By Jenna Lippin
Austin, Texas—As a longtime flooring sponsor of HGTV’s Smart Home—previously known as the Green Home—Shaw Floors has made a commitment to providing the best looking, “smartest” innovations for the project. This year’s home, located in the Zilker Park area here, is approximately 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Shaw is the exclusive provider of flooring for the Smart Home, which features both hard and soft surface products from the company.
“We of course love working with Shaw and all the research they put behind their products, from Epic Hardwood floors—which we’ve used for a long time and know the green qualities of—to the smart features of LifeGuard backing on the carpet in the kids’ room,” said Jack Thomasson, home planner. “A lot of [Shaw floors’] features make them wise choices for this house.”
The designer of the Smart Home, Linda Woodrum, added, “There has always been such positive energy working with Shaw. I think the building blocks that Shaw offers us are part of the whole success [of the Smart Home]. I’m very much an advocate of ‘it starts with the floors’; I will always say that. If you skimp at that level you will spend the rest of your time band-aiding.”
Woodrum said she and the home collaborators wanted to bring the spirit of Texas into the space, but with a universal appeal so that someone from anywhere in the country would feel at home there. “It’s about the West, it’s about ranches, but also we have this universal appeal that has to still be kind of urban and hip. That’s downstairs when you walk in the door. But it has to appeal to someone from California or New England, too. You can say, ‘Wow, when I walk into the door not only do I love the room but I want to live here,’ no matter where you’re from. That’s always the goal.”
According to Heather Yamada, Shaw’s director of consumer marketing and merchandising, the company was particularly proud of its innovations in the Smart Home “that are exclusive to the industry” such as Life Happens carpet and the recently released Floorte resilient flooring, featured in the Smart Home’s laundry room.
The best part? The fully furnished 2015 HGTV Smart Home is up for grabs. The Giveaway sweepstakes began April 15 and runs through June 2. One person will win the grand prize worth over $1 million along with the 2015 Mercedes Benz C Class currently parked in the house’s garage and $100,000 provided by mortgage lender Quicken Loans. Contestants can enter twice daily at HGTV.com Additional information on the 2015 Smart Home, including a virtual tour, is available at hgtv.com/smart.