04162015 High Point Market Fashion Rug Report

HIGH POINT, NC - As rug companies get ready to usher the Spring 2015 edition of High Point Market, the mood is upbeat and the designs and weaves more innovative and fashion-right than ever before.  The brands featured in our spring new product roundup are setting the tenor for interior designs for the coming fall and winter seasons. This is our largest rug roundup ever and we begin with Part One (vendors from A to L).  Stay tuned for more great design in Part Two.

Amer Rugs

Known for its high-end hand knotted rugs crafted in India, Amer Rugs will expand into mid-priced products, new weaves and yarns in its largest collection of new offerings ever at High Point Market. New in the hand-knotted sector is Joy, a fashion-forward Soumak weave that combines hand spun wool and raised art silk in lustrous two color rugs with intricate motifs (1999 in 6x9). The Joy collection builds on the momentum of brightly colored lines introduced in January with great success.

Other collections include: Naturals - hand loomed jute and cotton ($399 for 8x10); Zola - hand loomed jute and rayon ($399 for 8x10); Kanoka - hand tufted loop pile in tie dyed New Zealand wool and art silk ($699 for 8x10); Elana - a flat weave of blended wool ($499 for 8x10); Bella - a hand woven dhurrie of wool and cotton ($599 for 8x10); Amber - a hand woven dhurrie wool and sari silk ($899 for 8x10); Mount Route - a hand knotted collection of New Zealand wool and art silk ($4,999 for 8x10); Brio - a hand knotted zero-pile line of blended wool ($1500 for 8x10). Amer Rugs, Showplace, 3415, www.Amerrugs.com

American Rug Craftsmen

American Rug Craftsmen (ARC) plans the debut of three collections at the spring 2015 High Point Market. The traditional-minded woven Davenport collection features a combination of eco-friendly and super-stain-resistant SmartStrand, EverStrand and nylon. The range features patterns from ornamental florals to medallions in a palette of updated colors. $599 in 6x9.

Naples, a cut pile printed rug collection of nylon, proves an aesthetic counterpoint to Davenport, with its bright colors and playful designs of stripes, tonal florals and medallions. ($99 in 5x8). Lastly, the Woodbridge collection, comprised of floral, intertwining lattices and medallion motifs, delivers the hand-hooked look in a printed rug. Made of premium nylon using the latest in printed technology, this tufted collection features a level loop. ($199 in 5x8). American Rug Craftsmen Showroom, H309 - IHFC, Hamilton, Floor 3, www.americanrugcraftsmen.com.

AMS Imports

AMS Imports presents two new collections: the Alpaca Collection, crafted in Peru and the ANTA Scotland range. Alpaca is offered in pillows, throws and rugs ($3,200 in 5x8) available in a number of natural or dyed colors in any size. Hand-made in Peru.

From an opposite corner of the world comes the classic ANTA Scotland collection, created in Gill Scott Country, Scotland. Incorporating traditional Scottish plaids, tartans, and wool twills, the broadloom, rugs, fabrics and throws are made of 100% highland wool. Area rugs feature a felt backing and are bound with leather or wool. The new for market Gill Scott design retails at $1,260 in 5'6"x7'10". AMS Imports at the Tomlinson Showroom, 525 N. Wrenn St., www.amsimports.com.

Banu Home

Banu Home will introduce its custom designer rugs sourced according to design and quality in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Thailand and South America.  Patterns in the collection are inspired by travel, nature, architectural elements and ancient textiles, all reinterpreted with fashion flair. The brand presently offers eight collections: Moroccan, Tibetan, Transitional, Traditional, Modern, Solids/textures, Shags and Hides. "One hundred percent of our production is one-of-a-kind," says founder Alex Kimia. Banu Home, Suites at Market Square, SMS 1-802, www.banuhome.com. 

Capel

From luxurious vintage-style hand-knotted patterns to soft, double-washed Persians and easy care nature-inspired outdoor rugs, Capel plans a sizable roll out of seven new collections at the spring 2015 High Point Market. The company's latest introductions focus on two key design directions: bright colors, and texture and pattern stories. For instance the new "vintage" hand knotted Park Lane ($1,699 in 5'6" x 8'6"), made in India of New Zealand and Argentine wood, casts the popular distressed, worn Oushak look in new colors, such as vintage black.

Also to be showcased are the hand loomed all wool Parterre ($649 in 5 x 8), a companion to the top-selling Williamsburg fabric collection with a combination loop and cut pile for high/low detailing; the machine-made Pasadena, a new companion to the Tangier collection, both featuring the same two-inch pile and made in Belgium of olefin ($249 in 5'3" x 7'6"); and lastly, the luxe double-washed Persian Yazzie series, which is hand knotted in India of wool ($2,049 in 5'6" x 8'6").

For the outdoors, the company presents the machine-woven Finesse Cyprus and Finesse Dragonfly, both made in Belgium of  olefin and retail for $179 in 5'3" x 7'6", and the multicolored machine-woven Soho outdoor range ($249 in 5'2" x 7'6"), made in the US of olefin. 

Capel offers several High Point promotions: 20% discounts on all orders for new products placed during the market; and Capel is giving away a gift basket of Biltmore Estate "goodies" in honor of Biltmore's 25th anniversary in licensing. Retailers who make an appointment get a chance to win $10,000 of David Yurman jewelry. Capel Rugs, Market Square, 112, www.capelrugs.com. 

