ATLANTA-The first trade show of the year wrapped up on Sunday, and the Atlanta International Area Rug Market proved to be full of color.
Oriental Weavers’ Kaleidoscope is a new cross-woven collection that brings in the brights. Made of polypropylene, the collection is available to ship mid-spring and has 25 patterns. The company also debuted Casablanca, which is made of a polypropylene/nylon blend. The nylon allows the ability to space-dye designs for an antique look, said Aaron Gray, director of marketing. Lagos is another boldly bright line, a cut-and-loop indoor/outdoor collection. The outdoor category “is really becoming a fashionable part of the home.”
Loloi debuted its first juvenile line, which offered designs in vibrant pinks, blues and greens, but in stripes and geometric patterns rather than designs of trucks, space and other kid-oriented shapes. “We’ve had a lot of requests from children’s stores for a more sophisticated juvenile line,” said Austin Craley, vice president of sales. The collection is called Piper.
Orian’s new Veranda line is also full of vivid hues, with such designs as suzanis, floral, starburst and paisley. Offered in both indoor/outdoor and indoor designs, it is made of polypropylene, with some jute for the indoor-only rugs.
Shaw Living got back into both the custom rug category—with the recent sales alignment with Shaw Industries’ Tuftex—as well as the indoor/outdoor category. In three collections—a machine woven olefin line called Al Fresco, a machine woven flatweave group called Suncoast and a handhooked olefin line called Garden Craft—the new indoor/outdoor designs offer a range of colors and designs.
The flatweave category continues to grow, and Concepts Intl. debuted dhurries in cotton, rather than wool, for a crisp look. Called the Brighton collection, it has seven designs and uses fine combed cotton. The company also unveiled Tangier, a semi-shag, cut-and-loop wool line with Moroccan tribal patterns.
More attention has also been made to using natural fibers. Kas has expanded its natural line to include such combinations as jute and viscose, used in its Marina line. “People are looking for something understated but with something going on,” said Wendy Reiss, who was promoted to vice president of key accounts last month. “Adding another fiber helps achieve that.”
Couristan is expanding its offerings in fibers other than polypropylene, such as polyester, said Larry Mahurter, vice president of marketing/advertising. Its new Kew Gardens, for example, is a new handtufted and carved polyester line.—Andrea Lillo