugs. According to Kim Barta, brand manager for Shaw Living, the collection reflects what consumers (and retailers) want: “transitional and contemporary designs that continue to be on trend.”

She noted that the company was honored to have its collection chosen by a pool that included retailers and designers. “Being recognized with awards such as NFT Styling Excellence is a great reassurance that our direction in color and design are on track with what customers see as well,” she said.

In addition to offering high style, Barta said another great advantage of ModernWorks rugs is their environmentally friendly features - the rugs are fully recyclable. “Consumers can have a beautiful, on trend area rug and be environmentally friendly at the same time,” she said.  - Michael Chmielecki