High-end rug buyers turn out to shop debuts at COVER Connect New York.
NEW YORK -- COVER Connect New York has cemented its position as the leading high-end area rug show in the US, filling a void left by former expositions and markets held in New York and Atlanta. The event continues to grow, attracting the best names in the category with location capacity creating a waiting list of eager exhibitors.
Hosted by COVER magazine, CCNY returned to Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion and The Altman Building Sept. 26-28, bringing together 44 rug brands with manufacturers, designers and buyers from across the rug and interiors industries. And, a veritable who's who of high-end rug retailers and showrooms stopped in to discover the next big hits and update their inventories.
COVER Connect offered attendees a comprehensive overview of contemporary rug production, spanning traditional rugs and flatweaves, versatile flooring solutions for residential and commercial projects, contemporary artistic works and exclusive commissions.
Exhibitors are selected to complement one another, ensuring visitors encounter the widest possible range of styles, materials and price points in one setting. Walking the aisles, we found color a big star, with rug designers piquing the imaginations of designers and buyers via bold, unabashed palettes showcased in hanging rugs – while popular pale tones and neutrals dominated stacks of rugs.
Florals make a statement – especially big, wallpaper-inspired designs -- and exhibitors push the envelope with texture created with innovative weaving techniques. Finally all over repeating patterns appear to be gaining ascendency, with several exhibitors showcasing their latest designs in the genre.
With everything from traditional Persian and Turkish rugs to ultra-modern art pieces, in its sixth year COVER Connect New York remains the definitive place in the U.S. to discover the best of woven design and custom rug solutions in an inspiring, collaborative and supportive setting.
AMER RUGS
Michael Pourvakil, president Weavers Art, North York, Ontario, second from left, reviews the latest additions to Amer's
high-end lineup. Featured hanging is a new Ensemble collection design, ENS-24 snow white, knotted of raw hand-spun
New Zealand wool and raw hand-spun silk. In the foreground is another Ensemble debut.
Amer continues to expand its Ensemble collection of wool and silk rugs, introducing several new designs for high-end buyers.
ART DE VIVRE
Arte de Vivre, known for its artist and designer collaborations, features its latest partnerships at CCNY. Hanging is Skazki
collection's Swan-Geese, hand-woven from alpaca down, natural silk and Tibetan wool. On the floor is Floralis by Estudio
Campana, featuring silk edges and raised silk accents.
Inspired by Baroque ceiling designs, Modern History designed by French designer and architect Pierre Gonfalons
from Arte de Vivre offers a variety of qualities.
BATTILOSSI
Marco Garcia, Jessica Young, Jacqueline Cox of Tapis Decor, Minneapolis, shop Battilossi's newest additions with
Maurizio Battilossi. On the ground is the company's Sivas Garden and, hanging, is Doko in company's Avita quality.
Battilossi showcased a vintage one-of-a-kind alongside Ayla HDF08 to illustrate how designers are incorporating new
and vintage rugs into a setting.
CREATIVE MATTERS
Jeremy White, owner, far right, and Vincent Taccetta of Veni Vidi Vinci Flooring, Winter Park Florida, with Creative
Matters' Ali Mcmurter and Sandra Ciganic-Mckinney. They stand on the new Refrain linen colorway. Hanging left is the
new Vestige in lunar.
Creative Matters introduced new colorways in several popular collections including Stria, hanging, and Aurora.
FRENCH ACCENTS RUGS
Kpm Flooring owner Kathleen Mayers and daughter Emma shop the newest FAR additions with
Danny
Shafian. Hanging is Jungle Serapi, ML250C, woven of
100 wool in Pakistan, and on the floor, is Regalia,
from the company's Silk Edition. It is hand-knotted of wool and linen in India.
French Accents introduces its new silk and linen Regalia designs in trend-forward neutral colorways.
HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
From left, Greg Jordt, HRI, Marcus Rezza, Magarian Rug, Danvers, Mass., and Deodat Jugmohan, HRI, retired,
are pictured in front of a sample rack. In foreground is Carlton 30 in ivory, power-loomed in Pakistan of wool.
