HOT RUG TRENDS EMPHASIZE
BEAUTY -VALUE COMBINATION By Lissa Wyman
Hot rug designs at this Fall's markets reflect the industry's emphasis on beauty combined with value. "We have been selling rugs for 30 years, and they are more beautiful and offer better value than ever," remarked Austin Craley, vice president of sales and marketing for Momeni. Hand tufted rugs, which started to trickle into the market about ten years ago, have become the hottest construction in the business with vendors introducing assortments up and down the price spectrum.
OW Sphinx Grandeur collection is hand tufted in China
of wool in traditional patterns and will retail at $199 in 5x8.
Most hand tufted rugs are priced from $299 to $1,000 at retail for 5x8 size. In many cases, they are priced below machine made rugs. Vendors are also hinting that prices will soon come down to the $199 price point, opening this construction to the mass market channel of distribution. Sphinx, in fact, introduced a $199 collection in High Point. On the other hand, there is some renewed interest in hand knotted products. Most of the hand knotted rugs being introduced are priced well below the levels of five or six years ago. The new high end is now at $1,500 to $2,000 for 6x9, compared to approximately $3,000 for 6x9 five years ago. Austin Craley, vice president of sales and marketing for Momeni said that new programmed hand knotted collections now take an entire rack on the showroom floor. Design trends identified this Fall include: -
Hot-hot-hot Peshawar designs in every construction -
High fashion indoor-outdoor products -
Mellow Contemporary -
A mini-return to elegant Continental designs -
Hot color: Blue Peshawar
Peshawar designs are the hottest look in the rug business today. They reflect the home fashions movement to "relaxed traditional" looks, Their nubby texture, deeply sheared surface, fashion colors and classic, larger scale field designs fit the bill for consumers who want a formal look, but don't want overly-fussy furnishings. 
828's Calandrea collection is a cross woven machine-made wool collection modeled after classic Peshawar looks,
$599 in 5x8.
Expensive Peshawar hand knotted wool rugs are now being adapted to hand tufted and machine made constructions at medium price points under $600. "The construction is really not what it's about. It's the look," observed John Shepherd, chairman of 828. "And the Peshawar look is very hot now." 828 presented three Peshawar-look collections in a good-better-best assortment. Grand Trunk Road is hand knotted in India and retails at $999 in 5x8; Verashawar is hand tufted in India and retails for $399 in 5x8. Calandrea is machine made of space dyed New Zealand wool in cross-woven construction and retails for $499 in 5x8. Momeni introduced the Palace collection of hand knotted rugs that represent an Indian interpretation of Pakistani Peshawar rugs. The new Palace collection retails for $1,499 in 6x9 size. The Camelot collection is a junior version, hand tufted in India and with a retail of $799 in 6x9. "The introduction of a good-better-best assortment of Peshawar looks continues to expand our coverage in this important style category," said Momeni's Craley.
Kas Patina collection replicates hand-knotted Peshaware looks. It is hand tufted and retails for $799.
"Peshawar looks are growing in popularity and we are adding new collectons at several different price points," said Hari Tummala, a Kas principal. "In addition to our tufted products, we will be adding machine-made products in this look in January." Indoor-Outdoor
Trans-Ocean Patio collection, Mosaic design.Made of 100% polypropylene. Wilton-woven in France. $125 in 4'9?Θ╝VbCrLfx7'4 All-synthetic indoor-outdoor products retailing in the $100 to $150 range generated a lot of interest in High Point this Fall. This category is moving away from plain bordered patterns to more lively designs and colors. 
Feizy Gazebo collection of 100% polypropylene
is $99 in 5x8.
At Feizy, Ray Hashemi, vice president of sales, said the company's Gazebo indoor-outdoor line was a showstopper. "Rather than plain bordered natural looks, we are adding a lot of design interest to this category,?Θ╝VbCrLf he said. "We've developed stencil type patterns and even florals. It's a high end designer look that retails for $99 in 5x8. Our sales staff loves it, too. They love to sell it.?Θ╝VbCrLf Bud Young, vice president of sales and marketing for Capel said the company's outdoor products continue to grow. "The outdoor category is one of the hottest growth areas in the business. It's opened up entirely new channels of distribution for us. Our Sunbrella program is getting particularly good acceptance with casual and outdoor furniture retailers. It's a brand they know and trust.?Θ╝VbCrLf Jeff Vaughn, senior vice president of sales and new business development for Homemaker Industries, said that brightly colored indoor-outdoor products are giving the company a big boost. "We are putting in new programs with several major catalogs and mass market stores. Although the plain bordered rugs are where the sales congregate, the bright stripes and deep solid colors provide the WOW factor,?Θ╝VbCrLf he said. Mellow Contemporary 
Couristan SoHo Collection Solar Design. Hand-tufted of Bikaner wool, $459 in 5'6?Θ╝VbCrLfx8'
The contemporary style category is getting softer without sacrificing excitement. Angles are becoming rounder and edges are less edgy. However, new uses of color continue to keep the modernist spirit alive. "Contemporary is still on the upswing," stressed Steve Codella, senior vice president of Couristan. "Everyone came in looking for contempoary design. It doesn't matter whether it's hand made or machine made or what the price point is. The market is just hungry for new looks." Continental Classics 
Nourison Heritage Savonnerie
Despite the contemporary buzz, there is also a movement to formal 18th Century French designs, said Ed Vairo, director of creative marketing for Nourison. "Traditional furnishings have trended predominently to English period furniture for the past few seasons. Now we our seeing renewed interest in Louis XVI and Directoire styles. It has a softer, more welcoming look. It's another choice for consumers," he said. "Our Heritage Savonnerie line was far and away our best selling collection in High Point. It clearly indicates the renewed importance of this very elegant period of furniture design.?Θ╝VbCrLf Hard to Classify
Delos Kidz Collection There are some hot designs that defy description. That is the case with the quirky Kidz collection at Delos, according to Billy Schmitz, sales manager. "The Kidz line is hotter than heck," he said. The collection is based on the work of The Primitive Twig design group. "We've found the collection has appeal far beyond the children's market," said Schmitz. The group is hand hooked in China and retails for approximately $199 in 3x5. 11.18.05
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