Rug exhibitors across the High Point campus introduced fresh and innovative designs to end the year on a positive note.
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Offsetting a year of economic uncertainty, inflation worries, and threats of dockworker strikes, area rugs introduced at the Fall 2024 edition of High Point Market were surprisingly bold in color, design and yarn innovation.
Throughout the High Point campus rug vendors said buyers were cautiously optimistic that 2025 would signal a return to stronger sales growth, perhaps as early as Q1. Area rugs topping the best-seller lists at most showrooms were colorful, with tones of rust and green in all iterations showing up in updated traditional designs as well as transitional and ultra-contemporary looks. Abstract rug motifs continue to resonate with retailers and designers, albeit with new flowing patterns and a range of color palettes.
Hand-knotteds are showing up in lines once only catering to mass and mid-market customers, and machine made, indoor-outdoor and washable rugs made inroads with those catering to the luxury market.
In this exclusive two-part Best of Market recap, RugNews gets you the inside scoop on what sold and why.
LIORA MANNÉ
Astrid collection intros Mystic Mosaic and Mystic Tile designs adorn the floor of Liora Manne’s colorful InterHall booth.
In her space in InterHall, Liora Manné created a jewel box of a showroom that had the feeling of being inside a vibrantly colored oil painting. Manné was showcasing her sustainable Lamontage Kaleidoscope range, part of the eco-friendly REvolution collection.
The new Astrid collection, on the showroom wall and floor, and also used for Manne’s debuting tote bags, is the company’s first eco-friendly line extension to be made with recycled apparel fabrics. The content is 75 percent PET and 25 percent recycled apparel fabric from activewear. Astrid features an array of 30 vibrant colorways which can be used for rugs, wall and ceiling coverings, as well as upholstery fabrics.
Swatches of the new Astrid collection from Liora Manne’s REvolution collection made with 75 percent PET and 25 percent
recycled apparel fabrics.
LOLOI
Debuting in the Rifle Paper x Loloi partnership is Highgrove, designer Anna Bond’s newest interpretation of her whimsical
botanical motifs.
There’s always buzz in the Loloi showroom, and this year the company unveiled 30 introductions under the Loloi brand and also from its licensing partners. A big hit was Willa, which features 11 different designs that are updated machine-made interpretations of some hand-knotted rugs best-sellers from the Loloi archives. The new rugs are made from 100 percent polyester giving them a competitive price point, but with the glamour and upscale look of hand-knotted rugs. Willa comes in 12 sizes.
From Rifle Paper x Loloi, Highgrove is made of 100 percent wool and is hand-tufted. The patterns feature oversized butterflies and flowers, and trailing floral motifs in the charming botanical looks the paper designer is known for. One of the five new collections from Magnolia Home x Loloi is Abigail, a hand-knotted collection in wool with cotton and other fibers. Featuring five different designs, it represents a higher quality level for the licensed line and is one of the first hand-knots under the label in six or seven years.
Abigail is a new hand-knotted addition to the Magnolia Home x Loloi lineup, five with designs unveiled at HPMKT
LR HOME
High Point shoppers gave a thumbs up to the Scapes collection’s elegant overscale abstract design in pale blue and cream.
LR’s bright showroom was brimming with pieces illustrating its latest expansion into the home furnishings world: upholstered furniture, including sofas, armchairs, and other pieces. And in area rugs, there were several notable introductions, all shown in impression oversized 10x14 foot sizes. Stria is made of 70 percent wool and 30 percent polyester in a very dense hand-tufted construction. One design features a subtle pattern of large curves and lines in a tone-on-tone warm beige colorway. Pallor is made of 100 percent wool and is hand-tufted, and a popular design featured a transitional bordered floral with warm, faded palette of blue, cream, yellow and mauve. In the textured Scapes hand-tufted collection, a top-selling design has an elegant, pale blue and cream color scheme, with a subtle pattern of oversized abstract shapes.
A first from the company’s licensing partner, designer Evette Rios, is her debut indoor-outdoor rugs by LR Home, which are made of 75 percent recycled cotton and 25 percent polyester chenille. The machine-washable rugs have bold tribal patterns offered in two colorways: dark blue or brown and ivory.
At LR Home, the Stria collection was a hit for its textural pattern of large curves and lines in a warm beige colorway.
MOMENI
Momeni x Erin Gates unveiled the new flatwoven Orchard collection to glowing reviews from HPMKT shoppers
Among the must-see new launches in the Momeni showroom were additions to the company’s longtime Novogratz and Erin Gates licenses, an exciting new children’s line, and some innovative new Momeni collections.
