Arnavaz Barshan, Senior Director of Design for Durkan Mohawk Group Hospitality, stands as a transformative force in custom carpet design and hospitality flooring innovation. What truly drives Arnavaz is her exceptional ability to blend cutting-edge technology with human-centered design philosophy, creating custom commercial carpet solutions that elevate the guest experience in luxury hotels, senior living communities, and high-rise multifamily environments. Her design approach focuses on creating spaces that evoke positive emotions and genuinely enhance human well-being—a philosophy clearly demonstrated in her award-winning hospitality carpet collections, where innovative aesthetics seamlessly merge with high-performance functionality
From Textile Design Education to Hospitality Flooring Leadership
Arnavaz's journey into the heart of commercial flooring design began with extensive textile design studies in India, where she developed a deep appreciation for pattern, texture, and the cultural significance of woven materials. Seeking to expand her creative horizons and technical expertise, she pursued further education at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), one of the nation's leading institutions for textile and surface design education. This combination of international perspective and rigorous American design training would prove instrumental in shaping her unique approach to hospitality carpet design.
In 2014, Arnavaz joined Mohawk Group, drawn specifically by the revolutionary potential of Definity technology—an advanced precision sculpturing system that promised to fundamentally transform custom carpet manufacturing. Unlike traditional tufting methods, Definity offered unprecedented control over texture, pattern definition, and three-dimensional effects, enabling designers to achieve visual complexity and artistic detail previously impossible in commercial carpet production. For Arnavaz, this technology represented boundless possibilities in product design and an opportunity to reposition Mohawk Group's capabilities in the competitive hospitality sector.
The Definity Technology Revolution: Redefining Custom Carpet Design
Definity technology represents a paradigm shift in how hospitality flooring is conceived and manufactured. This precision sculpting carpet system achieves stunning large-scale patterns with greater efficiency, artistry, and dimensional depth than conventional methods. The technology enables designers like Arnavaz to create sophisticated three-dimensional textures where light and shadow interact dynamically across the carpet surface, producing visual effects that change as guests move through a space.
What makes Definity particularly revolutionary for custom commercial carpet applications is its ability to deliver luxury aesthetics without compromising durability or performance—critical requirements for high-traffic hospitality environments like hotel lobbies, convention center ballrooms, and senior living common areas. The technology allows for intricate pattern work, subtle color transitions, and textural variations that were previously achievable only through hand-crafted methods, but now can be produced at commercial scale with exceptional consistency and colorfastness.
Lakir Collection: A Decade of Best-Selling Hospitality Carpet Design
Arnavaz's debut collection, Lakir, launched in 2016 and quickly established itself as a defining moment in hospitality carpet design—the ultimate proof point of what Definity technology could achieve when combined with visionary design thinking. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary as a consistent best-seller, the Lakir Collection stands as testament to timeless design that transcends fleeting trends.
This portfolio of 15 luxurious patterns showcases Definity's unparalleled technical capabilities, bringing sophisticated elegance to high-traffic hospitality environments including hotel lobbies, executive meeting rooms, and grand ballrooms. Inspired by the simplicity and power of lines—reconstructed into soft, shadowy textures and layered tonal depths—Lakir's precision sculpting achieves visual drama while maintaining the performance standards demanded by hospitality operators.
Beyond aesthetics, Lakir demonstrates Arnavaz's commitment to sustainable luxury. The collection is crafted with Colorstrand fiber for exceptional colorfastness and fade resistance, paired with WeldLok backing for superior dimensional stability and high-performance installation. Importantly, Lakir champions environmental responsibility with a Declare label (ingredient transparency), Red List Free status (no harmful chemicals), and a manufacturing process designed to minimize environmental impact—proving that sustainable hospitality carpet need not compromise on luxury or longevity.
The collection's decade-long success in the market speaks to its versatility and enduring appeal. Whether specified for a boutique hotel seeking intimate elegance or a large convention center requiring durable sophistication, Lakir adapts gracefully to diverse design briefs while maintaining its distinctive visual identity.
Innovative Collections: Saaya and Spirit Moderne
Beyond Lakir's commercial success, Arnavaz's creative vision continues to unfold through subsequent collections that push the boundaries of custom carpet design and textile artistry.
Saaya: Exploring Dimensional Shadows in Hospitality Design
The Saaya Collection explores the visual depth created by abstract shadows, lending dimensionality to deceptively simple forms. Inspired by the Hindi word for "shadow," Saaya translates elements like loose nets and deconstructed chain links into soft, organic shapes that move beyond rigid geometry. Durkan's Definity technology brings Saaya to life in three dimensions through precision sculpting, where textured shadows appear and disappear as lighting conditions change throughout the day, creating new silhouettes and an ever-evolving flooring experience for guests.
This collection demonstrates Arnavaz's sophisticated understanding of how light interacts with carpet texture to create atmospheric effects—a critical consideration for hotel carpet design and other hospitality applications where ambiance directly impacts guest satisfaction.
Spirit Moderne: Reviving Ethnographic Textiles for Contemporary Hospitality
Arnavaz's creative direction reaches its most culturally ambitious expression in the Spirit Moderne Collection, a captivating portfolio developed in partnership with the Museum of International Folk Art. This collaboration revives the rich history of ethnographic textiles, infusing traditional patterns and motifs with a contemporary aesthetic tailored specifically for hospitality interior design.
