Business

Behind the Scenes at Liora Manne's New Big Apple Showroom

With 2021 sales surpassing pre-pandemic levels, the eponymous decorative wall textiles and area rug atelier unveils a new showroom at the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Ave.

Lisa Vincenti

12/15/2021

designer Liora Manne in her new New York Design Center showroom

Designer Liora Manne showcases her proprietary Lamontage felted wool rugs and decorative textiles at her just-opened
NY Design Center atelier.

NEW YORK -- Designer Liora Manne, whose business has been steadily growing and has reached sales above pre-pandemic levels, unveils a new showroom for her eponymous decorative wall textiles and rugs studio located in the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Ave., suite 603.

"Part of the reason we relocated from the D&D building is that there are more of my types of clients here -- more architects and specifiers rather than decorators," Manne told RugNews.com of the company's move from Manhattan's Design & Decoration Building to the NYDC. "And while 2020 was tough when business paused, this year we are doing really well and are ahead of 2019, across all our product categories and channels."

The entry of the Liora Manne showroom features an expansive Lamontage area rug and a color-coordinated wall
textile design, with no repeat in the pattern.

Manne, a textile designer and textile engineer, developed her proprietary Lamontage, a patented felting process she developed to create custom durable and easy-care area rugs and which now also includes wall textiles, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. The business, founded in 1990, has steadily grown and amassed a following among prominent architects for its unique properties, custom capabilities and applications.

Known for her colorful, and often playful, designs, Liora Manne's Lamontage rugs and wall textiles appeal
to designers and architects for their almost limitless design possibilities. Above in the fore, the new Lamontage Tuscany
collection

In addition, the studio also displays its high-end made-to-order tufted Lush area rugs, crafted from New Zealand wool, silk and wool-viscose blends, where the yarns are dyed, over-dyed, space dyed and Y-dyed to create unique dimensions and textures.

Liora Manne's custom Lush area rug program offers dense and plush tufted textures typically made of high-quality New
Zealand wool and silk. Above, samples of some design and color options available to clients.

"About 65 percent of our sales are from our Lamontage product and 30 percent Lush. And within the Lamontage category, sales are split about 50/50 between wall coverings and rugs," Manne said. "Wall coverings have been growing because they are so unique, nobody else can create a wall covering like it. With most other wall coverings there is a repeat but not with Lamontage. We can create a design that will fit the wall -- a lot of great architects take advantage of what we can do artistically as well. In many of the projects they are commissioned for, they are using very high-end materials, which can be on the stark side, our product gives a space an artistic element, color and offers a handmade quality."

Today, the lion's share of Manne's business comes from hospitality, commercial, and university sector -- the studio is currently part of the massive renovation of NYC's David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. The studio also active in the residential arena as well.

"While hospitality is not totally back to 2019 levels, we are working on a lot of other projects and are overall we are ahead 2019," the designer said. When asked why the company continues to grow she noted, "Our clients like Lamontage because of its uniqueness and what you can do with a design -- the way you can express it, the color options and its practicalities -- it is very durable, easy to install and easy to maintain. We can do large sizes with virtually no limitation on size."