Colorfields

A new brand debuting at High Point Market, Colorfields is a mid-priced offshoot of Company C directed at regional furniture and rug retailers.  The company features designs targeting a broader, younger market and modern and transitional spaces. Designs appeal to four lifestyles: Loft living with geometrics and abstracts; Country living with florals and hooked rug sensibilities; Coastal living with blues and greens; and Global styles with damasks/medallions and warmer tones.

The pieces in the collection are made from 100% wool, in hand-tufted, hooked and loomed constructions. A 5'6" x 8'6" retails for under $600. Colorfields, Showplace 2350, www.colorfields.net.

Company C

Company C, which offers trade and designer programs, is launching an entirely new Fall 2015 collection and several new patterns in existing lines this High Point Market. The Sheffield Stripe rug (shown in Sea Grass) is hand-tufted in India of 100% wool (suggested retails from $545 - $2,995). Art & Soul, inspired by the Bloomsbury artists of the 1930s, is hand-hooked and hand-tufted of wool in a high-low construction for an eclectic feel. Birch is hand tufted of wool in two colorways, champagne and platinum.

Company C is hosting a Perfect Pairing of color and cocktails event on April 19 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Company C, IHFC, space D431, www.companyc.com.

Creative Touch

Creative Touch showcases three collections at High Point Market this week. Patchwork, a wool and cotton range that takes aged Anatolian carpets and incorporates them into fresh modern geometric patterns, features the new Patchwork Artus rugs of squares pieced together in a manner inspired by basket weave techniques ($48 per square foot, retail). The Ikat collection of transitional patterns is characterized by muted tones. It is made in India of hand-knotted wool; retail price per square foot ranges from $51 to $102.

Finally, fine wool and silk are paired in the hand-knotted Mist Vintage series. With varying color saturations and blanched or burnt chroma, Mist Vintage adds a contemporary twist to classic traditional designs (retail pricing at $96 per square foot)  The company also will present rugs by Michelle Evans for Ayka Designs which have just arrived from the designer’s award-winning collection. Creative Touch Showroom, G-3045 - Suites At Market Square. www.creativetouchrugs.com. 

Eliko

Eliko Antique & Decorative Rugs, a custom hand-made house catering to interior designers with new and vintage collections, introduces the looped weave Brooklyn collection, which uses a thick, nubby 100% wool and abrash colors to create a casual but sophisticated rug. "We like to think of this as a better alternative to jute rugs, they have the same casual feel, but because they are wool, they will last a lifetime," notes designer Dena Richardson. "The wholesale cost is $25 per square foot and each rug is made to order, so custom color is very much a part of the ordering process, although we do have about 20 colors already sampled." Woven in India, a room sized rug takes about two to three months to craft, she notes. Eliko also has a new hand tufted line of wool and bamboo in zero pile, and the Black Weft collection featuring a dark weft that gives the rugs an aged look. Eliko Showroom, 108 S. Lindsay St., www.elikorugs.com.

Feizy

Feizy comes to market with a wealth of on-trend product and a new catalog, Leah Feizy, executive vice president of the company told RugNews.com. "We've created some exciting new programs for our customers that will allow them to maximize their ROI in the rug category while catering to their specific customers." The Feizy team will present 600 fashion-forward collection designs and hundreds of one-of-a-kind rugs.

The Milton Collection, made in Turkey, advances in power loomed construction with a unique combination of three different fibers, including a space-dyed polyester, and feature a high-low texture to lend dimension and a soft hand ($385 for 5x8). The Liana Collection of micro-hooked, space-dyed PET rugs brings on trend design plus an unprecedented level of detail in an easy-care, indoor outdoor rug ($618 for 5x8). The Keats collection artistically blends soft teals with pops of yellow in an array of designs steeped with abstract appeal and an incredibly soft hand. Power loomed in Turkey with space dyed polyester and a high-low texture ($385 for 5x8).  The opulent Ouray Collection, an established fine rug collection gets a brand new look with traditional designs translated into today's colors.  Very finely woven with pale palettes and shorn piles, the pure silk rugs have intricate designs that vanish and reappear in changing light.

On Monday, April 20, Feizy Rugs (Market Square, 145) will hold a Rug Nirvana party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with comfort food, cocktails, prices and complimentary chair massages. Feizy, Market Square, 145, www.feizy.com.

HRI - Harounian Rugs International

HRI is focusing on blues and greys in keeping with its 2015 program featuring the Robert Allen designer color of the year. The company’s theme for High Point in outreach to designers and retailers is We've Got the Blues, and it shows in new collections.  Canterbury (DC-26 lt. blue) is hand knotted in India of 100% fine Bikaner wool.  Updated traditional designs create a 'Restoration Hardware Look,' according to the company.  The rustic-luxe Canterbury collection is available in four color and designs programmed in all standard sizes to 10x14 (retail for a 6x9 is $800).

Antique Natural (AN-252 grey) is a hand knotted collection from India of 100% wool and available in five designs and colorways.  A unique sheering and finishing wash process produces a vintage, faded distressed look for warmth and character. Programmed in sizes to 9x12 (with a retail of $560 for a 5x8).

The new Mercer collection (14-593 green / beige) is hand-tufted in India in damask and botanical designs rendered in soft faded looks. It is crafted of finely spun Bikaner wool, with a premium latex backing and a luster wash finish. Five designs and colors are offered in programmed sizes 5x8 (retail $320) and 8x10. Harounian Rugs International, IHFC G-365, www.HRIrugs.com.

Jaipur