| SHOPPING THE RUG SHOW IN L.A.: PEOPLE AND PRODUCTS
 Dealers, designers and exhibitors celebrate the 2016 Rug Show in L.A. at the annual opening night party held on April 3 at the Luxe City Center Hotel at the L.A. Live complex. |
LOS ANGELES -- The 2016 Rug Show in L.A., held April 3-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, proved a success for both exhibitors and buyers, with a new international flavor and no shortage of trend-right designs. Visitors saw award-winning designs from top European shows, and the first formal presentation in the U.S. of Zollanvari's renowned Iranian rugs since the embargo was lifted in January.
With everything from contemporary patterns and textures to refreshed Gabbehs and distressed overdyed looks, the show - which has grown into a national platform - featured some of the world's top rug artisans exhibiting their newest and most innovative pieces.
Winning designs and finalists at the 2016 Domotex Carpet Design Awards were on view at the Wool & Silk booth (above) and at Art Resources (below) as well as at Ayka Design, Rug and Kilim and Zollanvari.
Shopping The Rug Show in L.A. for the second consecutive year, Andrea Moattar of second-generation Atlanta-based Moattar Ltd. said, "I enjoy this show probably more than any other because there is always a lot to see and I find vendors who don't typically exhibit in Atlanta or possibly New York. For sure, the designs are definitely more modern and international; you see a lot more color than in Atlanta and New York, which are safer and more quiet [in design and color]."
The expansive Los Angeles Convention Center allowed ample space to review rugs in on-point colors and textures at the 2016 Rug Show in L.A.
"Shows are one of the best things you can do in the rug business to keep relationships strong and to find new products," says Louis Tarantino of trade-only Carpet Source of Winter Park, Fla. "I really enjoy the L.A. show. This was the second year I attended, and I find it very worthwhile travel." In a phone interview with RugNews.com, Tarantino said 50 percent of his business is custom area rugs for interior designers.
Asked which exhibitors he bought from at The Rug Show in L.A., Tarantino said, "I'm driving right now, so I am probably going to leave out some important names, but I found a number of new things to buy at Rug & Kilim, Knot and Company, Caravan, Tamarian, Wool and Silk and Creative Touch." At Carpet Source, average prices to the trade for area rugs are $40-$100 per square foot, Tarantino noted.
Larry Stone of The Scarab in Minturn, Colo., said the L.A. show represents his one opportunity each year to connect with the vendors he does business with. "We are busy making money when the Atlanta shows are held," he said, explaining that January and July are two of his busiest months of the year. "Our vendors are using so much technology today that you can always see their new deigns on the Internet. But one of the reasons I go to L.A. is to have hand and eye contact with new rugs.
"This year I was excited to see the new things Zollanvari had brought to the table after the embargo had been lifted. They are fantastic at what they do, and had adjusted accordingly when Iranian rugs were embargoed. Now they've been able to release the rugs that the European market had been getting."
Visitors to The Rug Show in L.A. saw the U.S. premiere of Zollanvari's Iranian rugs (above) since the lifting of sanctions, and unique designs from architect Robin Gray of Robin Gray Design (below).
Stone points out that as a small company he would not otherwise have the opportunity to see new vendors like Robin Gray, who showed for the first time at the Rug Show in L.A. "She is terrific, a former architect with a keen eye. To have a skill set like hers in this industry means a lot for boutique rug dealers," Stone said.
Another internationally recognized interior designer now focusing on the rug business is second-time Rug Show in L.A. exhibitor, Michelle Evans of London-based Ayka Design. "The show was very exciting for us this year. Traffic was much heavier, especially on Sunday. We sold one of our rugs within the first 30 minutes on opening day," says the award-winning Evans.
Sold on opening day of the Rug Show in L.A., the new Bamboo rug from Ayka Design is crafted of sari silk in a new texture. Shown in blue, it is also offered, brown, charcoal, grey and silver.
"We had a good show," said Ramin Mobayen, organizer of The Rug Show. "The product was good, the buyers were good, and they found what they needed to find. "There is room to grow in L.A., but we have so many contracts for the New York show we had to move to a larger hall at the Javits Center, and that necessitated changing the dates of The Rug Show at Javits to Sept. 10-13." Earlier this week Mobayen announced several first-time New York exhibitors, and the date and hall changes (read full story).
"The Rug Show is vertical, and non-profit. We think that is part of the reason for our success and growth in both New York and L.A. We are doing what buyers want, when it is convenient for their schedules."
The following photos offer a glimpse of the exhibits at the 2016 Rug Show in L.A. and the opening night celebration at Luxe City Center Hotel at LA Live.
LUXE CITY CENTER PARTY
Ahmad Ahmadi of Ariana Rugs, Kendra Nau of Moattar Ltd. in Atlanta, Jay Nehouray of Caravan Rug, and Andrea Moattar of Moattar.
Leela Dominoski and Sarah Nadolny of Driscoll Robbins in Seattle with Sanjay Purohit of Zollanvari Ltd., Renee Cocke of Krimsa in San Francisco, and Baki Ildiz of Creative Touch.
Mohammed Kahn of Anadol, Elizabeth Vecko of Shaver-Ramsey in Denver, Chris Saliga of Tamarian Carpets, and Renee Cocke of Krimsa in San Francisco, with Ramin Mobayen of The Rug Show.
From center, Bilal Amjad of Rug and Kilim, Erbil Tezcan of Wool and Silk Rugs, and Louis Tarantino of Carpet Source at the opening night party at Luxe City Center at L.A. Live.
Jay Nehouray of Caravan Rug in Beverly Hills with Alireza and Mrs. Talebi of Abrash Decorative Rugs in Dallas, Suat Izmirli of Anadol Rugs in Atlanta and Louis Tarantino of Carpet Source in Winter Park, Fla.
Ramin Mobayen of The Rug Show toasts the event with exhibitors Alex Ahmadi of Ariana Rugs, and Jack Simantob of Art Resources in L.A.
ON THE FLOOR AT L.A. CONVENTION CENTER
ANDKHUY
AZAD USA
KNOTS RUGS
TAMARIAN
ZOLLANVARI
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