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INDUSTRY FETES MAGNIFICENT CARPETS
AT ATLANTA RUG MARKET CEREMONIES
People's Choice: For the second straight year, a rug from Capa Imports has won the People's Choice popular vote at
the AmericasMart Magnificent Carpet Awards ceremony.
The rug also won top spot in the Handmade $65-plus category
It was hand knotted in Turkey by Cinar.
By Lissa Wyman
ATLANTA -- The AmericasMart Magnificent Carpet Awards Ceremony, held Saturday, Jan. 10, was a gala feast and festival for the rug industry. The annual awards, a "beauty pageant" in which rug vendors strut their most stunning introductions, honors a cross section of hand made and power loomed rugs being introduced at the January International Rug Market.
The event is sponsored by Architectural Digest magazine and hosted by both Architectural Digest and AmericasMart Atlanta.
Presiding over the ceremonies was Chas Sydney, senior vice president of AmericasMart, and Jeffrey Petersen, executive director of Architectural Digest.
Permanent exhibitors of AmericasMart may submit up to two rugs. Entrants in 11 categories of hand made and machine made rugs, as well as contemporary and antique rugs, are judged by an independent panel of three judges who are professionals in the field of art, design and home furnishings.
In addition to the professionally judged category, retailers can also vote on their favorite rug. They can vote after they have viewed the entries at the Museum of Introductions in the Mart's Rug Center. The winner of the retail vote becomes the "People Choice" rug.
Here are the winners:
Handmade Rugs
Retail price categories
Up to $12 sq. ft. -- Loloi
$12.01 to $23 sq. ft. -- Nourison
$23.01 to $35 sq. ft. -- Safavieh
$35.01 to $46 sq. ft. -- French Accents
$46.01 to $56 sq. ft. -- The Creative Touch
$56.01 to $65 sq. ft. -- Shalom Bros.
over $65 sq. ft -- Capa Imports rug made by Cinar of Turkey
Machine Made Rugs
Retail price categories for 5x8
Up to $200 -- Marcella Fine Rugs
$200.01 to $400 -- Couristan
$400.01 to $1,000 -- Karastan
over $1,000 -- Karastan
Antique Rugs
Chaman Oriental Rugs
Contemporary Rug
Nalbandian, Inc.
People's Choice
Capa Imports rug made by
Cinar of Turkey
VISUAL DISPLAY AWARDS
AmericasMart rug showrooms were honored for creative merchandising at the Magnificent Carpet Awards ceremony.
The showroom awards went to:
Third Floor -- Nourison
Fourth Floor -- Loloi Rugs
Fifth Floor -- Marcella Fine Rugs
Sixth Floor -- Surya
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Enjoy the pix of the rugs and the people who made up the Gala Evening! |
Reach for the stars!
Feats of grace are always part of the fun at the Magnificent Carpet Awards
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...and the winners are:
Power Loomed
up to $200 retail 5x8
Marcella Fine Rugs
Power loomed
$200.01 to $400 retail 5x8
Couristan
Power loomed
$400.01 to $1,000 retail 5x8
Karastan
Power loomed
over $1,000 retail 5x8
Karastan
Handmade
up to $12 sq. ft. retail
Loloi Rugs
Amir Loloi, left, president of Loloi, accepts award from Jeffrey Petersen of Architectural Digest and Chas Sydney of AmericasMart Atlanta
Handmade
$12.01 - $23 sq. ft. retail
Nourison
Handmade
$23.01 to $35 sq. ft. retail
Safavieh
Handmade
$35.01 to $46 sq. ft. retail
French Accents
Handmade
$46.01 to $56 sq. ft. retail
Creative Touch
Handmade
$56 to $65 sq. ft. retail
Shalom
Handmade
Over $65 sq. ft. retail
Capa Imports
Antique Rug
Chaman Oriental Rugs
Contemporary Rug
Nabandian, Inc.
People's Choice
Capa Imports
Winners All!
RUG PEOPLE LOVE TO HAVE FUN!
The String Angels provided pre-awards entertainment.
Jeff Portman, president of AmericasMart, left, with Karl Goldberg, chairman of the AMC Advisory Board. Karl is also head of the Somerset Marketing Group, San Rafael, CA.
Chas Sydney, senior vice president of AmericasMart, left, with Noures Nateghi, Noures Oriental Rugs, Chicago.
Igor Yakovenko of AirBase stores, based in New Castle, DE, with Bill Roach, vice president of Karastan. Igor tells us that he was pleasantly surprised at the number of introductions he saw. "Given the current economic situation, I had low expectations. But I was very surprised to see the innovations and saleable products that vendors have introduced," he said.
From left: Dileep Singh, Mehmood Salam and Shobhit Mehrotra from Amer Rugs, and retailer David Hadidi of Hadidi Oriental Rugs, Little Rock, AR.
From left: Ijaz Ahmad Butt of Jamal Rug Weavers, Lahore, Pakistan; Michele Pegorari and Paolo Pegorari of Radici; Eva DiAdamo, and Jeff DeSantis of Amici Imports.
Rengin Yesilova, left, and Yasar Yesilova of Smyrna Rug Imports, enjoy the lavish buffet.
Danny Shafiian, left of French Accents, with Jeffrey Soleimani of Renaissance Rugs & Tapestries.
John Ng, left, of Safavieh, and Satya Tiwari,
president of Surya.
Lissa Wyman, left, editor and publisher of Rugnews.com, with boy toy Matt Tollison, vice president of sales for Jaipur Rugs.
PLENTY more Atlanta Market Pictures and Stories
COMING SOON!
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