Within The Novogratz license, Icon is a new indoor/outdoor assortment. The polyester and polypropylene rugs have a graphic look with patterns like multicolored dots and grids in bold colors. New collections from Erin Gates include Abbot and Orchard. The hand-tufted wool Abbot features chevrons and trellis patterns in mod colors. Orchard is a flat weave of blended yarn with a rustic, natural look.
Top selling Momeni brand intros include Bibury, a machine-made collection of wool and nylon, Canyon, hand-tufted of 100 percent wool, and Scandi, Momeni’s take on the Scandinavian look. Scandi's wool and cotton rugs are hand-woven in India and feature intricate geometric patterns in either dark red or slate blue colorways.
The hand-woven wool and cotton Scandi collection was a big winner at Momeni’s IHFC showroom
NEW MOON
Cadmus, a Tibetan weave rug in exotic fibers, garnered excitement at the New Moon SAMS booth.
This design-centric New Moon did not disappoint with two stunning new rugs on view. Cadmus depicts dragons, inspired in part by the Chinese zodiac’s, Year of the Dragon. It has a classic, traditional look, with a pale, neutral background and the dragons accented with touches of coral. The hand-knotted Tibetan rug is made of wool, silk and allo, a nettle fiber native to Nepal. Explained designer Erica Kurtz, “Each fiber takes the dye differently, which gives a textural element.”
Another highlight was Suno, inspired by Japanese resistance dye techniques like shibori. This wool and silk Tibetan weave rug has a contemporary look, with dark lines and crosshatching over a pale neutral ground. “It’s a safer choice for clients, and lends itself to a lot of different interiors,” said Kurtz.
The contemporary Suno rug from New Moon is knotted of wool and silk in a Tibetan weave with shibori-inspired motifs.
NOURISON HOME
The Central Park West design CPW02 from the DKNY Area Rug Collection features a bold, swirl pattern with a high
contrast of brown on beige.
Market shoppers targeting sophisticated young consumers turned out in force to see Nourison Home’s debut of its licensing partnership with DKNY. The rug maker introduced two branded collections: DKNY, based on urban looks with each design named after a New York City street or neighborhood; and DKNY Pure, with five collections in the debut, takes inspiration from the Hamptons.
DKNY joins the already popular Calvin Klein brand in Nourison’s licensing stable. New from Calvin Klein is Summit, a six-SKU introduction that features multilevel textures in a synthetic fiber blend with cross-hatching and broken line motifs.
And no show would be complete for Nourison customers without new Prismatic offerings. On display were several new free-form shaped pieces that showcase Nourison’s ability to create virtually any custom shape via its Reserve Custom Studio. Each new pattern featured the collection’s trademarked dimensional style; one had a look of sculpted waves in shades of blue, while the other was a dramatic pattern of swirls of black, white and gray.
The best-selling Prismatic collection introduces a new hand-tufted design in swirls of black, white and gray. Shown, PRS41
OBEETEE
The chic new colorways of Obeetee’s Aero collection's Ursa design scored with buyers, shown in blush.
The Obeetee team were busy with appointments with heavy hitters, all on the hunt for quality, fashion and value. “There were numerous instances of buyers loving the bright, vibrant colors and feel of our new qualities,” said Obeetee’s Nate Svoboda, noting that one of the company’s High Point top sellers was a hand-knotted Palace Trellis collection updated traditional design crafted in 100 percent wool. Other hits included all wool hand-tufted designs from the Reverie and Aero collections, both ticking boxes on market-goers shopping lists for on-point green and blush colorways. “Aero's scalloped design was quite popular, as was the unique coloring of the medallion in the Reverie quality,” he said.
This hand-knotted wool design from the Palace Trellis collection was a hit for its hand and fashion-right colors.
ORIAN
The fashion-right earthen tones and soft abstracted geometric designs in Orian’s Aires collection were a hit at market.
Orian rolled out an assortment of strong product introductions, banking on the possibility of an economic upturn post-election.
“The markets have been down, but we are seeing some indication of recovery in Q4,” said Scott Dahl, president and chief executive. “A lot is influenced by the election, interest rates, and general economic conditions. We’re in ‘Survive to 25’ mode, and we are hearing the industry is optimistic about an upturn.”
