NEW YORK -- As New York's first home and gift fair of the year, the semi-annual NY Now showcased some of the top trends influencing area rug design during winter 2020.
Among the rug vendors taking booths at the fair, which continues to tweak its strategy, was S&H Rugs, a New Jersey-based showroom focused on hand-knotted area rugs. At its first 2020 market, S&H reported a busy opening day on Sunday Feb. 2, despite it being Super Bowl Sunday, company founder Ori Wilbush told RugNews.com, who noted earlier that hand-knotted rugs continue to gain steam with designers.
"We opened new accounts and had a lot of existing clients stopping by to see our new colors and designs."
A leitmotif on display at the winter 2020 NY Now across rugs and home accessories -- and trending in apparel designs -- was return to delicate pastels. That proved a show favorite at the S&H booth with designers and specialty store buyers gravitating to the company's latest Pastel collection designs. The range, which features erased geometric and classic motifs crafted of real silk and textured wool, featured a palette of delicate pinks, baby blues, seafoam paired with soft grays, ivory and beige and crafted of real silk and textured wool.
Designers shopping NY Now loved S&H Rugs' new Pastel collection design in pale pink (SH48539), hand-knotted of silk and textured wool.
The preference for softer looks also had show shoppers checking out S&H's latest worn own and distressed vintage rugs, which puts 15 year old Persian rugs through an aging process that includes washing multiple times, sun drying and shaving down the pile. "S&H sells a lot of vintage rugs and buyers are responding to our latest vintage pieces," Wilbush said, pointing out that a retail price of $850 for a 6x9 is "great" price point that resonates with designers. The company's new vintage-look all-wool designs, shaved down and distressed, also are trending.
S&H Rugs' growing worn-down vintage wool rug assortment, washed, sun-dried and shaved, has been popular with designers. Shown, vintage Persian Kerman design
Likewise, at the Orientalist Home booth, which showcased a growing assortment of vintage one-of-kinds, picked up on the preference by market-goers for vintage area rugs. "We brought a lot of vintage OAKs and they are selling well," said Gady Yesilcay, owner of the Long Island City showroom, adding that the company's Moroccans also were a show hit. "We have been very busy with designers and stores."
Orientalist Home's vintage Turkish wool runners were top sellers at NY Now.
Rug & Kilim returned to NY Now and showcased its range of products from its Mid-Century range and latest Scandinavian looks, to the transitional Textures collection and plush Moroccan style rugs. The hit at market proved to be two plush chalk-white and black designs, including an understated wool geometric Moroccan and a new shaggy hand-knotted in Turkey rug crafted of a blend of silk and bleached aloe in chalk-white with black undyed goat hair accents. These two natural, textural beauties stopped designers in their tracks, said William Sefchick, Rug & Kilim's new sales manager.
William Sefchick, Rug & Kilim sales manager, shows Rye, NY-based designer Ania Dunlop, Home for Zen, and Sarah Briginshaw, founder of home store Sarza in Rye, the latest Moroccan styles.
Texture and tactile was also the name of the game at Fibre by Auskin, a maker known for its sheepskin rugs and accents. The company recently added wool woven and hair-on-hide geometric area rugs to its assortment to offer buyers coordinated luxe natural looks.
Fibre by Auskin had buyers stopping in to check out its natural, tactile signature shearling rugs and accessories and range of coordinated woven wool rugs (Kia Ora, shown).
Returning to NY Now after a short hiatus was New Jersey custom rug maker Summit Rugs. "Opening day was good and I met with existing designers and retailers that wanted to see our new designs, and also with potential clients," said Kazem Fatahi, owner. "Our one of a kinds and wool and silk abstracts are popular. Also, we are now doing more color because a bold carpet in a room gives it more life."
At Summit Rugs' NY Now booth designers were looking for colorful abstract designs.