Kaleen
  • Printer Friendly Version
  • Decrease Text SizeIncrease Text Size
  • PDF

Atlanta Market Hits: A Sure-Fire Primer for Las Vegas Market, Part 1

Carol Tisch & Jessica Harlan
1/23/2019
ATLANTA MARKET HITS: A SURE-FIRE PRIMER FOR LAS VEGAS MARKET, PART 1


ATLANTA -- RugNews.com scours 20-plus leading area rug showrooms at the just-closed winter Atlanta International Area Rug Market to uncover the show's top sellers -- consider this your head-start insider's buying guide to Las Vegas Market.

Reimagined traditional designs continued to gain traction, as did more structured looks and geometrics designs. And, while blues and grays still dominate the category, touches of warm hues, including burnt orange, yellow, and soft beige, permeated the many offerings seen in the showrooms -- including Pantone's Color of the Year, Living Coral.

 

In this two-part market tour, we visit top area exhibitors to find the most talked-about collections whether in fashion, weave, value or performance. Most of the companies included below will showcase these not to be missed winners - and more new designs -- at next week's Las Vegas Market.

In Part 1, we cover rug makers Amer Rugs through Kas. Make sure not to miss Part 2, where we cover Loloi through Trans-Ocean by Liora Manne. 
 

 

AMER RUGS
 

Amer's Dazzle (shown, DAZ-95 in graphite), crafted of handspun New Zealand wool and silk, impressed Atlanta shoppers.
Dazzle by Amer Rugs was a hit with Atlanta market-goers. Crafted of raw handspun New Zealand wool and raw handspun silk, the collection features both traditional, semi-erased patterns as well as more transitional options like repeating medallions, geometric designs, and a beautiful pattern inspired by the Shibori techniques that are traditional to Asian artisan cultures. 

 

CAPEL


Among Capel's latest tufted rugs from Genevieve Gorder, Brass Belly, shown in storm (2590), featured a classic scalloped design.

 

Plenty was new in the Capel showroom, but the latest designs from the Genevieve Gorder program were front and center at the entrance to the showroom. The rugs, made of space-dyed tufted wool, are adapted from patterns in Gorder's Tempaper wallcoverings collection and feature geometric motifs. "They're more modern than what we typically do, but that's who her audience is -- they're young and hip," said Cameron Capel, president-sales and marketing and imports. 

 

CLASSIC HOME
 

Classic Home's Solana 3009010 reworks global motifs with a modern feminine twist.

 

Lifestyle brand Classic Home continues to roll out fresh area rug designs. Debuting in Atlanta is the Solano assortment of area rugs made of natural jute. Handwoven into a geometric pattern, the rug is available in three easy to pair colorways with dyed cotton fringe.

 

CREATIVE TOUCH

Creative Touch grows its successful Boshporus collection with a new neutral geometric design, 1000028024.

The company's popular Bosphorus line has been expanded and now comprises around 60 options. "Every customer who has come in has picked something from Bosphorus," said Chelsea Novakoski, key account and brand specialist. Within the new offerings are rugs with a cut pile design over a flat weave background, in 100 percent wool or wool combined with bamboo silk. Patterns include geometric designs in soft neutral colors. 

 

FRENCH ACCENTS


Customers on the prowl for geometric designs found no shortage at French Accents, which showcased a new  Modern Flat-Weave design,M357, a draw for its prominent use of Pantone's Living Coral.
 
Geometric designs were sought after in Atlanta, and French Accents had plenty of fashion-driven looks for shoppers to choose from. Samples from a geometric all-over Retro Mishan design (ML119) made of wool and Modern Flat-Weave collection design M357, crafted of Merino wool, were popular with buyers in Atlanta. Both designs will soon be available in standard and custom sizes.

HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
 

HRI's new Theory collection, which pairs a knot pile with pull-down loop, was an instant hit with market shoppers.
 
In the Harounian showroom, Greg Jordt, executive vice president-sales and marketing, said that the Theory collection is his company's big hit this market. "We banked on the success of [existing line] Dorset, this one's a step up." Some rugs are hand-knotted of wool with viscose highlights, while a few are 100 percent wool. Texture is achieved with a knot pile and pull-down loop, and the designs include abstract patterns rendered in neutral colors. 

 

JAIPUR LIVING


Jaipur Living's Rebecca in/out collection, featuring kilim-inspired motifs, was a hit for pushing  the outdoor design envelop with its high-low details.
 
Among the many new additions to Jaipur's indoor/outdoor selection, the Rebecca collection stood out for its kilim-inspired diamond lattice pattern. Shag details over a woven ground give this rug - and many others in Jaipur Living's performance-fiber offerings - textural interest and a versatile appeal that rival designer indoor carpets, but can be used throughout the home as well as in outdoor spaces.  

 

JAUNTY

Jauty introduced its new Dublin collection of hand-tufted performance rugs. 
 
Jaunty debuted its latest high-performance collection called Dublin to Atlanta market shoppers. Made of 100 percent polyester and hand-tufted, the collection includes neutral solids, abstracts, and traditional motifs used in a more contemporary way. 

 

KALATY
 

Kalaty's Capri collection features borderless Oushak designs in a blend of wool and Silkette. Shown, CR-930
 
Show shoppers gravitated to designs combining neutral tones with pops of fashion color at the Kalaty showroom, which featured plenty of area rugs that updated classic motifs. A market hit during the show was from the luxurious hand-knotted Capri collection. Design CR-930 features a borderless vintage-styled Oushak pattern woven in a Turkish-style knot using a combination of premium wool and Silkette. 

 

KALEEN
   

Kaleen scores with the boho designs of Sunice, one of three new collections added to its range of indoor-outdoor rugs. 
 
"We're very bullish on outdoor," said Kaleen's VP Blake Dennard. "We had a lot of intros in 2018 and three right off the bat here in Atlanta." Prices of the new collections ranged from $99 for the polypropylene Sunice and Amalie collections, both made in Egypt, to $249 for the polyester Santana, which is power-loomed in India of polyester. 
 
Buyers gave a thumbs-up to all collections, but Sunice, with 11 cheery boho and globally inspired looks, won over market attendees with its combination of value pricing and unique designs.

 


KAS
 

Kas reworks classic designs in saturated colors with distressed look in its new Morris collection. Shown, 2224

The Morris collection from Kas combines jute with polyester chenille. It has the feel of a handwoven flatweave, but the pattern is printed onto the finished rug. The designs are traditional in style, with bright, saturated colors and a distressed look. A 5x8 retails for $200.
trans-ocean ad spot hri rugs