The D&D Building boasts a tenant roster that counts some top names in the upper-echelons of bespoke area rug ateliers including Classic Rug Collection, Doris Leslie Blau, JD Staron, Liora Manné, Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs, Martin Patrick Evans, Patterson Flynn Martin, Rug Art International, Hokanson by Scott Group, Stark Carpet, and Warp & Weft. While several of these exclusive brands (Classic Rug Collection, Marc Phillips and Warp & Weft) also presented their latest designs at ICFF (read full story) and the recently-held Architectural Digest Design Show (read full story), others prefer to showcase their latest designs exclusively at their showrooms.

Below, RugNews.com explores some of these more elusive labels to find out not only what's new but what makes their designer clientele tick.

DORIS LESLIE BLAU

Doris Leslie Blau continues to grow its selection of Swedish inspired indoor-outdoor designs (top left on rack), created by interior designer Marshall Watson.

Doris Leslie Blau said designers were stopping by not only to check out its latest vintage rugs, including some dhurries, but also to see its latest samples that include chunky flatweaves, cotton rag rugs, flatweaves in bright colors and its growing selection of indoor-outdoor area rugs. The company's in-out collection, crafted of acrylic, was designed in collaboration with New York interior designer Marshall Watson. Watson saw a need for indoor-outdoor qualities in custom sizes because many of the latest architectural designs often feature living rooms opening up to the outdoors and there was a lack of custom options that would work in both settings. Ross Fusca, showroom manager, told RugNews.com during market. "Because of the ICFF show we see people from around the country who come by the D&D building. It's been a busy week." 

JD STARON

JD Staron debuts the handmade Lavish collection, which marries a fabric background with carpet motifs.

JD Staron, which is owned by Kravet and co-marketed with sister brand Brunschwig & Fils, moved to a new and larger space on the second floor (Suite 234) of the landmark D&D Building just a couple weeks before Spring Market. The to-the-trade custom area rug studio debuted its new handmade Lavish collection, crafted in China of fabric and embellished carpet details. It also added to its recently introduced Tibetan Skye collection.

"We are partners with Kravet but our brand is only associated with Brunschwig & Fils, so when they moved from the 12th floor to second, we moved with them and we got more space," said Rick Zolt, partner to company founder Jakub Staron.

 
Rick Zolt of JD Staron shows off the rug company's expanded space shared with fabric house Brunschwig &Fils.

 
Liora Manné presented her new design Floating Fossette to pique designers' interest and inspiration at the D&D Building during Spring Market.

Designer Liora Manné, whose eponymous brand specializes in floor and wall coverings, announced the winner of a special competition using her patented Lamontage process (read full story) on market day at the D&D Building. At the event, Manné also noted that the studio, which moved to the D&D Building in 2014, is taking another space on the concourse level of the building. 

On display were two recently showcased designs at the hospitality industry's HD Expo, held in Las Vegas in early May, including Floating Fossette and Inkblot, both customizable and suitable for commercial interiors.

On market day at the D&D Building, Patterson Flynn Martin debuted Nouveau Orient, a hand-knotted and hand-carved collection of contemporary designs.

"Our plan is to have a new custom product once a month but we usually have more than that," said Maggie Jablonska, director of design and product development at Patterson Flynn Martin, pointing out that adding fresh looks monthly is a sure way to get designers to stop by to see what is new. And on spring market day at the D&D Building designers were not to be disappointed.

Patterson Flynn Martin, a division of F. Schumacher & Co. with nine showrooms around the country, introduced the striking hand-carved Nouveau Orient. "Nouveau Orient is basically a very contemporary take on traditional designs -- many inspired by oriental textiles," Jablonska noted, adding that the collection is hand-knotted in wool and silk in India with a finishing process that includes hand-carving all motifs.

"We always explore different rug textures, like our Pure Forms, where we put together a coarser version of  an Aubusson weave in the background and combine it with a plush, thick spun wool in knotting.  It's a simplified look -- elegant-- with modern designs that kind of approach what customers these days are doing [with hard surface] like combining modern looking woods and tiled floors. The look is on the quiet side but the texture creates enough interest on the floor." 

RUG ART INTERNATIONAL

Rug Art International hosted a special event in collaboration with Holiday House. Shown are  designer Rio Hamilton, Holiday House founder Iris Dankner and Vidal Sasson of Rug Art at the company's D&D Building showroom.

Rug Art International, based in New York and Miami, comes up with 20-30 designs a year, said Vidal Sasson, who runs the business alongside his wife Sigal, the company's designer. For the D&D Building Spring Market, the latest introductions are Art Deco inspired designs, featuring a soft palette of colors such as blues and whites. "The new designs are very elegant and sophisticated," said Sasson of his wife's latest oeuvre. "I am always excited because she is ahead of everyone else and her designs are really inspiring."

On market day, Rug Art hosted a special event with Holiday House founder Iris Dankner and designer Rio Hamilton. Holiday House, founded in 2008, is an annual show house that raises funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

SCOTT GROUP

  
Scott Group debuts a new luxe rug collection from its Hokanson label called Istorii (pictured), designed by Larry Hokanson, at the D&D Building Spring Market.

Scott Group, which recently moved to the D&D Building, showcased two new collections under its Hokanson brand during spring market (read full story). The company recently introduced the new handmade Nepalese Istorii collection by Hokanson founder Larry Hokanson, who recently sold the company to Michigan-based Scott Group. Hokanson also debuted Elements, a contemporary range inspired by elements of the universe. 

STARK CARPET

Stark Carpets releases its second chic Sapphire collection with dozens of new designs, including Briston, hanging, and Fresco, on the stack.

Stark Carpets, the parent company of the Prestige Mills and Stark Studio Rugs brands, continues to grow its luxe collection of rugs housed under the Sapphire label. The company added more than two dozen new designs to that series, which are collected in catalog Vol. 2.