HIGH POINT, N.C. -- With a slate of new area rug introductions (there were hundreds!), plus designer events and opening ceremonies, High Point Market shoppers were on the move. 

So too were the area rug showrooms that hosted them. If the constant stream of new fashion-driven product wasn't enough, area rug makers hosted plenty of designer events, including Justina Blakeney at Loloi, Barclay Butera at Nourison, Jennifer Adams at Orian, Donny Osmond at Rizzy Home, and Candice Olson at Surya, to drive traffic into showrooms. 

  

What's more, High Point Market greeted several new participants including S&H Rugs, Samad, and Stark Studio Rugs (which returned to the show after long hiatus). By several measures, High Point's spring installment proved a success for many.

"This was one of our busiest markets to date. We were delighted to see nearly 3,000 existing customers and new guests come through the Surya showroom, which was significantly more than the previous two markets," Satya Tiwari, president of Surya, told RugNews.com. "Key traffic drivers were the launch of more than 400 new rugs and the expansion of our lighting program, including the launch of new ceiling lighting, and a host of unique events. From the amount of time buyers spent in our showroom to our growth in orders across categories per guest, we are seeing more buyers and designers gravitating to Surya as a one-stop shop for all their accessories needs."

Below, RugNews.com takes you on a whirlwind tour the people and products that made High Point a success, starting with Loloi. Make sure you don't miss RugNews.com's High Point Products & People Part 1.

Cyrus Loloi and Justina Blakeney introduce market-goers to Blakeney's latest Boho-inflected collections, including Cielo.

Loloi had a roster full of introductions, not only adding to its branded collections but also continuing to grow its popular license programs with updated classic looks. For spring 2018, the Dallas company expanded its successful Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines offering with Evie, and according to Austin Craley, vice president of sales, the latest collection of elegant, traditional patterns featuring distressed transitional styling proved to be one of the strongest subsets of the popular Magnolia Home license. The range  is power-loomed and comes in seven patterns at a competitive price point.

Evie, the latest addition to the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines program, was a hit with spring High Point shoppers.

L.R. Resources's VP Mike Thompson walks buyers from Home Accents 2 in Myrtle Beach and The Rug Rack in Chattanooga through the latest styles.

L.R. Resources continues to grow its signature Naturals collection with the new Bleached Naturals range of jute rugs. "It's getting a good response, said Mike Thompson, vice president of sales, of the new range which blends pale jute fibers woven in combination with colored cotton to create an updated, beachy look.

L.R. Resources grows its popular Naturals collection with the new Bleached Naturals range of jute and cotton rugs.

Ali Momeni, right, and Momeni's Ben Hart pose with Alisha DaVania, associate buyer at Weekends Only in St. Louis, in the company's new High Point showroom.

Momeni, which debuted its new High Point showroom during the spring 2018 market, had plenty of fresh collections and one-of-a-kind designs to woo buyers with. In addition, the company also made plenty of space for its growing license programs: The Novogratz and Erin Gates. Momeni's textural Andes collection was a market hit. "It's been very well received, especially by designers," said Hannah Levine, head of product development. Andes, with its geometric patterns, is crafted in India of a chunky hand-tufted wool in a high-low effect.

Momeni's high-low Andes collection of geometric motifs was a market success.

Natco/Central Oriental's Clearwater collection patterns have a textured high-low effect.

Clearwater was one of the hits in Natco/Central Oriental's showroom. Made in the U.S., the rug is crafted of polypropylene and shrink polyester for a high-low effect in both abstract and traditional designs. Clearwater offers a palette of popular neutrals of gray, taupe, ivory and blue and carry a suggested retail of $299.

Hand-crafted rug maker New Moon's Saru in pale blue wowed market-goers.

A rug pattern called Saru hung prominently in New Moon's booth, attracting attention throughout the market. Made of a blend of Tibetan wool, Chinese silk and nettle fibers, the rug features a spare, elegant design of monkeys and birds perched on stark branches. The hand-drawn design was a collaboration of company owners and father-daughter team Erika and John Kurtz.

Nourison's Julie Rosenblum, director of licensing, designer Barclay Butera and Christine Phillips, business development for Barclay Butera, celebrate the latest Butera rugs.

The eye-catching designs of Prismatic by Nourison continue to be a hit with buyers.

Orian's Brandon Culpepper and Rob Merritt introduce the company's first designer licensor, Jennifer Adams, and her super-soft Home by Jennifer Adams rug collection. 

Orian, which continues to expand its selection of area rugs for buyers, kept the focus on plush designs and also added its first licensor, designer Jennifer Adams. The company's bestselling plush Cottontail range was added as a new Home by Jennifer Adams collection -- "It's given us a fresh take," Julie Shankle, publicity and marketing manager, told RugNews.com. Crafted of 100 percent polyester microfiber, the extra soft designs are machine-woven in the United States. Designer Adams likes to call the patterns "perfectly imperfect" because the designs have an organic, hand-drawn look to them and variations in color in the yarn. 

Designer Jennifer Adams injects her casual lifestyle look into Orian's plush Cottontail range with her Tribal Stripe in navy.

Oriental Weavers plays up its broad range of styles with a trend vignette showcasing today's most popular grey palettes.

Oriental Weavers covers all the style bases for shoppers at High Point Market, from indoor-outdoor designs to abstract high-low motifs, to elegant traditionals presented in a broad assortment of updated looks. The Montage collection of mostly abstract designs continues to gain momentum, and proved a hit among market shoppers. For this range, Oriental Weavers paired shrink polyester and space-dyed wool in a palette of navy blue, teal, ice blue, vibrant paprika and cinnamon to offer trend-right fashion.

