There was a renewed spirit at the recent High Point Market, as rug manufacturers felt attendees had a more positive outlook. And there were plenty of introductions from which to choose, as vendors continued with such themes as eco-friendly materials, American-made products and bold color. Designer licenses also remain important, as do added details such as hand carving. Here are only a few examples of what was seen.—Andrea Lillo
Rizzy Home
At High Point Market, Rizzy Home almost doubled the number of its machine-made collections. “They complement what we already have,” said Mark Ferullo, vice president, Rizzy Home. “They’re easy to decorate around.” The four new machine-made collections include Sorrento, a tie dyed look. Retailers are looking for “casual looks, as well as some traditional,” he said.
The company also added to its handmade collection. Shown is a design from Uptown, a new group of handloomed high/low solid patterns of blended New Zealand wool that replicates the company’s handknotted Avant Garde design. “It got a great response—probably our best new reaction,” said Ferullo. “It looks high end at a reasonable price; it has a tone-on-tone look with dimension.”
In addition, another well-received handmade collection was Heritage, a handknotted, washed out hard twist look in soft colors. rizzyhome.com
Karastan
New styles and colors in Karastan’s Knightsen and Carmel two-ply nylon collections—as well as its new showroom in the International Home Furnishings Center — were unveiled at last month’s High Point Market.
“The mood of the market was generally upbeat,” said Steve Roan, president, Karastan Rugs. “People are looking for new and creative ways to drive business, and the conversations focused on ‘what to do’ rather than ‘what has happened in the past.’ Karastan has always looked to the future, and we plan to carry the momentum from this market into 2012 with continued expansion of our popular nylon collections, a preview of new Axminster products and a new Wilton wool collection, plus a few surprises.”
At market, Karastan added to its Carmel collection with four new designs, including Monte Vista Fog, shown. The line targets young consumers with its floral motifs, sophisticated graphic patterns and modern damasks. Four new patterns were also added to the Knightsen collection, which consists of traditional patterns in today’s colors. Both are woven on Wilton looms.
Karastan’s entire line is made in the U.S., and it focused on the Made in America theme at market. “Karastan has been and will continue to be primarily a made in America line,” Roan said. karastan.com
Jaipur
Having doubled its Showplace showroom at High Point to almost 5,000 square feet, Jaipur also unveiled 10 new shag collections as well, a construction that is still a hit with consumers. “We wanted to offer more variety,” said Josh Roberts, vice president, sales and marketing. “Shags are great for vignettes in furniture stores. People love it.” New shag collections include Utopia, a polyester group of four designs, including the one shown here, as well as Bella, a polyester line of seven designs, and Unison, a polyester/wool collection with six designs.
It also revamped its display rack, which now holds 18-inch samples instead of 14-inch ones. “We’ve focused on functionality and usability,” said Roberts. “It’s important to make business fun and easy.” The new display holds 40 rug samples and costs $999. “It’s very space efficient.”
In addition, Jaipur now offers ring sets for 17 of its stripe, solid and shag collections, which provide an easy and portable way to show the available colors in a collection. jaipurrugs.com
Surya
Among Surya’s introductions at the High Point Market were two new licensed brands: Somerset Bay and angelo:HOME.
With designer Angelo Surmelis, Surya launched two groups within the angelo:HOME line: Hudson Park, which consists of 11 designs handtufted of polyester, and Madison Square, which contains 10 designs of handtufted wool. A 5-by-8 will retail for $349.
“His style is pretty clean and sophisticated,” said Seth King, vice president, sales and marketing. “He adds an element of design and style not in our current lineup. His colors are in line with the most current color trends.”
In addition, Surya has partnered with coastal furniture brand Somerset Bay to debut a rug collection with a coastal-inspired color palette, and one of designs is shown here. “It’s a coastal look we didn’t have before,” King said. The line will include textured handtufted rugs in shades of green, blue, ivory, sand and coral. surya.com
Safavieh
Safavieh debuted its second sustainable collection with designer Thom Filicia at market, a group of seven designs of hemp that have been combed, brushed and softened to create the look and feel of coarsely woven wool and colored with vegetable dyes. Filicia, a strong proponent of green design, first launched an outdoor line made from recycled soda bottles with Safavieh in 2009. “Each rug encompasses a combination of global, ethnic and modern influences that put this collection at the forefront of today’s trends,” said Arash Yaraghi, principal, Safavieh. “All of the rugs in the line use a rich gradation and detailed layering of color, giving them a beautiful approachability juxtaposed with strong and smart patterns.
An extension of Safavieh’s exploration of eco-friendly fibers and weaves, the new line is handknotted in India and a 6-by-9 will retail for $1,199. As with all Thom Filicia licensed home products, the rugs are named for settings associated with the designer’s childhood in upstate New York. safavieh.com
Foreign Accents
Sweaters, bicycle tires, and more get a second life in Foreign Accents’ new Déjà New collection, which incorporates reclaimed or repurposed materials into rugs.
Its tire design, which has already received the 2011 reddot design award for product design, is made of the inner tubes of discarded bicycle tires, woven into rugs without chemicals or finishing products. Other designs use denim by itself or combined with handtufted wool, including style #4053 shown, which was one of the most well received designs at the market, the company said, along with the tire design and another denim style.
Other patterns include discarded yet colorful thick sweaters, silk and satin men’s ties and vintage saris. And each rug is one of a kind, due to the reclaimed nature of the materials used.
The bicycle tire design will retail for $538 for a 5-by-8, while the denim and silk scarf designs will retail for $740. An 8-by-10 size is also available. foreignaccents.com