Rug buyers and designers shopped a range of styles and qualities at the spring edition of High Point Market.
HIGH POINT, N.C. — The sun was shining, the weather was balmy, and home furnishings retailers shared the busy sidewalks and showroom hallways with interior designers, influencers, and other insiders. Exhibitors reported that many big-name retailers shopped the market earlier, arriving as early as Wednesday or Thursday before the market’s official Saturday open.
A few significant trends continue to evolve from the plethora of products on view. Higher-end companies are returning to their roots expanding beautiful high-quality handmade rugs, while they continue to develop cutting-edge machine-made options. Natural fibers are also in favor — not just wool, but also exotic fibers like cashmere and alpaca. Of particular note jute is used by several exhibitors in a new way, with a brushed, softer hand and a visual effect more similar to wool.
In terms of color, stark whites, rather than a creamier shade, are on the upswing. And while blues and grays will always be basics, color palettes continue to lean towards warmer hues, like terra cotta, beige, rust, and chocolate brown.
Rugnews.com pinpointed highlights from the many rug showrooms. Read on for Part 1 of our recap of spring High Point Market 2024, and make sure not to miss Part 2.
AMER
Amer introduces the hand-knotted vintage look Destin in an on-point green colorway.
Amer showcased its penchant for quality in myriad weaves and constructions, broadening its appeal to a wider range of design projects and budgets. The hand-knot specialist brings its weaving and design expertise to the machine-made category with standout High Point introductions: the machine-washable Alaska collection in cotton, and Jordan, power loomed of polypropylene. The company also got excellent response to its Atlantic collection, an indoor-outdoor range hand-loomed of 100 percent polyester.
Back to its hand-crafted roots, Amer introduced Winston, hand knotted of all New Zealand wool, in abstract patterns in tonal neutrals. Destin is also hand knotted of New Zealand wool; the traditional patterns oxidized for a vintage low-pile look. “People really like the green colorway,” noted Raj Choudhary, president, Amer Rugs. A new hand-hooked New Zealand wool lineup, Mexico, has soft, tone-on-tone colorways and a loop and cut pile that reveals abstract shapes over a subtly striped construction. Jackson is also hand hooked, with a pattern of repeating updated medallions in rich earthy colors like rust, gray and beige.
Amer's Jackson gives traditional design a fresh fashion palette and an abrash texture.
ART RESOURCES
Art Resources' Falling Sky is a wool with silk hand-knotted designer favorite.
Exotic wools were in the spotlight at Art Resources, with a display showing off the company’s wide variety of luxurious fibers, including alpaca, merino, mohair, mulberry silk, and cashmere. Many of these fibers are used in Moroccan high-pile constructions of abstract or geometric patterns that are accented with tip shear finishing.
The company is also growing its high-end machine-made rugs, using a 2-million-point construction to create striking traditional bordered patterns hand finished with a high-low carved effect and fringe. The Montana collection is also power loomed. It features a contemporary geometric pattern in tonal neutrals.
Another highlight in the showroom was Falling Sky, a beautiful wool with silk rug with a pattern of interconnecting triangles shaded for a 3D effect. The shaped edge of the rug echoes the pattern. Finally, the company showed off its best-selling southwestern kilims (a High Point shopper favorite) and colorful, unique Souf Kilim rugs, each featuring a bright palette of colors and bold tribal motifs.
Art Resources is the designer’s go to source for southwestern kilims and Souf Kilim rugs.
CAPEL
Serengeti was a Capel High Point winner for its highly detailed animal motifs.
Capel’s take on animal print was front and center in the showroom entrance. Serengeti features zebra, leopard, cheetah and antelope prints in a variety of colorways. The all-wool rugs are hand-tufted in a thinner yarn that can achieve greater detail in the pattern. “Some of the patterns are obvious but some can be a little more abstract,” said Cameron Capel, president, sales and marketing/imports for Capel Rugs.
Capel is a go-to source for its braided rugs and has added three new collections to its assortment. Cottonstone is made with a cotton/polyester chenille, and Uwharrie Ridge, inspired by a mountain range in North Carolina, is micro-braid that allows for more points of color per square inch, resulting in complex oval or rectangular rugs. And Dockside is made for indoor and outdoor use. The rugs come in colors like cobalt and driftwood, with flecks of black intended to complement powder-coated furniture.
Cottonstone, a new braided rug lineup in cotton and polyester chenille, got kudos from Capel’s customers.
COURISTAN
Couristan‘s Elysian offers an antique look with Oushak styling and raised motifs in trend-forward colorations.