The Aries collection, a top seller and prominently displayed in Orian’s High Point showroom, is machine-woven of polypropylene with a high pile and an exceptionally soft hand. The collection comes in four programmed sizes, and has an abstract, tonal look in earthy colors. Petra has 11 classic designs, including Persian medallion motifs and updated Oushak patterns in trending color palettes. It is available in sizes up to 9x13. Nova, also made of polypropylene, has a painterly abstract aesthetic that includes soft geometrics and is available in neutrals as well as a saturated blue. And Moab is Orian’s indoor-outdoor top seller for this market, its flatweave base is embellished with a cut pile pattern on top.
A window display helped propel the polypropylene Nova collection onto Orian’s bestseller list.
ORIENTAL WEAVERS
Vibrant color combinations and unique designs catapult Oriental Weavers’ in-out Havana collection to one of market's favorites.
A robust range of introductions was on display in the Oriental Weavers High Point showroom. One bestseller was the Havana collection of indoor/outdoor rugs with a cheerful palette of bold pinks, yellows, oranges, greens, and blues in a variety of designs ranging from solids with detailed borders to overblown florals. These rugs are sharply priced at $99 for a 5x8. Buyers elevated the Cavett collection to one of OW’s ‘best of market’ intros. Power-loomed in Turkey of 100 percent polyester, these rugs have a low-profile and use space-dyed yarn to create color dimension in a range of transitional patterns. A washed palette of navy, teal, blush and other colors is used to depict patterned stripes, abstract designs, and more traditional motifs like repeated medallions.
Mallory utilizes earth tones like clay, soft neutrals, and slate blue in a shrink polyester and polypropylene construction that shows off lots of texture. The machine-made rugs have a suggested retail of $699 in 5x8. The Clarke collection, another top seller, is hand-loomed of wool and viscose, it is available in larger sizes, up to 10x14 feet. This collection, featuring watery abstract patterns reminiscent of shibori dyeing, is part of Oriental Weavers’ initiative to grow its handmade selection, emphasizing in particular rugs made in India.
A washed palette and space dyed polyester in OW’s Cavett collection create a high-end look which scored high marks
with High Point shoppers.
RUG & KILIM
Rug & Kilim showcased a new geometric addition to its Scandinavia High collection of textured high-low patterns. Shown,
SKU 32144
Rug & Kilim debuted a range of new additions at its dramatically expanded IHFC Hamilton wing showroom, and also reported brisk business in a stand at Salon at Market Square. Among the featured rugs were line extensions to its best-selling Scandinavian collection of rugs. That included freshness in its High construction. Among the favorites was the geometric SKU 32144, hand-knotted in wool and featuring the New York showroom's “High” texture -- named for its high-and-low approach to Swedish patterns inspired by Swedish Deco sensibilities of the mid-20th century.
S&H RUGS
Design SH75489, which features an abrash Persian sickle leaf design, hanging left, scored with High Point Market shoppers at
the S&H stand, with buyers giving a thumbs up to its warm colors and artful hand-knotting.
At its expanded SAMS show space, this hand-knot specialty rug studio reported getting a strong response to its an abrash sickle leaf Persian design (SH75489) with a shaved down pile, in a lush colorway of browns light blue, orange, yellow, navy blue and ivory. S&H Rugs also displayed the showstopping Buttons contemporary rug with a textural multicolored pom-like buttons design. Made with recycled sari silk in beautiful bright colors including cheery Golden Rod yellow, pink and blue on a brown ground.
Another top seller featured an Art Deco-inspired look with rows of minimalist acorns and flowers (SH75487). This rug is hand-knotted of 100 percent wool a with a fog brown field with accents of gray, almond brown and charcoal black. The S&H team was busy flipping its vast assortment of designs illustrating the company’s fashion-forward approach to color in both traditional and transitional designs, with pink, rust, and lots of green options trending at this fall’s High Point Market.
S&H Rugs stopped buyers in their tracks with the textural Button design made from recycled Sari silk.
SAFAVIEH
Safavieh’s showstopping Bakhtiari rug in shades of pink was displayed with a pale pink velvet chaise from the company’s
Couture furniture line.
In the Safavieh newly expanded Market Square footprint, one of the highlights was a rug with a tree of life design that is woven from 32 different colors in wool and silk. The traditional pattern paired with updated colors of faded pink and blue, breathes new life into a classic design.
A Bakhtiari rug featured saturated colors in shades of red, rose, cream, and teal, in a traditional bordered pattern. The company also highlighted its Anatolia design, part of its Bakhtiari collection of wool and silk rugs, which has a color palette leaning towards golds and teals in a semi-erased pattern. Safavieh’s Jewel of India wool and silk rug also hung proudly, a beautiful vintage-inspired pattern in fiery orange and bold blue.
