09272016 Outdoor Rugs Make a Splash at 2016 Casual Market Chicago

OUTDOOR RUGS MAKE A SPLASH AT 2016 CASUAL MARKET CHICAGO   The mix of products on display in hallway vignettes of the seventh floor temporary spaces at Casual Market Chicago included rugs from Jaipur Living and by Liora Manne for Trans-Ocean.

CHICAGO -- Robust traffic at 2016 Casual Market Chicago, which ran from Sept. 20- 23 at the Merchandise Mart here, indicated a strong economic outlook for the outdoor rug category, according to interviews with longtime and new exhibitors.  

- Continued increase in online sales through e-tailers, catalog houses and brick-and-mortar retailers;

- Trading up via new, higher-priced rug introductions and line extensions at the manufacturer level; 

- More consumer demand for larger rugs at all price points;

- Interest from retailers, especially furniture specialty stores that have not previously carried outdoor rugs;

Outdoor rug trends evident in Chicago and the New York Home Fashions market, also held last week, centered on consumer demand for performance at all prices points, and consumer willingness to trade up if the rugs offered easy care, beauty and color reflective of increased demand for better outdoor furniture. 

Rug exhibitors at Chicago's Casual Market indicated a continued increase licensing programs with exclusive designs like G.A. Gertmenian & Sons' collection for Brown Jordan, and Jaipur Living's new National Geographic Home Collection indoor-outdoor rugs.  

Trans-Ocean Imports, which won the Design Excellence Award from the International Casual Furnishings Association (read full story), is selling a growing number of its indoor/outdoor rugs online through e-tailers, catalog houses and the online operations of traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. Among the online distribution outlets are Wayfair.com and Rugs-Direct.com. Pet stores and other venues are snapping up the firm's offbeat pet-themed mats -- 2x3 renditions of dogs and cats at the beach and in holiday scenes.

"Most everything is in stock, so we can drop ship in two to three days," said designer/creative director Liora Manne. 

 

Trans-Ocean's indoor/outdoor Playa collection, Wilton woven in Turkey, reinterprets traditional ikat motifs for a fashion statement indoors or out.

Couristan, which began selling outdoor rugs in 2001, is seeing rug sales rack up double-digit gains each year, boosted by performance rugs, line extensions offering larger sizes, round shapes and small, "fun" scatter rugs. 

Echoing trends noted by several rug exhibitors, Couristan reported growing interest in performance rugs. "People today want easy care, low-maintenance rugs," said designer Amy Conlon, "and there is a growing demand for round shapes and larger sizes. Outdoor rooms are big; they have no walls," she noted. 

The popular price point in structured flat weaves at Couristan is $99; the popular is size 5'6" x 8'6"-1/2 x 8-1/2. Hooked rugs are strong at $299.

Couristan is also extending its lines to offer lower-priced scatter rugs. The indoor-outdoor pioneer introduced Covington Accents, a collection of 14 hand-hooked, 100 percent polypropylene scatters in Atlanta, priced at $49 MSRP for rectangular 2x3. 

"These scatters are like a sub-category," explained Ron Couri, president and CEO.  "Customers are putting them in front of the sink, in entrance areas, bathrooms. Performance rugs are expanding," he noted. "They are virtually indestructible. And they selling seasonally in patio stores, pool stores, garden stores, and groceries like Kroger's and Kings in N.J."

 
Couristan's Covington Accent collection mat with nautical anchors design is hand-hooked of 100 percent polypropylene.

Reps at Mohawk Home, which also showed its extensive line of utility mats, doormats and rug pads, said the new made-in-America indoor/outdoor rugs fill a needed niche judging by feedback and response they've gotten. 

"The rugs are creating a new distribution channel for Mohawk," said Brandon Culpepper, vice president of specialty sales, Mohawk Home. "We have a lot of retailers coming in at this show looking for new things to sell. We have signed up many new accounts who have never carried rugs before, but who are looking for ways to incrementally grow their business. We are here to let them know that Mohawk is fully committed to the outdoor channel and we are ready to support their success in 2016 and for years to come."

The company attributes the continued growth in indoor-outdoor rugs to outdoors spaces getting bigger and more important, as well as the performance aspects for indoor use. Mohawk's new high-quality Veranda collection meets the luxury consumer's need for beauty in outdoor entertaining at price points that are competitive, Culpepper explained. 