HRI's high-quality new Modern rug in moss and sand, is hand-knotted in India of wool and viscous blend pile.
KIRKIT RUGS
Roz Rustigian of Rustigian Rugs in Providence, RI, and Ahmet Diler of Kirkit Rugs, Istanbul, take a break in front of the
new Sunrise in Capadocia It is hand-knotted of hand-spun wool in the company’s Fair Trade workshop in Oushak,
where women weavers in Turkish villages earn a decent wage, work office hours, will get social security and a pension fee.
LAPCHI
Lapchi's Pankaj Subba and Nathan Tucker, left and right, show Patricia Maclelland and Gretchen Schwilk, Steven King
Decorative Carpets, Boston, the company's latest introductions.
Lachi's introduces new colorways to its best-selling textured hand-knotted rugs. The company has production studios
in Nepal and Pakistan and rugs are GoodWeave certified.
MOMENI
Rug buyer Victor Khalafi, Gabberts Furniture, Bloomington, Minnesota, left,. stops in the Momeni booth to catch up
with Aria Momeni. They are pictured in front of a vintage-inspired one-of-a-kind.
Momeni had buyers stopping by its booth to shop the company's latest hand-knotted vintage-style one-of-a-kinds.
NEW MOON
New Moon's long-running Mesa collection remains a favorite and its newest graphic tribal designs in neutral colors are
a client favorite.
New Moon gives contemporary floral patterns an earthy spin with its new Phoenicia design, hanging rear.
NOURISON HOME
Yag Saghaian, Yas Rugs Outlet, owner, Lexington, Kentucky, reviews Nourison's Heritage Vine collection, with Nourison's
Christopher De La Guardia, left.
Nourison Home showcased designs from its luxurious Christopher Guy program.
SAMAD
Heather and Kevin Fusting, owner of Galleria Carpets & Fine Rugs, Washington, DC, flank Malcolm Samad. They are
in front of a Taimany collection one-of-a-kind Afghan-woven rug, made in collaboration with ABC Italia.
Samad continues to grow its lineup of contemporary floral pattern rugs with new additions to the style genre. Hanging
is Botanical Full Bloom in multi (183105 ), hand-knotted of wool, and Floral Garden in bronze, woven of wool and silk.
S&H RUGS
Jay Azari, Azari Rug Gallery, Denver, Colorado, meets with Ori Wilbush, S&H Rugs, to review the latest hand-
knotted rugs on tap.
A Ginko leaf contemporary design, hand-knotted of wool, made its debut at CCNY 2026. This modern Lori Buft gabbeh
design (Sh92650) in parchment white is hand-knotted with a thick and plush pile of pure wool.
SERVICE BUDDY
From left, Boston-based Dover Rug & Home's John Neslusan, Yass Javaherchi, Hasan Jafri (director), Tom Strachan
(Service Buddy) and Zachary Gooch.
TAMARIAN
The Dover Rug & Home team -- John Neslusan, Yass Javaherchi, Hasan Jafri and Zachary Gooch -- stop in the Tamarian
booth to review what's new with Ned Baker, center. They are standing in front of Kloser in light sage, hand-knotted of
wool and silk in Nepal.
Tamarian showcased its new Floral Bouquet collection, shown in denim, at CCNY 2026.
TURQUOISE MOUNTAIN
UK maximalist designer Wendy Morrison debuted her first design from a new collaboration with Turquoise Mountain at CCNY.
Nomad's Garden is hand-knotted in Afghanistan by Turquoise Mountain weavers.
Turquoise Mountain showcased this green-toned Khotan 111 at the fall edition of CCNY. Turquoise Mountain, a not-
for-profit, supports female Afghan weavers.
WOOL & SILK
Anka Tezcan and Georgia Pahl shoulder Eliane Vares, with Vancouver-based Salari Fine Carpet Collections, who stops
in the Wool & Silk booth to review the latest introductions. Shown hanging is a new abstracted butterfly design, on the floor,
is a new colorway to the company's Pomegranate and Tulip design.
Wool & Silk featured a range of whimsical butterfly designs in its fall 2026 CCNY booth.