By Lissa Wyman

HIGH POINT, NC -- I know what a pillow is and I know what an ottoman is. But what in tarnation is a "pouf?"  I Googled it and Wikipedia told me the pouf is a hairstyle favored by Marie Antoinette. But actually it's the next big thing for rug vendors who want to diversify their product mix.

It turns out poufs are squishy versions of ottomans or "hassocks" as my dad used to call them. They are covered in colorful fabric or leather or dhurrie flat weaving or Suzani embroidery. They are filled with a variety of material and retail for about  $50 to $400.

Poufs and pillows  were in abundant supply at rug showrooms in High Point this season.  Both pillows and poufs are often, but not always, available with coordinating rugs.

Poufs are just one of the non-rug categories that rug vendors were showing to diversify their product offerings this Spring.

Some of the rug vendors involved with non-rug products include Nourison, Surya, Rizzy, Jaipur, Momeni and Safavieh . In some cases, these vendors also  coordinated their home textiles products with rug designs.

High Point marked Momeni's  introduction of ottomans. (They are not called poufs). Offerings included a wide range of covers such as indoor outdoor fabrics, Suzani embroideries and flat weave rugs in classic designs. Retail prices are in the $199 to $399 range.

"Furniture stores, home accessories stores and online retailers were especially interested in these items," Reza Momeni, president of Momeni, told Rugnews.com.

Momeni said that business in general was picking up. "We are certainly not at the levels of the boom times, but we are confident things will be a lot better when the housing market picks up," he said.

Jason Moody, creative manager for Jaipur, said this Spring marked the introduction of  Jaipur pillows. We have introduced six collections including covers in cotton, polyester and silk and silk," he said. "They are designed to work with Jaipur rugs and they give the consumer more confidence in their decorating choices.".

Cyrus Yaraghi, a principal of Safavieh, said that the company has introduced its first full collection of pillows. "We are a fully diversified company with furniture and accessories as well as rugs. Pillows are another category on our way to becoming a one-stop home fashion brand for retailers and consumers," he said.

There are other new product categories that are still untapped. For example, Due Process Stable Trading Company keeps building on its partnership with designer Wesley Mancini and  later in the year plans to introduce a group of fabrics coordinated with Wesley Mancini rugs.

"We will be giving designers and retailers upholstery options in 54-inch widtth, as well as rug options," noted David Grasse, president of Due Process.

Due Process opened its showroom in Historic Market Square in 2011 and the company is deeply involved with the Showtime fabric market as well as the High Point Furniture Market. "We see enormous possibilities in the fabric field. It's one of the primary reasons we opened in High Point," he said.

Safavieh pirncipals Cyrus Yaraghi, left, and Arash Yaraghi
with Safavieh's first major pillow collection.

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