Rug Market Review: Art looks and vibrant color come together at this year's rug market - Feb 2018

By Beth Miller

Locating a common design thread was difficult at last year’s Atlanta International Area Rug Market at AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta. But something different took place this year. Variations of gold were found in almost all of the new collections, whereas last year, gold was considered an accent color and therefore not as prominent. Large color variation dominated, with gold stepping to the forefront and art-inspired looks taking the place of nature-inspired designs.

Art-inspired designs and patterns were big. While nature-inspired looks will never disappear, they were absorbed into the artistic themes to provide unique abstracts filled with color.

A luminous sheen that in some products even appeared to provide a 3D quality was another large trend. The silky, shiny look combined with vibrant colors with either a swath of gold or sinewy lines of gold were popular in many showrooms.

MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
Mohawk’s high-end Karastan brand debuted two new lines. Decollage, which refers to the deconstruction of art, is a Gripper Axminster woven construction of wool and viscose in a cut pile. In a Gripper Axminster weave, cut tufts of yarn are inserted at the point of weaving by means of grippers. The modern abstract impressions are labeled with names like Ephemeral, Impression, Tempera and Montage, further enforcing the artistic bent. Characterized by lots of gold, the shimmery patterns are available in a 5’x8’ for $1,200.

Revelry, a spinoff of Euphoria, is a multicolored shag woven with a blend of SmartStrand Silk and polypropylene to give it a chunky yarn look. The 18 patterns are available in a wide variety of abstracts, texturals and tribals. Solids are also available. Fiesta-Multi is a watercolor-esque design with a great deal of high-low texture.

Loloi released several new Joanna Gaines products, including the Holloway Collection. The hand woven wool/cotton/nylon blend is a very textured area rug with tasseled edges. The geometric shapes are created with round tufts of fibers placed atop a woven base. It retails for $489 in a 5’x8’.

Hygge, prounounced hue-guh, is a Danish term that means a feeling or moment of coziness or contentment. The new Hygge collection is a hand-loomed 100% wool rug that looks like something that belongs in front of a fireplace. The Scandinavian-inspired offering is edged with braided tassels, giving it an authentic handmade look. The faux fur look comes in smoke, oatmeal and grey and a 5’x8’ retails for $1,700.

Porcia is a polyester yarn product in a mosaic pattern much like glass shards pieced together to create each traditional style. The design provides a dimensional element to the already densely patterned rug. A 5’x8’ is available at $369.

Rizzy Home debuted Gossamer at last year’s rug market. Gossamer’s construction allowed for the 100% New Zealand wool, machine-made product to be folded, hung or rolled, giving retailers a variety of display options. Built on Gossamer’s platform, the new Artistry area rug is a wool and viscose blend that is hand carved with a hand-finished edge. The combination of the silky viscose and hand carving give Artistry a 3D look that changes color as light travels across it. A 5’x8’sells for $749.

Nourison showcased its Calvin Klein line, which debuted five new collections named after U.S. cities. San Diego is a flatweave constructed with cotton and boasts a bold, striped contemporary color palette. Seattle is a multi-use area rug with a two-tone pattern. L.A. is a densely tufted microfiber cut pile that makes use of vibrant color. Brooklyn is a plush shag product. Nashville is another flatweave product but is made of wool. It has a blanket-like pliability.

The Prismatic Collection added several new 3D-like designs that are highly artistic. Multi and GYMTC are both inspired by elements found in nature but not like what consumers are accustomed to viewing. Both area rugs are hand tufted and made from 50% wool and 50% Luxcelle, a Nourison branded viscose rayon. This fiber provides a shimmering quality to the design that changes shade as light travels across the fiber tips. Multi’s image is that of half a butterfly wing with bright yellows, blood orange and purples expanding over various shades of blue, with each color punctuated by a high-low effect that creates the edges of the pattern. GYMTC is another organic image that looks like paints melding into each other on a canvas. The blues flow like water into the greys while the purples pop with a slash of black to provide contrast. A 5’x8’ retails for $2999.

Oriental Weavers introduced 12 new collections for 2018, including Montage, Sofia and Pandora. All three collections are machine made but are completely different constructions. Montage, as the name suggests, is the juxtaposition of many colors and patterns in a wool/polyester blend. The Egyptian-made product’s geometric, cross-hatching and abstract patterns are characterized by lots of high-low texturing. Mottled blends of rust and navy blue pop alongside tonals in this art-inspired offering. Montage retails for $599 in a 5’x8’.

Sofia is a polyester/chenille blend with a digitally printed pattern on a recycled cotton back. The low profile face boasts a vintage look with distressed traditional patterns made up of navy, teal, ice blue, gold and blush. The technique involved in creating the printed patterns is similar to that of 3D printing a large object. The process takes two and half days to scan the pattern before it is ready to be transferred to the material and ultimately completed. A 5’x8’ retails for $199.

Pandora is another artistically inspired product with a unique blend of patterns. The distressed products follow a very traditional aesthetic with the floral patterns and medallions but are combined with contemporary elements like geometric shapes and zigzag designs. In order to create the uncharacteristic level of softness, the rugs are chemically treated.

Surya’s new area rug introductions include Elaziz, a machine-made collection of 34 rugs that range from traditional to contemporary looks. Magenta, saffron, blues, creams, greys and black and white adorn the patterns ranging from a Bohemian aesthetic to a subdued look. A 5’x8’ retails for $83.

Topkapi boasts a unique look using high-low construction. Made of 85% polyester and 15% polypropylene, it is available in nine designs. The majority of the patterns are traditional with a distressed look. Area rug 2300 has a muted dark blue background that allows the doily-like design to pop, and the high-low effect is further accentuated through missing areas of the pattern. It is also another shimmery product with accents of gold.

Hannon Hill is a 100% wool, hand-tufted product that offers a vintage feel through its interesting patterns. While some of the patterns offer a contemporary look with bright color use, the traditional looks are eye-catching with designs that can only be described as remnants of a pattern. The rug design shows through; however, the color is only applied to certain portions of the rug.

Kaleen highlighted its Rachael Ray collections that debuted in 2017. In addition to these, it introduced its Stesso Collection. The cut and loop area rugs are a very heavy construction with a pattern atop a solid background. Swirls, geometric shapes and flower medallions are among the designs available. A 5’x8’ retails for $399.

Ceneri is a 100% wool product that is micro-tufted loop. This is an uncharacteristically dense product that offers high performance in ten patterns. Reminiscent of the swirls in Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, CEN06-86 is a swirling pattern against a dark background. It retails for $399 in a 5’x8’.

Amaranta is a sister collection to the best-selling Helena collection. Amaranta is available in 11 patterns in a 100% wool construction. Another dense product, this traditional rug is borderless, allowing the pattern to spill over the edges. The fiber ends are highly visible if standing a short distance from the product, giving the rug design a highly textured visual. Made up of golds, earthtones, blues, aqua, olive green and lavender, the traditional patterns sell for $449 in a 5’x8’.

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