Cover Connect attracted plenty of serious dealers looking to stock up on the newest fashions in handmade rugs.
NEW YORK -- Cover Connect returned to New York City for its second annual boutique rug show, adding 10 new area rug exhibitors, and drawing a crowd of buyers from all corners of the U.S. and Canada.
The show, held from Sept. 11-13 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, located at 125 W. 18th St., earned thumbs up from attendees who were able to shop a much broader array of contemporary area rugs and reimagined classics from a larger group of exhibitors compared to the first show in 2021.
Joining the elite cadre of high-end rug purveyors that participated in the inaugural show were newcomers such as Jaipur, Stark Studio Rugs, Tissage, Wool & Silk and Zollanvari.
In fact, the boutique trade fair for handmade rugs was so successful that show organizers have announced the first edition of COVER Connect Las Vegas, to be held at SURFACES from Jan. 30- Feb. 2
Below join RugNews.com on a picture tour of the buyers and top rugs from the 2023 Cover Connect.
ANADOL RUGS
Beth Assaf, owner of Rug Chic in Mandeville, Louisiana, far left, shops the Anadol booth, which sold out its all of its
Angora Oushak rugs at the show.
BATTILOSSI
Mauritzo Battilossi, founder of the Turino, Italy, rug studio with factories in Nepal and Pakistan, joins Christiane
Millinger owner of her eponymous handmade rug gallery in Portland, and Matthew Ashley, to show them the latest
textural designs the company is known for.
Battilossi's featured area rugs at the 2022 show included its textural hand-knotted in Nepal designs.
CARAVAN
Keivan and Heidi Beroukhim of Keivan Woven Arts, Atlanta, browse the new Persian vintage-styled Circa collection
of hand-knotted ultra-low pile designs with Caravan's Mois Refoua.
CREATIVE MATTERS
Toronto rug atelier Creative Matters showcased a stunning ombre style hand-knotted design (200192E Rubato) and
coordinating geometric from its Sonnance collection, which immediately grabbed the attention of show shoppers.
Hand-knotted of Tibetan wool in Nepal these rugs are Label STEP certified.
CREATIVE TOUCH
Baki Ildiz introduces Creative Touch's latest rug designs to Harris and Jessica Cohen, of Country Carpet, based in
Syosset, New York.
Creative Touch debuted its newest hand-knotted designs, and black and white graphic styles, including this introduction
from the Marrakesh collection, were a hit.
DESIGN MATERIALS
Kansas City-based Design Materials introduced Cover market-goers to its custom flatwoven wool and sisal rugs.
HARCOURT COLLECTION
Rick Zolt, founder of New York-based Harcourt Collection introduces Charlene Nigohsian, president Nigohsian Carpet
& Rug Co., of Needham, Massachusetts to the latest custom introductions.
KNOTS RUGS
The Andonians of Andonia Rugs, with rug showrooms in Bellevue and Seattle, Washington, stop in to shop the newest
rugs from U.K. label Knots Rug. From left: Carmen, Chiara, Luca Andonian with founder Michael Andonian. In the
background is the Path of Hollow Words rug inspired by an abstract painting by Stefan Heyer.
LAPCHI
Austin, Texas' Black Sheep Unique owners Erica and Damien Clark, center, take a break while browsing the Lapchi booth for a
photo op with Lapchi's John Tracy, left, and Nathan Tucker.
Lapchi's hand-knotted Penumbra rug collection of textural designs remained a top choice at the Cover Connect show.
NEW MOON
New Moon designer Erika Kurtz shows off the company's new Abstract area rug, hand-knotted of wool and Chinese
silk in a Tibetan weave.
PAMPAS LEATHER
Jaime Crespi, far left, of Pampas Leather, hosts the Landry & Arcari team at its Cover Connect booth. From left,
Landry & Arcari's Victoria Angotta, Henry Mathey, Chris Fennell, Briana Winberg and Justin Chitin.
RUG & KILIM
At their Cover Connect stand, Josh Nazmiyal, center, founder of Rug & Kilim, with sons Cyrus. right, and Sina, who recently joined the family
business.
Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian Nu construction's nubby texture resonated with fall shoppers.
SAMAD
David Samad introduces Paige Drummond and Jim Howard of Eighteenth Street Orientals in Birmingham, Alabama,
to the company's new Attitude rug lineup, part of the company's growing assortment of more affordable hand-made collections.
Samad's more approachable collections, Nautical, foreground, and Attitude (hanging) were a hit with fall buyers.
STARK STUDIO RUGS
John Stark, chairman Stark Carpets, and Taylor van der Mandele, national VP sales, Prestige Mills at Stark Carpet,
take a break in the Stark booth. Shown, Aletta in blush
Shopping contemporary rugs at the Stark booth are Erica Gregorio, center left, and Tricia Maclelland, center right, of
Steven King Decorative Carpets.
TAMARIAN
From left: Tamara's Jesse Kohler, Carolyn Botz (Fountain Interiors of Wyckoff, New Jersey), Caryn Liss (Parisa
Rugs & Decor, Philadelphia), Ned Baker (Tamarian), Ryan Higgins (Tamarian, owner), Keith and Kate Donegani
(Burritt Bros. Carpet & Flooring/Colin Campbell & Sons), and Tamarian's Geoff Duckworth. Shown, Frankie TK150 Olea
Every area rug at the Tamarian booth was newly introduced for Cover shoppers, including the modern geometric Blog MZ
in autumn colorway.
TISSAGE
Spotted at the Tissage booth are Driscoll Robbins, owner of his eponymous Seattle fine carpet gallery, and Sarah
Nadolny, showroom manager.
WOOL & SILK
Wool & Silks' Erbil Tezcan and Andrea Pahl give Michael Pourvakil, Weavers Art, Toronto, the details on the company's
100 percent silk Monet hand-knotted rug.
The best seller at the Wool & Silk booth was its new After Party collection's Strawberry Moon design (in foreground),
inspired by the work of artist Laura Wait.
ZOLLANVARI
Ramin Zollanvari, left, and Reza Zollanvari, center, Eileen and John Hampshire, Art to Walk On, Sarasota, and
Stephanie Diehl, far right, Zollanvari, take a break in front of the Soltan rug by Nova 24 Studio.
Zollanvari's Soltan rug by Nova 24 Studio, part of the company's 75th Anniversary series' Lion collection, caught the eye
of buyers walking the aisles of the second edition of COVER Connect.