High Point Market area rug showrooms shared their most popular designs at the fall market.

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The energy was palpable at the October High Point Market – buyers were out in force shopping showrooms and writing orders, while exhibitors showed off beautifully appointed showrooms, in many cases new or updated and expanded, and cocktails flowed at showroom parties as the days wound down. 

The editors at RugNews.com were glad to be a part of what felt like a “business as usual” market, as we scoured the showroom buildings in search of the market hits in the area rug category – which continues to grow in importance to furniture stores, national retailers, e-commerce and more. Read on to see the highlights from the top area rug exhibitors in Part 2 of this two-part exclusive. (Make sure not to miss Part 1, where we kick off our coverage.)

KALATY


Topping the charts at Kalaty at market was the hand-knotted Lyra collection with its classic styling and modernized
palette.

Among the top introductions in the Kalaty showroom was Lyra, a collection of hand-knotted, wool and Silkette rugs that have traditional patterns with a modernized palette and an erased look. The company was also getting attention for its Talora rugs, hand-knotted of wool with saturated colors and tribal geometric designs. These rugs come in eight sizes, from a 2x3 to a 12x15, as well as a 10-foot runner.


Kalaty's hand-knotted wool Talora collection was a hit for its saturated colors and tribal geometric designs.

KALEEN


Kaleen's Monty Rathi and Blake Dennard report its new custom rug program for furniture stores generated buzz at market.

The buzz in Kaleen’s expanded showroom was about the company’s new custom fabricated rug line geared towards furniture stores. With 90 styles available, Kaleen offers the rugs to retailers in a rack with samples that are similarly designed to the upholstery swatches that furniture salespeople are familiar with. The rugs can be finished and ready to ship within five to seven days of ordering. In programmed rugs, the Natural Jute collection from the Hillary Farr licensed collection garnered lots of attention. The hand-crafted rugs feature neutral colors and simple, tribal-inspired designs. (To see more High Point top sellers click here.)


Kaleen adds to its popular Hilary Farr collection with Natural Jute, an instant hit for its sustainable craftmanship and
tribal styling.

LOLOI


Loloi rolled out its latest collaboration, with designer Amber Lewis, and buyers instantly snapped up the rugs.

The buzz in Loloi’s showroom was Amber Lewis x Loloi, a launch that the company has held close to the vest during the year and a half it’s been in progress. The rugs on view are all in stock, with options that span transitional to contemporary options. “While Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines x Loloi spans country to transitional, Amber picks up where Magnolia takes off,” described John Thompson, vice president of sales Southeast region. It includes all the constructions that are typical to Loloi collections, including power-loomed, handmade, and printed, and is the first of Loloi’s partnerships that integrates artwork, a category that Loloi has been steadily growing. Designers shopping Loloi gravitated to the new Carrier & Company rugs, a curated collection of transitional styles.


Loloi's new Harrison collection from its recently launched Carrier & Company program was a High Point favorite.

LR HOME


LR Home's new Bergen collection of thick felted wool yarn in a loop-pile was a favorite at High Point Market.

Retailers were captivated by the growing range of furniture, dec pillows and accessories at LR Home’s two Showplace showrooms. But new product categories didn’t stop the company from launching its largest-ever series of rug collections. Best-seller Bergen area rug collection is made of thick felted wool yarn in a loop-pile construction with contrasting threads stitching it all together. This rug comes in six patterns, including motifs of diamonds and stripes. Buyers also shopped the LR Home showroom for high-value new area rug looks such as its machine-woven Cheshire collection, a high-low shrink series with traditional and abstract designs.


LR Home debuted the high value machine-woven Cheshire collection in trending blue and brown tones.

MOMENI


Momeni's successful Lemieux et Cie license adds several new collections, including Cluny above, which were instant hits.
 
Momeni’s Lemieux et Cie collection was a big focal point this market. The expansion of this licensed brand includes Cluny, a wool and leather area rug that’s handmade in India, as well as Gurara, a handwoven, blended-yarn rug featuring a gray and cream colorway and a geometric pattern. Momeni also reported strong response to its new one-of-a-kind showroom just opened for fall shoppers. In the machine-made category, the Gemini collection, which features classic Persian designs in a Turkish machine-woven quality of cotton and polyester, resonated with buyers. These rugs are double printed with the pattern also on the back of the rug to emulate hand-knots.


The Gemini collection from Momeni, is printed on two sides to recreate the look of a hand-knotted rug. Shown, GEM-01

NEW MOON


New Moon debuts its latest outdoor collection, Mirasol, prized for its soft hand and handmade construction.

