Drawing its inspiration from watercolour painting, hand-sketching and drawing with ink, Milliken’s new collection ‘Naturally Drawn’ combines the natural beauty and simplicity of the artist’s hand with the pattern precision and colour placement of the most advanced carpet patterning technology. The natural beauty of the collection and the breadth and depth of colours gives the designer freedom to create effortless colour washes across the floor, where colours layer, blend and merge from tone to tone. The initial inspiration for Naturally Drawn was the colours and lines of nature reinterpreted through the exquisite and delicate mediums of watercolour, ink and hand-drawing. The beauty and unique effects of watercolour lies within its translucency and impression of luminosity on the artist’s canvas. The technique enables the artist to create a gentle gradation from dark to light and from hue to hue by mixing and blending one colour into the next. The challenge then was how to replicate the effect of watercolour and hand-drawing, with all its gentle nuances and subtleties, through the medium of a floor covering product. Recent technological advances in Milliken’s patterning capability have made creating such effects a reality. The technology used to create Naturally Drawn not only enables an unparalleled spectrum of colours and subtle tonal gradations, it also means that this collection can be offered on a ten day delivery service as part of Milliken’s Quick Ship 10 Day Service Programme. The Naturally Drawn collection has been created using Milliken’s proprietary Millitron® digital patterning technology this means patterns and colours can be layered and blended to enable the most natural and organic designs. Smooth flowing colour gradations, sophisticated tonal transitions and complex colour blends can be achieved in a way previously not possible in carpet design. The Naturally Drawn collection features four coordinating designs, in ‘Watercolour Lesson’ watercolour paint effects create diluted backgrounds that combine with tonal washes of colour to create a pattern of shaded depths and organically graduating hues. ‘Drawing in Ink’ is a statement piece where deep ink washes create shaded pools on a storm cloud background, can be used as a refreshing blast of pattern that offers a design bridge between the other two, much plainer patterns. ‘Hand Sketched’ is created with free flowing fine pencil lines by the artist’s own hand to form shifting ombré tones that undulate smoothly across the tile and effortlessly across the floor to give an all over saturation of vibrant and tonal colour. ‘Hand Sketched Transition’ provides a smooth fusion from one colour to the next or as a connecting piece between two different designs. The Hand Sketched Transition design enables an effortless colour flow from one Hand Sketched colour into the next, without hard lines or distracting colour breaks. The Naturally Drawn collection is presented in eight colour stories, for ease of use and coordination across patterns, each drawn from nature’s own colour palette. From fresh greens such as “Peashoot” and “French garden” through to opulent pinks and purples including “Candied Beets” and “Blackberry Picking” the designer is given enormous scope to create the desired effect. Naturally Drawn is produced using high-performance ECONYL® yarn with 100% regenerated nylon. Offering the same strength and lifecycle as fibre crafted from virgin polymer, ECONYL® is made from a minimum of 50% pre-consumer and 50% post-consumer content reducing resource consumption and waste. Naturally Drawn carpet tiles feature 90% recycled content cushion backing. To further reduce their environmental impact, Naturally Drawn can be supplied with TractionBack® for adhesive free installation. Eliminating the need for adhesives, TractionBack® improves indoor air quality and reduces materials usage. Naturally Drawn is produced in an ISO14001 certified facility in Wigan, UK using ethically sourced and wherever possible, locally produced materials. The collection is CRI Green Label Plus/GuT certified and, as with all Milliken products, it is certified carbon neutral. Naturally Drawn with regenerated content fibre and TractionBack® is eligible for LEED® points.
About Milliken Milliken is a leading supplier of carpet, with a rich history of delivering dynamic collections from its award-winning design studios and manufacturing facilities in the UK. Combining global insight with national expertise, Milliken is at the forefront of innovation and design, offering high-performance, expertly-engineered products. Founded in 1865, Milliken is now the largest privately owned company 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. We’re carbon negative, thanks to the sustainable management of more than 130,000 acres of trees in Milliken forests, our use of renewable resources and our energy management system that includes internal and third party energy audits and various conservation projects. All Milliken products are certified carbon neutral. In 2015, Milliken was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute for the ninth year running.