"We did not want a 'me-too' product," he continued. "We have studied the market carefully over the past few years.  We wanted to bring the market something new in both form and function. We believe strongly that the outdoor segment needs new types of trend-right, better-quality product that is made in America. Our new flatwoven rugs are engineered to truly perform well outside, and they are the perfect complement to the best-performing outdoor furniture and fabrics, " Culpepper said.

Jaipur Living returns for a third year at Casual Market Chicago and the busiest to date, said a pleased Matt Peterson (left), Jaipur trade show manager, and Jeff Odell, director of national sales.

Jaipur Living is targeting fashion, texture and innovation to generate sales and excitement, and it seems to be a successful formula, according to Jaipur Living trade show manager Matt Peterson. The company is also extending its price point offerings both up and down, to capture a broader range of sales prospects.

New from the National Geographic Home Collection are sophisticated nature-inspired indoor-outdoor rugs like this Palm Leaf design.

Mariachi/Mad Mats hasn't shown at Casual Market Chicago for several years, but owner Amy Kimmich decided to skip New York Market this year, and returned to the heartland.  Her bold, colorful outdoor mats generated a steady stream of buyers and prospects. 

"Traffic has been really strong so far," Kimmich said late into the second day, crediting name recognition in part. "Our plastic mats are the granddaddy of them all, and they're weather-worthy. There was confusion with cheaply made mats, but the difference is huge," she said. "We spend 50 percent of each dollar on an additive to prevent ours from fading and wearing out."

Mad Mats' price points are $51 MSRP for a 4x6, $90 for 5x8 and $120 for 6x9. 

The company's current customer base has been primarily garden centers, but Kimmich sees more furniture stores and e-tailers, such as Amazon, VivaTerra and Blair, looking for outdoor rugs. 

Mad Mats' bold "knock your socks off" colors show no particular trends, nor is there any pattern consistency.  "Pretty, colorful, lively are the magic words for the most part, but furniture stores go more conservative, so I added some of the grays and tans," said Kimmich. 

 
Mad Mats' booth at Casual Market Chicago displays its indoor/outdoor rugs, made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

Gertmenian's Scott Lett, v.p. of national accounts, said interest was keen in the new Brown Jordan rug program shown for the first time to buyers at Casual Market Chicago.

Gertmenian attracted lots of attention in Chicago with its new Brown Jordan Rugs collection styled to provide exclusive designs to Brown Jordan dealers that would complement the company's furniture and match its reputation for quality and durability (read full story).

"We felt Brown Jordan would be a good partnership," said Scott Letts, vice president of national accounts for Gertmenian, which holds licenses for such major clients as Drexel Heritage and Thomasville, and children's rugs for Disney and Nickelodeon. "It's a great extension to the patio set, with the indoors moving out. For many people, the outdoor area is the largest room in the house."

 

Brown Jordan's signature look features a clean, sophisticated aesthetic, enhanced by the Megalo rug which replicates the weave of rush seating with a quilted diamond motif in the ground.

 
The Palm Coast design by United Weavers for the Panama Jack Signature collection is hand-hooked from high loop pile in weather-resistant olefin.

TREASURE GARDEN

Candy Chase, Treasure Garden national sales manager, poses in front of one of her favorite new designs, Northshore Lagoon, a soft bordered pastel in silver and pale sea blue striations.

Treasure Garden, an umbrella  and accessories company with a coordinated line of outdoor rugs, introduced three new 100 percent polypropylene designs in its higher-end Gold series, featuring more intricate, sisal-like textures in two sizes, 5x7 ($229 MSRP) and 8x10 ($450).   

In expanding the Gold series, Treasure Garden is in effect trading up, according to Candy Chase, national sales manager.  Treasure Garden also unveiled two new designs in the Silver series, priced at $170 for a 5x7 and $340 for 8x10. 

Future plans call for larger sizes in rectangular rugs, and the addition of rounds. 

 

A detail of Treasure Garden's North Shore Lagoon from the Silver outdoor range of 100 percent polypropylene multi-ply cabled yarn rugs.

 

The high-end design firm, with a permanent showroom on the Merchandise Mart's 14th floor, saw a strong flow of existing customers and prospects, according to an East Coast staff member who came in for the show.