Erika Kurtz, designer, paid homage to her father, New Moon founder John Kurtz, with a re-imagining of his iconic original rug design, Flora. The new rug, also called Flora, was on view in the Lark Meadow colorway and a 10x14-foot size. Made of triple-ply Tibetan wool, Chinese silk and nettle fiber, the rug features a symmetrical pattern of botanicals, birds and insects arranged around the rays of a central sun medallion. “It’s the cornerstone of a new collection that will debut in the spring, called the Secret Garden collection,” said Lindsay Lowry in the sales and marketing department. The company also was promoting its new outdoor line, Mirasol. It’s made of polypropylene, but in a yarn that has a soft, natural hand and is hand woven in India. “We wanted to feel like you were walking on something more natural than plastic,” Lowry said. “This flat-woven rug feels almost like wool.”

NOURISON


A Prismatic collection design featuring undulating swirls of gold and black on a grey ground (PRS24) was among the
many hits in the hot-selling Nourison collection.

Nourison’s Prismatic collection has been a top seller for the company since it launched, and this market is no exception. New designs added to the hand-tufted New Zealand wool and Luxcelle range this market were instant hits.  With over 20 SKUs now under the Prismatic name, it’s “become a really hot selling collection, because of the shading and carving in the design,” said Nourison's Gerard O’Keefe. The showroom also featured an Instagram-worthy vignette featuring various Prismatic rugs on the floor and even displayed in frames like art, designed by interior design studio Francis Interiors. Nourison added new Calvin Klein, Christopher Guy, Kathy Ireland Home and Michael Amini designs for fans of the company's coveted designer brands.

Calvin Klein's popular licensed area rugs from Nourison debuted several new designs for fall shoppers. Shown, CK970

ORIENTAL WEAVERS


Oriental Weavers debuted its new wool and nylon Lucca collection, which quickly captured the eye of buyers.

An exciting new introduction from Oriental Weavers is Lucca, made of wool and nylon cross-woven on an Axminster loom. The rug gives the illusion of a hand-knotted construction, and comes in the rich, saturated colors that are typically seen in handmade rugs. The company rolled out a number of new collections and constructions including its buzz-worthy first machine-washable lines, the printed Charleston and Malibu collections in 100 percent polyester with non-slip backing.


Oriental Weavers' new machine-washable Malibu collection (design 05) features trending colors including pumpkin.

PALMETTO LIVING (ORIAN)


Palmetto Living by Orian's Studio range, a new Copperfield collection design  shown above, was the top hit for its contemporary designs.

The Studio collection has been “The hottest thing we have,” said Dave Matamoros, senior vice president of specialty sales. He credits the progressive colors and modern patterns for the collection’s success; some of the patterns make use of every color in the new Gemstone creel to vivid effect. Matamoros said another hit has been Cloud 19, which he says illustrates the value that customers have come to expect from Palmetto. The affordable rugs are made of super-thick polypropylene woven into on-trend patterns.


Palmetto Living by Orian's Cloud 19 Zahra design was a hit for its plush on-trend designs.

RUG & KILIM


Rug & Kilim draws designers shopping for impeccably styled Scandinavian flatweaves to its SAMS space.

Rug & Kilim continues to grow its colors and pattern choices in the Scandinavian flatweave category, and the company has become the go-to source for this look in classic and updated iterations, including new looks with pile.  R&K presented in Suites at Market Square as well as ICHF for the fall 21 High Point Market with shoppers finding double the selection normally on view.

S&H RUGS


A hit at market at the S&H Rugs booth was this brand-new, all-wool hand-knotted rug featuring a tone-on-tone transitional
leaf design.

S&H Rugs started market off with a bang, with very heavy traffic on Friday - before the show officially opened. Buyers were impressed with the Vintage collection, which owner Ori Wilbush describes as an on-going trend and the very popular undyed natural wool designs continued as a best seller. "This collection is in the natural sheep colors - charcoal gray, beige -- all 100 percent wool with cotton. It's a hit across the country from Connecticut to Texas to Florida," Wilbush said. A vintage pink rug, which had been a red and navy Persian Heriz in its original iteration grabbed shoppers into the booth as did the company's Best of Market design, a blue updated traditional look with contrasting border. "Blue is always in demand," Wilbush explained. "It's all-American and designers love it as much as their clients. This rug has four to five shades of blue with a beautiful abrash."


Buyers couldn't enough of S&H Rugs' undyed natural wool area rugs at the October market.

SAFAVIEH


Safavieh's Art Deco styles (FTV125A, top, and FTV117M) and its tasseled Casablanca rugs for their Boho look.

