By Lissa Wyman

Rugs continue to evolve as home accents that are accessible to every taste and pocketbook. Once content to lag safely behind the furniture world, rug styling  is  becoming more adventurous.

As machine made and hand tufted constructions become more affordable,  rugs  no longer represent a life-long commitment. As a result, designs and colors are riskier, more individualistic, more light-hearted.

This season, we've identified multiple trends that buyers will see at the International Rug Market July 17 to 20 at AmericasMart Atlanta.

Click on the links below to see some of the new rug designs in each of these trend categories.

 Botany Class

 Slightly more formal that the tropical looks which were so popular a year ago, new large scale  patterns are seen on their own or combined with other design motifs for a rich layered look.

click here for Botany Class images

Sprightly Brightly

Borrowing from the brighter trend in apparel and home accents,  a new group of optimistic patterns and colors is popping up as an antidote to the somber palettes of the past few years.

click here for Sprightly Brightly  images

Elliptics

A soft edged approach to geometrics, these playful circular shapes are becoming a big hit in the casual contemporary segment.

click here for Elliptics  images

Casual Classics

The less ornate fields and clear, clean colors are modern, but the designs owe are based on Old World looks.  Consumers are finding these Casual Classics  easy to use with traditional, contemporary and eclectic decorating schemes. Casual Classics create a lighter, less somber mood for today's homes.

click here for Casual Classics images

High Elegance

As a counter-trend to more casual looks, some consumers are going back to the most formal and traditional designs. While there seems to be a renewed demand for high end knotted rugs, other consumers are finding these extremely formal rugs in affordable power-loomed and hand tufted constructions.

click here for High Elegance images

Newsy Stripes

Stripes captured the consumer's imagination  about a year ago, now rug designers are experimenting with new ways to interpret this classic tailored look. New Stripes are getting livelier, more urban and more sophisticated.

click here for Newsy Stripes  images

Tone on Tone

Sleekly understated, tone-on-tone patterns provide consumers with the ultimate ease of decoration. A variety of surface textures, carvings, glints of silky yarns and subtle accents colors is bringing new interest to this style category.

click here for Tone on Tone  images

 Shapes

As consumers seek new shapes to accommodate their rooms, rug makers are developing rounds, octagons, squares and runners in multiple sizes. Newest trend: Mansion size rugs in machine made constructions.

click here for Shapes images

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