Montage from Oriental Weavers pairs shrink poly yarns with space-dyed wool for an accentuated high-low pattern.

Orientalist Home's Gady C. Yesilcay and Tatiana Grilo pose in front of a design from the company's Antique Kashan collection, winner of a 2018 America's Magnificent Carpets Award.

New Jersey based Orientalist Home continues to showcase its take on today's neutrals, including its 2018 America's Magnificent Carpets Awards winner, an Antique Kashan collection area rug. The company sources its vintage and modern rugs in Turkey, Morocco and Central Asia, where it collects exotic, traditional and modern handmade pieces.

One of Donny Osmond's favorites in his new Rizzy Home Wild Thing collection features a genuine cowhide rug in natural tones combined with metallic stamping.

Connie Post and Rizzy Home's Rizwan Ansari, Shamsu Ansari and Steve Roan welcome guests to the unveiling of Post's first rug collection.  Created for their debuting licensing partnership, the rugs feature colorful, art-inspired designs.

Ori Wilbush, Maria Vasquez and Avi Erlich of S&H Rugs at the company's first Suites at Market Square booth. They are standing in front of hit design, Peacock, left.

S&H Rugs debuted at High Point Market during spring 2018 and presented its top contemporary looks for designers walking the show. S&H showcased its colorful hand-knotted rugs, including the abstract Peacock design. Also on hand were the company's hand-knotted oxidized wool and silk area rugs in a range of styles. "We are having fun with Peacock," said S&H's Ori Wilbush.  "And, Waterlilies in the denim color did very well.  Everyone stops and goes 'ahh'. Also our Kazaks in gray colors have been very will received -- these are tribals that are usually in red and blue but we have done them in gray. We are going into production on them."

The Waterlilies design in denim was a showstopper for S&H at its High Point debut.

Safavieh's Cyrus Yaraghi shows a new hand-tufted wool design to Kevin Ivers of Overstock at the rug maker's Historic Market Square showroom.

Always on the forefront of consumer trends, Safavieh brings a range of tone on tone area rugs, many in neutral shades of taupes and creams, to High Point Market. It also continues to showcase trending palettes that include blues and grays, along with color combinations that highlight vivid pops of color. Styles range from plush tonal global motifs and geometrics to lively bohemian designs.

Safavieh adds to its popular Tibetan collection with an abstract design hand-knotted in bamboo silk and wool that caught buyers' attention in a palette of blues with ivory

 

Samad's Bryon Hamilton, Hope Bass of Carpet Impressions in McLean, Virginia, David Samad, Gunilla Abt of Abt Interior Design in McLean and Nicole Samad at the rug company's first High Point showroom. 

The Ancient collection from Samad features traditional designs with a unique sand-blasted finish.

Designer Christopher Kennedy, Reisa Elden of Ivy Mark and Chad Stark of Stark Carpet at a High Point Market event for Ivy members. 

At their new showroom Steve Codella of  Prestige Mills and Taylor van der Mandele of Stark Studio Rugs pose with Gary Killough of Killough's Interior Design Studio in Destin, Florida.

Designer Candice Olson takes with Satya Tiwari of Surya following a meet and greet where the celeb designer discussed her much anticipated lighting line for Surya.

Surya drew in a crowd during High Point's spring edition. Not only did designers flock to the company's showroom for a  special lighting presentation by designer Candice Olson, they also stopped in to check out the more than 400 new area rug introductions. 

"The machine-made Presidential collection, in particular, was a big hit due to the unique fiber and construction technology it incorporates, while remaining cost effective," Tiwari pointed out. Presidential is crafted of polyester, with a medium pile height. In addition, a new Venezia collection that takes inspiration from mosaic and carvings was a strong performer. The "tiles" of the mosaic are very dimensional, thanks to a shrink fiber that gives a high-low effect. Genesis, already a best-seller, continued its winning streak in High Point, with buyers favoring its distressed machine made designs. 

One of Surya's market hits was the new Presidential collection, design 2303, in a palette that includes grays, blues, lime and orange.

Tamarian showcases its Planke design, crafted in the company's proprietary Phoenix Weave, in the blue grunge colorway.

A special patented construction, the Phoenix Weave, was once again in the spotlight at Tamarian's showroom, its coarser knot lending more texture than traditional weaves do and a more casual look. Because it's a little less labor-intensive to produce, the line is offered at a lower price than others in Tamarian's assortment. "Dealers are responding to that; everyone wants to see added value," says Ned Baker, spokesperson.

The Tayse Nature collection offers rustic-chic lodge designs in easy-care polypropylene.

Tayse, which has long had success with its Nature Collection, chose to play up its 32 lodge-driven designs. Machine-made of polypropylene, the Nature collection features animals, rustic patterns, wooded scenes and other motifs. Also a magnate for buyers this market was the company's all-time best seller, Festival 8900, a machine-made collection, featuring a pile height of .43 inches.

Tayse reported a continued strong buyer response to its best-selling painterly design from the Festival collection, woven of olefin.

Trans-Ocean's hand-hooked Lyon collection offers depth of color thanks to designer Liora Manne's choice of yarns that combine many variations in tone.

A hit collection by Liora Manne for Trans-Ocean, the Lyon range is hand-hooked in an over-sized diamond pattern with hand drawn effect. High Point shoppers were impressed with the use of blended yarns, which mix 20 to 30 different shades of color, giving the pattern depth and dimension.  Also popular for spring, the new Havana Modern design in gold featured a striking multi-dimensional color in a transitional abstract motif Wilton woven of polyester pile in Turkey.