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NEW YORK
- At the 2015 International Contemporary Furniture Fair held May 16 to
19, rug exhibitors based in Europe, Turkey and across the U.S. converged
with dramatic displays, innovative new products and an art gallery-style
ambience that drew heavy traffic.
RugNews.com editors visited 22 rug company booths scattered throughout
the main level and a new LUXE Home Section on level 3. Also new on this
upstairs level were booths of 120 Italian companies who exhibit at HO.MI.
Milano, a lifestyle show held at Fiera Milano in Italy. Rug exhibitors
on the new level had mixed reviews about the location two escalator
rides up from the main show floor, but with a waiting list that now
includes 50 potential additional exhibitors for 2016, the show had
literally outgrown its space and did its best to draw visitors with
lectures, presentations and celebrity designer appearances held only on
level 3.
Trends
played out across all weaves and price points, with chunky textures
particularly important to the "maker" crowd of artisans exhibiting from
Brooklyn to Seattle. Die-cut and laser cut felt and leather made
striking floor art in European exhibits, as did lots of watery blues and
grey rugs from Old World classics to modern abstracts. Painterly looks
with texture that appeared to be applied with an artist's knife directly
from a palette of oil paints were seen in Nepalese woven rugs.
We spied
a hint at a revival of cubism in rugs at several booths, and it looks as
if "Mazandaran" (referring to Iran's narrow panel kilims) is about to
become a household word - at least in the homes of top designers and
their clients.
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Aelfie Oudghiri designs clever graphic flatweaves
handmade in India of 80% wool and 20% cotton (retail $599) at
her eponymous Brooklyn studio. Sheepskin in fashion colors and
pillows were also ICFF hits.
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AMADI CARPETS
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Zubair Ahmadi of Amadi Carpets with Mary Young of
Young & Frances in New York City and Taz Ahmadi of NYICS at the
Amadi booth in ICFF's new Luxe Home section.
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The Amadi Carpet booth was decked out with lots
of new looks and a standout collection of rugs in fashion colors
with authentic Islamic tile and porcelain designs taken from
books and rare documents.
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APADANA
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Mike Alidadi, owner of Apadana poses in front of
his trend-right new Nepalese rugs with sophisticated coastal
flair and pops of color against white that drew the attention of
Florida- and Cali-based designers.
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CC-TAPIS
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From left, Patrizio Chiarparini of Duplex Design
Agency, NYC with cc-Tapis co-founder Fabrizio Cantoni and art
director Daniele Lora. At ICFF they showed buzzed-about rugs
unveiled at European shows in 2015.
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Sold through Poliform dealers in the
U.S., cc-Tapis showed Lost in the Fifties, a Nepalese
hand-knot of Himalayan wool and silk (above) and
Cross(me)Knot, a hybrid of traditional Tibetan and
European weaving cultures in two different pile heights
(below).
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CLASSIC
RUG COLLECTION
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Dressed to color-coordinate with her rugs,
designer Barbara Barran of Classic Rug Collection unveiled the
vibrant Color collection rug Mango in hand-knotted pure silk, or
blends of wool with either silk or bamboo silk.
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Classic Rug also showed Sauvage, a dense shag rug
reminiscent of the Rya rugs of the '60s and '70s. Offered in
wool, linen or silk, the designs are crafted in Nepal.
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CREATIVE
TOUCH/ICI
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Sevin Ozdilek (left), Baki Ildiz and Tolga Uysal
at the ICI International - Creative Touch ICFF booth.
Istanbul-based ICI International and its U.S. arm Creative
Touch presented the Rug in Pack program. (click
here for story)
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ICI and Creative Touch also previewed new
Patchwork collections including the Inspirations Series of rugs
crafted from wool and cotton from vintage Anatolian carpets.
(Vivid design is shown)
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FRENCH
ACCENTS
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Danny Shafiian and Byron Hamilton of New
York-based French Accents caught the attention of designers with
a selection of new modern flatweave rugs carrying abstracted
patterns shades of pale blues, greens and grey.
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The French Accents booth featured a selection of
new hand knotted neutrals and transitional graphic hand knotteds
on one side and dimensional cut and loop Nepalese Bespoke rugs
in jewel tones on the other.
