Designers of Nourison's new Portfolio collection include Justine and Catherine Macfee, Scot Meacham Wood, design duo Jamie Rummerfield and Ron Woodson, Kim Scodro and Shay Geyer.
Alex Peykar, Nourison principal, welcomed retailers, designers and members of the press to the preview party, and James Swan, host of the Million Dollar Decorating podcast, acted as master of ceremonies. "After 37 years in the business, we have finally learned what good design is all about," Peykar told the crowd, alluding to the five top-tier interior designers collaborating with Nourison on the Portfolio collection.
The celebrity designers -- Catherine and Justine Macfee, Kim and Kathryn Scodro, Shay Geyer, Scot Meacham Wood, and Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield -- were called to the stage one by one, each given an introduction by Swan before their rugs, hidden under black theatrical curtaining, were wheeled center stage and dramatically unveiled to oohs, aahs, and often boisterous applause.
Alex Peykar, Nourison principal, addresses a standing-room-only crowd at the launch of Portfolio by Nourison during NY Home Fashions Market.
Targeting fashion-forward interior designers and consumers, the Portfolio by Nourison collection's high-end area rugs will be available in hand-knotted and power-loomed constructions made of New Zealand wool and wool blends of nylon, silk and Luxcelle.
Designed by designers for designers, the collection further enhances Nourison's appeal to the target audience, building the brand's awareness as a leader in the upscale segment of the market for both residential and commercial/hospitality installations. "One of our rugs has already been sold to a client who saw the approval sample in our studio," designer Catherine Macfee told RugNews.com, explaining that each of the Portfolio by Nourison designers brings to the collection a distinctive aesthetic informed by their own and their clients' tastes and locale.
James Swan of Million Dollar Decorating and Catherine and Justine Macfee wait for the big reveal of their Portfolio by Nourison rug designs.
While the Macfees' interiors -- and rugs -- reflect the natural landscapes and southwestern themes of the homes of their Lake Tahoe and northern California clientele, those of Woodson and Rummerfield evoke the glamor of Hollywood celebrity clients and the city's Art Deco design influences.
Given complete creative freedom, the Portfolio designers imbued their rugs with large doses of personal style. "You can't tell that I love blue, can you," joked designer Shay Geyer as she and James Swan broke into dance on her lavishly textured blue and black leopard rug. Behind them hung Geyer's blue, navy and white ikat design, further affirming her penchant for blue in all iterations.
James Swan and Shay Geyer "cut a rug" at the Portfolio by Nourison launch party. Shown are Geyer's premiering designs for the exclusive rug collection.
The designers were involved in every aspect of the design process, from selecting the color palettes and fibers to creating designs that embody their vision, inspiration and design style. Following is a RugNews.com exclusive photo review of the designers and the back-stories of their Portfolio rugs for Nourison:
Catherine and Justine Macfee
A contemporary design with a hint of southwestern style by Catherine and Justine Macfee for Portfolio by Nourison.
"We both have an innate understanding of rustic luxury rooted in Lake Tahoe and enhanced by a global design sensibility. Influenced by our travels to Europe, Morocco and the Native American West, our collection for Nourison celebrates heritage, pattern, exaggerated scale, and texture. We've studied 30 years of our firm's notable projects in the California mountains and designed these rugs with the modern family in mind. Mixing color and pattern with luxurious textures, not forgetting durability and quality, these rugs are meant to be bold statement pieces, the foundation of inspired adventurous family homes."