Spirit Moderne, manufactured using Definity technology, forges a new design language that honors the history, creativity, and cultural soul of original textiles while meeting the practical demands of modern hospitality environments. The collection delivers multi-level textures, enhanced visual definition, superior performance characteristics, and unmatched sustainability—demonstrating that cultural preservation and commercial viability can coexist beautifully in custom commercial carpet design.
This museum partnership positions Arnavaz and Mohawk Group at the intersection of design innovation and cultural stewardship—a unique positioning in an industry often focused purely on aesthetic trends and performance specifications.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Currently, Arnavaz leads the R&D and custom design department at Mohawk Group, a pivotal role where she manages and mentors a talented team of designers while guiding the overall design process and fostering a vibrant culture of creativity and innovation. Her leadership extends beyond individual collections to shape the strategic direction of Durkan's entire hospitality flooring portfolio.
Under Arnavaz's creative direction, the Durkan/Mohawk Group team has garnered prestigious industry awards recognizing excellence in booth design and visual storytelling at major trade shows like HD Expo and NeoCon. These accolades reflect her holistic vision of creating immersive brand experiences that seamlessly blend narrative storytelling, material innovation, and authentic brand identity.
Her mentorship approach emphasizes both technical mastery and design thinking—teaching emerging designers not just how to create beautiful patterns, but how to solve complex spatial problems, balance aesthetic vision with performance requirements, and understand the broader business context in which commercial flooring design operates. This comprehensive approach to design leadership ensures that the next generation of hospitality carpet designers will be equally fluent in artistry, technology, and commercial strategy.
Design Philosophy: Material-Driven Sustainability and Human Experience
Arnavaz's commitment to design excellence is deeply matched by her understanding of design's broader environmental and social impact. She firmly believes that sustainability in carpet design is primarily material-driven, focusing on responsible material choices that contribute to long-term environmental well-being rather than superficial "green" marketing claims.
This philosophy manifests in her consistent specification of materials like Colorstrand fiber (superior colorfastness reduces need for replacement), WeldLok backing systems (dimensional stability extends product life), and manufacturing processes that achieve Declare labels and Red List Free certification. By prioritizing durability, ingredient transparency, and lifecycle thinking, Arnavaz demonstrates that sustainable luxury hospitality flooring is not a compromise but rather an elevation of design responsibility.
Equally important to Arnavaz is the human dimension of design. Her collections consistently prioritize the emotional and psychological experience of people inhabiting hospitality spaces—guests seeking comfort and inspiration, residents creating home in senior living communities, attendees gathering for meaningful events in convention spaces. This human-centered approach ensures that her custom carpet designs contribute meaningfully to creating environments where people feel welcome, comfortable, and inspired.
Advancing the Research
Fractals add an intentional, scientifically measurable dimension to design, profoundly benefiting both the space and its occupants. But our work is far from finished. Looking ahead, we will continue to expand our fractal pattern libraries, delving deeper into the needs of diverse populations and how we can create increasingly refined, curated experiences tailored to specific user groups and space requirements.
We're supporting continued research with ScienceDesignLab to help us precisely curate the optimal D-value for every application. This ongoing collaboration between art and science will continue to drive innovation in the commercial flooring industry, pushing the boundaries of what's possible when design decisions are guided by rigorous scientific validation rather than intuition alone.
The Future of Hospitality Flooring Design
As hospitality design trends continue to evolve—with increasing emphasis on biophilic materials, wellness-oriented spaces, and authentic brand storytelling—Arnavaz remains at the forefront of innovation, constantly exploring how Definity technology can enable new forms of creative expression while maintaining the performance integrity that hospitality operators demand.
Her work demonstrates that commercial carpet design careers offer exceptional opportunities for creative individuals who can balance artistic vision with technical expertise, understand both aesthetic trends and practical performance requirements, and communicate effectively with architects, designers, developers, and operators. For students and emerging designers exploring textile design careers or hospitality interior design, Arnavaz's journey from international education through SCAD to design leadership at one of the industry's most innovative manufacturers offers an inspiring roadmap.
Design Innovation That Elevates Human Experience
Arnavaz Barshan's contributions to hospitality flooring design extend far beyond creating beautiful carpet patterns. Through her mastery of Definity technology, her commitment to sustainable luxury, her mentorship of emerging design talent, and her unwavering focus on human experience, she has helped redefine what custom commercial carpet can achieve in creating meaningful hospitality environments.
The enduring success of collections like Lakir (celebrating its 10th anniversary as a market leader), the artistic innovation of Saaya, and the cultural depth of Spirit Moderne demonstrate that great design transcends trends—it creates lasting value for guests, operators, and the built environment alike.
As Mohawk Group and Durkan continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in hospitality carpet design, Arnavaz's leadership ensures that innovation remains grounded in authentic design thinking, environmental responsibility, and genuine care for the humans who will experience these spaces.
About Durkan Mohawk Group Hospitality
Durkan Mohawk Group Hospitality is world-renowned as an industry leader in innovative hospitality flooring solutions, offering both custom design services and running-line collections that set the standard for luxury, performance, and sustainability in commercial carpet. With advanced technologies like Definity precision sculpting and a commitment to environmental responsibility, Durkan partners with leading hospitality brands, architects, and designers to create unforgettable guest experiences through exceptional flooring design.