Outdoor Rugs Lure Buyers at 2017 Casual Market Chicago

 

 

Vendors reported continued increases in outdoor rug sales to e-commerce retailers, catalog houses and brick and mortar stores throughout the year, and key buyers were treated to forecasts of future trends at the Chicago show as well as New York Home Fashions Market, also held last week.

 

In Chicago, Casual Market attendees lucked out with balmy 80-degree September temps, adding to the appeal of debuting products in the outdoor living category -- everything from stylish outdoor furniture and accessories, to high-performance fabrics, pool and spa products, tabletop, outdoor kitchens -- and, of course, indoor/outdoor rugs and pillows from rug makers you know.

 

 

The Jaipur Living design team kicked off the Casual Market Chicago with a win, even before the show doors opened. Just prior to Market, the Georgia-based firm was told it scored a design excellence award by the International Casual Furniture Association (ICFA) in the Rug and Flooring category (read full story). 

In addition, celebrity designer and Jaipur licensing partner Nikki Chu was on hand in the Windy City to talk about her new indoor-outdoor line of flat weave rugs, Decora, which were just launched in July. New to Chicago buyers, the line takes the indoor-outdoor category to an edgy, more glamourous level, featuring modern global patterns in a neutral and decidedly gender-neutral palette of grays, black and pewter. 

 

According to Sasha Wallace, Jaipur's communications specialist, "Nikki is really coming into her brand. It's chic and accessible, and we wanted to bring the distinctive aesthetic to the outdoor space. Buyers can look for new pillows from Nikki in High Point." 

 

 

 

 

 

Amid the backyard firepits, hammocks and lanterns on display at the Mart, Mohawk Home had in-store solutions ready for outdoor retailers. 

 

"How do you display rugs at patio stores?" asked Stuart McBrayer, Mohawk Home's national sales manager. "We're here not only with our quality products, but also with merchandising solutions for retailers, leading the way with our displays for rugs and doormats." 

 

Mohawk's circular rug display holds 32 rugs in a small footprint that's ideal for retail stores. "It's engineered for ease of use so that consumers can pull the rolled rugs out of the display without struggling. It's all about return on investment per square foot for us," said McBrayer.

 

As for indoor/outdoor rug options, a sampling of Mohawk's Oasis collection (about 40 SKUs) and Karastan's Portico line (29 SKUs) were in a swing-arm display for buyers to browse the transitional to modern stripe, chevron, medallion, textured tweed and damask patterns. McBrayer said that the 'Made in the USA' label on these products strikes a chord with the firm's retail partners. "We're right at a year out with this product and have new designs in development due to the success of this category."

 

 

In doormats, Mohawk makes it easy for stores to offer a cash-and-carry product that retails under $30 or less. "We're really proud of the fact that we divert more than 30 million pounds of recycled rubber from landfills every year with this product, and that they, too are made in the U.S.," McBrayer said.

 

The doormat wall display offers an easy, inexpensive entry into the mat business and, like the circular rug display, is engineered so consumers have clear sightlines and an easy product grab. 

 

 

 

 

Bursting with happy colors at every turn, the Trans-Ocean booth in Chicago was overflowing with inviting pillows, mats and rugs. According to Dean Smith, vice president of sales for the Trans-Ocean Group, the two recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida definitely had an impact on the overall traffic at this September Casual show. "Despite that, people we didn't think we'd see made it in, so we're grateful." 

 

New for market, the preppy and fun Portsmouth collection of vertical striped rugs and pillows features a hand-tufted and hand-looped construction in 50 percent polyester and 50 percent acrylic. Dressed in a cheery palette of greens and blues, a 5x6.7 retails for about $199. 

 

 

The Portofino collection features a new reversible construction in 100 percent polypropylene, with one side of the rug revealing a stripe pattern and the other side a subtly textured solid in a choice of Natural or Charcoal. 

 

Playful new Liora Manne designs included intros to the Visions IV collection of 100 percent polyester designs. Standouts included: Palazzo, a signature mosaic design in azure; Cirque Caribe in a palette of Caribbean blues and greens; and Reef Border Blue, a snorkeling-inspired design with bright coral shapes and fish swimming against a blue ground.

 

In the company's running Terrace line, about seven new patterns in a range of colors featured classic outdoor motifs like leaves, shells, coral, turtles, ship wheels, solids, stripes and more.  

 

 

 

"We've definitely felt the pinch of losing the entire state of Florida and south Texas because of the hurricanes," said Jeff Forwood, national sales manager for residential product at Couristan. "We've seen people from Dallas and northern Texas, but nothing south." 

 

Even still, Forwood said, "I feel good. We've met a strong number of new prospects that want new sources for outdoor product and we saw many of our majors, too."

 

New for buyers, the Monte Carlo collection made its debut. Power loomed in Belgium, the indoor/outdoor line has a number of elegant, transitional designs in a structured, flatwoven construction made of fiber-enhanced, Courtron polypropylene. Patterns include fabric-inspired motifs, linear looks and more.

 

 

Also new for buyers, Couristan brought its indoor/outdoor broadloom, which is up to 21 SKUs and crafted in its signature Courtron polypropylene. Consumers like it because they can order oversizes, shapes, use it on stairs and in basements. "What's nice is that our wide outdoor binding can be used to match the color, and our leather binding makes for an edgy look in indoor applications," Forwood said.

 

Don't miss Couristan's return to High Point in October in a new 5,000-square-foot space (#2350) at Showplace. 

 

 

 

 

First unveiled at the 2017 ICFA Preview Show (read full story), the full Hamptons outdoor rug collection will be presented at the October High Point event, and the designer's indoor rugs will be unveiled for the first time at the KAS showroom, IHFC, G-270.

 

 

Comprised of handmade and machine-made rugs and pillows, all the new products are designed to cross merchandise with Langdon's growing lineup of licensed products for a variety of design-focused companies including Crystorama, Bradburn Home, and NorthCape. Langdon will be at the KAS High Point showroom for two events at next month's market (read full story).