ATLANTA - Each year, the Atlanta International Rug Market featuring the National Oriental Rug Show, gets the jump on other global venues as the first show of the New Year to debut new designs and weaving innovations. The 2016 January Atlanta market did not disappoint. With a range of new products exhibiting increasingly more sophisticated machine made technology, to new a new appetite for classic traditional designs, albeit in fashion colorways, the market was brimming with creativity.
In fact, the entire AmericasMart campus was festive, with anniversary celebrations, new showrooms and expansions, displays featuring Pantone Colors of the Year, designer events, and the much anticipated America's Magnificent Carpet Awards. While RugNews.com plans more in-depth showroom tours and business analysis stories in the week ahead, following is a first look at the people, parties and products at the Atlanta International Rug Market.
AMER RUGS
John McCaul of Amer Rugs (center) earned the Sales Associate of the Year, presented by Joe Barkley and Tanuj Gupta in Amer's newly remodeled AmericasMart showroom.
BOKARA RUG
Bokara Rug Company unveils its new AmericasMart showroom at the winter 2016 Atlanta International Rug Market. At the ribbon cutting (left to right) are Gabriel Vaknin, Jon Soleimani and Jan Soleimani of Bokara with Kevin Malkiewicz, vice president of leasing for Home & Rug at AmericasMart.
CAPEL
Jen Beane of Garnet Hill, Cameron Capel and John Magee of Capel, and Ellie Bliss of Garnet Hill prepare for a line review at Capel AmericasMart showroom, where 10 collections were launched for 2016.
CARAVAN RUG
Caravan Rug's general manager, Jay Nehouray presides as a crowd customers reviewing rugs stake their claims on the designs they wish to purchase at the show.
CONCEPTS INTERNATIONAL
Melanie Hayim and John Uva of Concepts International with the company's new Atlanta International Rug Market introductions in best-selling blues and greys with lots of texture.
COURISTAN
Celebrating Couristan's 90th anniversary at the January 2016 Atlanta International Rug Market are (from left): David Craig and Bill Martin of Rugs Direct, Steve Codella of Couristan, and Randy Kremer of Rugs Direct.
F.J. KASHANIAN
Spied at the F.J. Kashanian showroom admiring the work of Gilda Kashanian (left), the company's lead designer and Jonathan Kashanian (far right) was the Murse family‚“ Lucy, John and Jesse, owners of Rugs as Art of Sarasota, Florida.
HRI
Harounian Rugs International scored an America's Magnificent Carpet Award at this the January 2016 Atlanta International Rug Market. Celebrating with HRI's Greg Jordt is Roz Rustigan of Rustigan Rugs in Providence, RI.
JAIPUR RUGS
Posing in the jewel box setting created at Jaipur Rugs' AmericasMart showroom for its Kate Spade New York Home collection rugs, pillows and throws, are Shahrzad Nadizadeh and Asha Chaudhary of Jaipur with Azi Afrooz of Unique Accents in Laguna Niguel, CA, and Ellen Wavrek of Jaipur.
KALEEN
Monty Rathi and Blake Dennard of Kaleen pose for a photo break with Beau and Sam Presnell of the Rug Gallery of Cincinnati in front of new polypropylene outdoor rugs with sea life and marine themes.
KARASTAN
From left to right are David Moyer of Karastan, Susan Hadinger and Judy Hadinger of Hadinger Flooring in Naples, FL, and Paul Crump of Karastan. The Hadinger's were among the first to see new Karastan collections, including the much anticipated Kirman Panel Granite.
KAS
Hari Tummala of Kas celebrates the rug and accessory company's 35th anniversary with Dolly Agarwal and Rahesh Agarwal of Rug & Home in North Carolina. Kas hosted an anniversary party during the January 2016 rug market in Atlanta.
Rao Yarlagadda, co-founder of Kas Rugs, at the company's AmericasMart showroom anniversary party with Kevin Malkiewicz, vice president of leasing for Home & Rug at AmericasMart
LINON
RugNews.com caught up with Steve Mazarakis, vice president of the Linon Home Decor Flooring Division at the company's brand new 3000-foot AmericasMart showroom where he showed off a new machine made collection with elaborate design and distressed finish.
LOLOI
Cyrus Loloi with Elysa and David Blumenthal of Creative Combinations in Parkland, FL reviewing the introductions for Atlanta International Rug Market, including the new Transcend collection shown.
L.R. RESOURCES
Krishna Laddha, owner, and Mike Thompson, vice president sales/general manager of LR Resources, flank Wanda Lanzi who was recognized as the company's Salesperson of the Year with an award presented at the January Atlanta International Rug Market.
Curt Gosch of Outrageous Interiors in Atlanta reviews the expanded natural textures collections launched at Atlanta Market by L.R. Resources with the company's Mike Thompson.
NOURISON
Perusing Nourison's successful Twilight collection, expanded at Atlanta Market with new designs, were members of the buying team from Massachusetts-based Jordan's Furniture from left: Joshua Tatelman, Tammy Whittaker, Rhonda McMann and Jeff Dawkins. Second row left is Jeff Forwood, Northeast regional manager for Nourison.
ORIENTAL WEAVERS
Andy Brumlow, v.p. of product development for Oriental Weavers is a good sport about posing with a mannequin elaborately dressed in a garment constructed of various patterns in the new machine made Andorra collection featuring a proprietary weave and yarn system.
PASARGAD
At the Pasargad showroom at AmericasMart, from left: Beni Isfahany of Pasargad, Jacob and Chaya Neiman of Neiman NY in Lakewood, NJ, and Edward Verdiev of Pasargad.
REVITA RUGS
Hamid Zarei, founder of Revita Rugs, presenting the company's newest innovation at the Atlanta International Rug Market featuring the National Oriental Rug Show. The technology allows any color of rug to be over-dyed dyed in pastel colors or white, for a fresh fashion look.
SURYA
Always a magnet for interior designers, the Surya showroom attracted Susan Hritz of SHS Design in Sarasota, who shopped for rugs for a current project with the help of Whitney Frazier of Surya.
TAMARIAN
Kathleen Mayers, president of KPM Flooring, and Chris Saliga, director of sales for Tamarian, address designer guests at a Tamarian presentation called "The Making of a Custom Rug" during the Atlanta International Rug Market.
02.01.16