Couristan is re-introducing handcrafted rugs to its assortment and showcased its newest handmade collections, including high-end broadloom hand-loomed of wool, at the spring market. Soraya is a wool hand-knot with a flatweave construction accented with contrasting over-knotting to give a cut pile effect in a concentric line design for a mid-century look. Architectura is a hand-tufted wool collection with soft geometric motifs. “We’re getting a huge reaction to black and white in our broadloom offerings,” says Marlys Giordano, vice president of product development, “so we’re offering a black and white area rug that features a detailed pattern of concentric interlocking curves."
The Heriz designs of the Valhalla collection showcase a modern interpretation: the hand-knotted rugs are over-knotted and sheared for a vintage look. Elysian also has an antique look with a raised over-knot pattern in Oushak styles. Praia is hand-knotted 100 percent jute in striated, saturated solid colors such as brown and blue. Verdean is also made of jute, a 40-line hand-knotted weave that has a chunkier knot and features solids as well as oversized tribal designs.
Couristan’s answer to the black and white trend in broadloom is this hit of market rug.
CREATIVE TOUCH
Broken Lines from the Astrid collection offers a casual styling that earned a thumbs up from buyers for its chunky, uneven yarn texture.
To the trade area rug studio Creative Touch showcased a range of its hand-crafted designs from plush Moroccan styles to worn contemporary floral looks. A hit was Astrid collection's Broken Lines, available in four color options. These casual flatweaves are crafted with chunky, uneven yarns for rustic hand-crafted styling. Another designer favorite hails from the company's growing Modern Art Texture collection. The latest design, ABRS-01 in taupe, is a painterly cut pile floral with "bare" spots left unwoven for a time-worn look. It is hand knotted of wool with silk accents.
And naturally, a customer favorite, the Bosphorus collection, saw a line extension for spring. Among the debuts was Bosphorus A-79/437 a textural contemporary geometric hand knotted of 90 percent wool. Finally, Creative Touch showed off new hand-knotted designs in its debuting Legacy collection of updated Oushak patterns in fashion colors -- a look that continues to resonate with designers.
A contemporary floral of wool and silk is added to Modern Art Texture collection from Creative Touch and was snapped
up at High Point.
DALYN
Momentum has been growing for the Luxury Washables program, a hit with Dalyn customers.
The big push in the Dalyn showroom was the company’s Luxury Washables range, super-soft area rugs that feature a backing that doesn’t skid or curl and are available in custom options. Most collections are being paired with coordinating pillows in three different sizes that feature a solid side and a patterned side, and with coordinating reversible throw blankets. Like the rugs, the accessories are fully washable.
Bresca is one new collection within the Washables line. The 10-piece Bresca has fresh colors, including cool tonal blues, and abstract patterns. It has a coordinating collection of pillows and throws. Pacifica is a new coastal look, inspired by the colors and shapes of ocean waves. It comes in nine standard sizes including an 8-foot round.
Odyssey continues to be a hit for its art-inspired designs, with organic shapes flowing across the rug. Burano is a heavy chenille flatwoven base, representing a new quality for Dalyn. The transitional rugs have traditional patterns and a saturated palette.
The Luxury Washables line is expanded with Bresca, a collection debuting with 10 designs.
FEIZY
Feizy expands its popular Lor collection of high-end hand-knotted rugs crafted of wool and silk
Feizy's showroom events attracted High Point shoppers stopping in to hear from prominent interior designers and browse Feizy's latest area rugs for a range of budgets. Among the market favorites were several line extensions to some bestsellers in the Feizy Fine lineup. Lor, hand-knotted of wool and silk, added 10 fresh designs for spring that proved a success. The company's popular Gia collection's newest looks also were a top choice. These pieces are crafted in a Nepalese knot technique, of Gazni and New Zealand wools.
For buyers on the hunt for more affordable pieces, Elias and Karina, also best-selling collections that are hand-knotted, offered fresh designs in trend-forward colorations. The company's high-quality machine-made rug debuts garnered plenty of attention as well. Notably Deja, woven from polypropylene, polyester and viscose, which showcases Feizy’s machine weaving expertise and offers a fresh approach to solids, with an ombre styling. Finally, the Melrose collection, machine made of polypropylene, polyester and viscose got a thumbs up for its Oushak style and plush hand.
Feizy debuts the machine-woven Deja collection, which offers a fresh approach to solids and an ombre-like look.
HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
HRI's luxury Retro collection is woven with a high knot count and features a tasseled fringe.