Safavieh, which focused its High Point Market presentation on integrated displays of area rugs and Safavieh Couture furniture and accessories, said buyers gave thumbs up to the Fifth Avenue rug collection in New Zealand wool hanging in this vignette. Buyers loved the Art Deco styling and hand-tufted quality of these designs (white is FTV125A and blue is FTV117M). Also popular were the tasseled and textured, multi-colored Casablanca collection rug CSB576N hand loomed in wool and cotton, and the lustrous Signature with classic borders and neutral palette.


Safavieh's Signature collection, with its classic styling, was a market favorite at the fall event.

STARK STUDIO RUGS


The crisp stripes of Dalary Janessa Sky, hand woven of 100 percent Stark Performance Acrylic caught shoppers' eyes.

Stark Studio Rugs had a winner at High Point Market with SPA (Stark Performance Acrylic) area rugs of solution-dyed fiber that is stain and weather resistant and color protected for outdoor and indoor use.  Designers loved the custom capabilities available for the performance line, which was introduced in late April. Other best sellers were Varick Arien Lilac, and Alta Mikko Coral, both hand-knotted of 100 percent wool.


At Stark Studio Rugs oversize classic motifs in warm colors were popular with High Point buyers, Shown, Alta Mikko
in coral

SURYA


Surya's machine-woven Avant Garde (AVT-2318, right) topped the charts at fall High Point Market.

Avant Garde AVT-2318 placed first in sales at HPMKT for Surya, the rug machine woven of 90/10 polyester/ polypropylene rug with great perceived value in quality and style. Buyers loved the Bremen collection's transitional designer look, hand-woven of wool in six inaugural designs and natural wool colors. The Reign collection's 100 percent New Zealand wool REG-2309 fit the bill with its luxury hand and palette of black, grey and beige. But all eyes focused on two enormous show stopping rugs flanking the main entry in the Surya showroom. They were from the Anadolu collection, also a top-seller, made of wool and viscose. Edged in fringe, the rugs feature an oversized center medallion. “Everyone who walks in stops and looks at these,” noted a spokesperson. Anadolu, a hand-knotted range, was showcased alongside a number of fresh handmade collections and also Surya's new better-quality machine-mades.


Surya wowed market shoppers with this prominently displayed, hand-knotted Anadolu collection rug.

TAMARIAN


Tamarian's new hand-knotted Reflection design in charcoal was a High Point showstopper.

There were plenty of new rugs to see in the new Tamarian showroom, but one of the most striking was Reflection in the granite colorway, a mirrored design that symbolizes a tree reflected in water. It’s made of wool and silk with a 100-knot construction. Also new and noteworthy was Queue, a 100 percent wool rug in the Phoenix Weave collection, which featured an oversized crosshatch-style pattern.


Tamarian didn't disappoint clients looking for transitional high-quality hand-knotted rugs and Queue was among it's top hits.

TRANS-OCEAN BY LIORA MANNE


Buyers were shopping bright colors at Trans-Oceans showroom and the tufted Tivoli collection's Brushstrokes rug
by designer Liora Manne hit the mark.

Texture captivated retailers at the Trans-Ocean stand with the new in-out Dunes collection. Its price ($130 for 5x8) belies its high end look crafted in polypropylene. Cove, another upscale in-out collection was a hit for its tweeded yarn and raised pile texture. Among the highlights in the colorful works by designer Liora Manne was the Patio collection. The brightly colored polypropylene rugs are flat-woven in patterns like concentric squares, and there’s “A lot of texture to play with,” said Manne. Also a top seller, Tivoli, a market introduction, answered retailers' requests for painterly high-end looking textures, she noted.


The new Trans-Ocean Dunes collection's tonal, texture-rich designs were among the top sellers at High Point.

UNIQUE LOOM


Crafted of hand-spun wool, Unique Loom's Ziegler collection's new Mamluk design was popular with market-goers.

The company expanded on its Ziegler offerings with Mamluk Ziegler, a 100 percent hand-spun wool rug made in Pakistan. Each rug pattern features a medallion, whether it’s a large center medallion or a repeated medallion pattern. The company is also proud of its Ultra Vintage collection. The company sources old rugs from Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and other origins, shaves down the pile and treats them with an acid or stone wash. Then the rug base is print dyed again to make a new pattern, ranging from traditional to more contemporary designs. Unique Loom also used the market to spotlight its Deepa collection, machine-made rugs of 100 percent polyester. They have the silky look of viscose without the shedding, and are traditional patterns in a textured, cut-pile construction that gives them a more transitional appeal.

-- Continue reading Best of High Point Market, Part 1