From Safavieh’s longtime best-selling Jewel of India collection, a new wool and silk iteration of the tree of life design in brilliant tones.
SOUTHWEST LOOMS
Southwest Looms showcased its Pendleton Tierra collection at a new Salon space at the Suites at Market Square.
Southwest Looms was excited about its third collection under its Pendleton license. Called Tierra, the rugs are a flatweave collection with Pendleton’s signature bright colors and tribal shapes. They come in a variety of patterns, with colors like teal, brown, cream, and gray.
Cynthia McLaren, director of marketing and wholesale lines, said she was particularly proud that she was able to replicate a heathered effect that she’d noticed in a Pendleton blanket. By interweaving two colors of yarn, she was able to simulate the look.
The company also rolled out a new colorway in the existing Pendleton Reserve's Storm pattern, adding a neutral color that gives the pattern an entirely fresh look.
Southwest Looms artfully displays its signature tribal designs in vignettes coordinated with rustic furniture. Shown, hanging
right is Pendleton Reserve's Storm Cardinal rug.
SURYA
Surya invited market shoppers to the launch of its new licensed collection Galey Aix x Livabliss , which includes rugs,
furniture and dec pillows.
Buyers flocked to see the launch of Surya’s newest licensing collaboration with HGTV designer Galey Alix, whose unconventional design concepts have gained her a following. Galey Alix x Livabliss is her first licensed line, and includes area rugs, furniture and pillows with Surya. The rugs are machine-woven and have transitional patterns, including a geometric diamond pattern and repeated small-scale medallions.
Surya also generated lots of area rug excitement for the company’s handmade offerings, with a number of new introductions and line expansions rolling out. The Bijar collection has been one of Surya’s best-received introductions. It has a weathered, zero-pile antique look with traditional patterns. Hand-knotted of New Zealand wool, the Riviera collection was expanded, with one top-selling rug featuring a solid center with an intricate tribal-inspired border pattern. A combination of flatweave and cut pile creates the blocky pattern and textural interest of the hand-knotted Folklore lineup. And Iman has texture and color variation, with a hand-knotted construction of viscose and New Zealand wool.
A dramatic display of Surya’s hand-knotted Folklore collection scored with market shoppers while highlighting the rugs’
combination of flatweave and cut pile.
TRANS-OCEAN by Liora Manne
The stunning Leaves design from the Marina collection stopped market shoppers in their tracks at Trans-Ocean’s HPMKT stand
Trans-Ocean continues to expand its colorful, on-trend patterns in both performance rugs and indoor rugs. Under the Marina umbrella, the top-selling Dream Garden is inspired by one of designer Liora Manné’s first designs. Power-loomed of polypropylene with polyester, the rug comes in six sizes and has an art deco look of stylized flowers and greenery arranged around an oval center medallion. It’s available in either a black or an ivory ground.
Also part of the Marina designation, the showstopping Leaves features a variety of intricately shaped leaves in myriad shades of green, including a stunning yellow-green shade. Scattered over a blue-grey background, the leaves have a shadowed effect that make them look multi-dimensional. From the Rialto collection, Maize Border was a market hit. Made of polypropylene it’s part of Trans-Ocean’s Everywear collection, meaning it is suitable for high-traffic or outdoor use. It’s a contemporary looking rug with rows of concentric squares arranged within a darker border. And within the Monaco collection of Everywear polypropylene rugs, Zebra is, unsurprisingly, a stylized animal print of dark zebra stripes over a neutral ground that resonated with buyers.
Animal prints are interior design classics, but this Zebra design from Trans-Ocean’s Everywear line is fashion right and easy care.
UNIQUE LOOM
The popular Jill Zarin licensing program added a new brown colorway to the celeb’s English Manor collection.
Always busy, the Unique Loom showroom was brimming with one-of-a-kind and new programmed collections at the fall market. The company showed off a new colorway – mocha brown -- in licensing partner Jill Zarin’s English Manor collection, and it was a hit with market shoppers. This on-trend color is woven together with ivory yarn to create a stippled effect. The rug is handcrafted of 100 percent wool and is fully programmed with eight rectangular sizes as well as multiple rounds and runners.
Another highlight in the showroom was Prismatic, a high-low over-tufted weave of cream on a black and gray flatwoven base to show off a contemporary linear pattern. This super-plush rug is made of polypropylene and polyester.
Prismatic caught the eye of market goers visiting Unique Loom, the contemporary design scoring for its black and cream
colorway, linear motif and plush hand.
-- Make sure not to miss Part 1 of The Best of Fall High Point Market