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GRAIN
DESIGN
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James Minola of Grain Design (co-owned with wife
Chelsea) was at ICFF to launch the studio's first rug line,
flatweaves crafted of locally sourced wool by artisans in
Guatemala. Retail $625, 4x6. Based in Bainbridge Island, WA, the
pair is known for artisanal crafts, social and environmental
responsibility.
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INIGO
ELIZALDE RUGS
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Designer Inigo Elizalde with a Nepalese rug from
his catchy Selva! collection featuring a range of fibers from
silk and bamboo, to wool, nettle and cactus. Prices range from
$65 to $160 a foot depending on material and knot count.
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A design studio that produces its own rugs and
design collections for the likes of Patterson and Flynn &
Martin, Inigo Elizalde Rugs, also unveiled samples for an extra
chunky abaca line coming soon.
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JAN KATH
DESIGN
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Kyle Clarkson, partner of Jan Kath Design New
York, is shown with the Angles 5 rug from the new Angles
collection, which premiered in the U.S. at ICFF and retails for
approximately $197 per foot.
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Two designs from the new Jan Kath abstract
cubist-inspired Angles collection at ICFF. The rugs are made to
order from Tibetan highland wool, Chinese silk and Himalayan
nettle yarn.
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Crowds were drawn to Jan Kath rugs interpreting
clouds from the Heiter Bis Wolkig collection. Inspired by
baroque paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries, a contemporary
version is shown here.
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LINDSTROM
RUGS
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Shown with his popular Ink Blot rug, Eric
Lindstrom of Lindstrom Rugs received the annual ICFF Editor's
Choice Award in the carpet and flooring category, and launched a
line called Korgamy by Karim.
(Click
here for story)
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LIZA
PHILLIPS DESIGN
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Liza Phillips and husband Francis Cape, a
sculptor, at their ICFF booth where she unveiled new designs in
the Alto Steps program featuring Tibetan hand-knotted stair
tread rugs and new designs in full size rugs.
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LOLOEY
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A major player in hospitality carpets in Europe,
Loloey Group Grandfloor Corporation of Italy came to show
capabilities in private label Axminister and hand-tufted,
illustrating with positive and negative designs by Studio
Liebeskind. Architect Daniel Libeskind stopped by the ICFF
booth during the show.
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M&M
DESIGN
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Joel Karimzadeh of M&M Design International
showed custom colors and bespoke design capabilities with
hand-knotted Nepalese rugs, including a new collection made in a
choice of Himalayan wool or silk.
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MARC
PHILLIPS RUGS
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Marc Phillip Partial of Marc Phillips
Decorative Rugs finds a passionate audience for the
painterly rugs in the Artistry collection by Jo-Anne
Preston at ICFF, and hand-knotted of wool and silk. The
exclusive collection features richly textured abstract
motifs like Rhapsody (below).
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NAMO RUGS
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Jaisal Dsilva of Brooklyn-based Namo Rugs
discusses the company's innovative textural rugs of boiled felt
with GoodWeave's Caroline Turnbull.
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Namo experiments with everything from chunky
textures resembling pebbles to rugs of felt petals and even a
die-cut wool felt design called Royal Gates which retails for
$139 in 60"x90".
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NASIRI
CARPET
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Nader Nasiri, founder and creative director of
Nasiri Carpet with a Mazandaran collection rug, a designer
favorite crafted of hand spun wool and organic vegetable dyes in
minimalist flat-weave panels.
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The modernist designs were discovered in the
Mazandaran Province of Iran and are "steeped in tradition" says
Nasiri of the 40-design collection which features fashion colors
and subtle graphics.
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NEW MOON
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Erika Kurtz of New Moon showcases the artfully
textured Shale rug in the ocean colorway (100 knot, Tibetan wool
and Chinese silk) - part of new collection of abstracted designs
inspired by watery depths.
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Also popular at ICFF were New Moon's new accent
pillows hand-woven of bamboo or bamboo and silk blends, here
with the Bali rug in ice blue, also handmade in Tibet.
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NOURISON
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Nourison's Jeff Gonzalez, Nicole Costello and
Patrick Carroll reported strong designer interest in City Chic
rug collection and great feedback Mina Victory Couture pillows.
(Click
here for story)
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Drawing the attention of ICFF attendees were new
rug collections (from top) Silk Shadows, Twilight and the City
Chic rug by Michael Amini for Nourison of hair on hide
distressed with a metallic finish.
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PARENTESI
QUADRA
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