The big splash in the HRI showroom was Retro, a rug collection that is at the upper echelon of its price point range. The hand-knotted Retro creates the effect of one Persian design layered over another. It’s woven of New Zealand wool with zero pile and micro pile areas that are sheared down to reveal the warp and weft.
On a more contemporary note, Nepali is hand-knotted of 100 percent wool in neutral colors like gray, white and beige. “The beige color is coming back,” observes Greg Jordt, executive vice president, sales and marketing, HRI. “We will likely add more” rugs that include the warm neutral hue. Nepali comes in four designs and can be made in custom sizes up to 24 feet wide.
And getting lots of attention in the showroom’s window, Graffiti is a one-of-a-kind collection made in Nepal of wool and silk. It comes in a variety of sizes and colorways in bold abstract patterns. Some of the options are signed with the Harounian name in a corner.
Nepali is hand knotted of 100 percent wool in neutral colors and was an instant-hit in the HRI showroom
JAIPUR LIVING
A standout in Jaipur’s Fine Fibers program is Meryon, hand-knotted in neutral hues, with a fiber content of 66 percent
silk and 44 percent wool.
Jaipur Living introduced 26 new collections this market and the company's 2024's theme is a homage to its new Fine Fibers program. Throughout the showroom were columns wrapped in the program's lush yarns, including alpaca, Mongolian cashmere, silk, nettle and New Zealand wool.
“Fine Fibers are getting the most attention, and because we see neutrals are always bestsellers, we’re leaning into that color palette with our Fine Fibers,” says Meredith Garcia, vice president of brand and content, Jaipur Living.
Jaipur also added three new designs to its bestselling Rhapsody collection of traditional medallion patterns. The licensed Barclay Butera also grew, with the Oxford pattern, featuring a simple grid pattern over a solid neutral ground.
Jaipur Living tells a story of organic luxurious raw materials with its Fine Fibers display.
KALATY
A
traditional floral design radiates from a central medallion of this new Blooma collection power-loomed rug with an intricate
border and semi-erased details.
Kalaty’s showroom was buzzing with market shoppers on the hunt for high style in a variety of weaves and designs. Equally well known for its contemporary abstract designs and its traditional collections with a distinctive Kalaty spin, the company offers these looks in a range of weaves from hand-knotted to high-end power-loomed wool collections like intros Blooma, which features traditional motifs, detailed borders and semi erased patterning. Also power loomed is Ventura, a group of ten high-energy abstract and modern designs.
New hand-knotted collections include: Celine, a 100 percent premium hand-spun wool line of updated-traditional designs; Forte, a modern-meets-traditional collection made of a combination of wool and Silkette; and Kosta, an eclectic group made of a wool-Silkette blend. In addition, Kalaty introduced a range of new patterns to several existing high-end hand-knotted collections, including the best-selling Juno made of 100 percent Silkette in a Tibetan weave with high-low carving.
The Juno collection from Kalaty is hand knotted of Silkette yarn in a Tibetan weave. High-low carving accents its abstract design.
KALEEN
Kaleen's Hook & Beam small geometric pattern rug alongside a contemporary geometric in an inspirational display.
Kaleen is shifting emphasis to its broadloom and custom programs, highlighting its Home and Porch line with a range of new patterns that include wide stripes and geometric motifs like diamonds. This performance broadloom carpet is made of 100 percent recycled PET polyester and is hand woven to accommodate any size up to 15 by 80 feet. Shapes for custom area rugs can include circles, ovals, and even octagons. Custom fabrications can be delivered in as little as 30 days with the company’s express air freight option that adds about $5 per square foot to the price.
“We are seeing incredible increases in our custom, broadloom, and Luxe programs, and we are thrilled with the enormous growth we are seeing in those segments,” said Cole Lewis, marketing director, and the showroom displayed finished examples of various custom rug options. For instance, from the Marl collection Sonora Sands, a favorite debut, is woven of New Zealand wool and a wool blend in an organic dotted pattern reminiscent of an animal hide. Within the Hook & Beam collection, the Wildwood pattern has a fine, interlocking geometric design reminiscent of tilework on a light-colored neutral background. And within the company’s Luxe label, Nectar features broken geometric patterns of a raised texture on a striated neutral ground, while Alma has a pebbly, nubby texture giving a marled look.
Marl collection's Sonora Sands is a favorite new introduction from Kaleen's custom cut and sew broadloom lineup.
KARASTAN
Karastan expands its outdoor Salt Life brand to include knitted indoor options.
Karastan’s must-see line extension of its Salt Life program resonated at High Point Market. Indoor and outdoor rugs were shown together in oversized lifestyle displays, and a brand new novelty mat program made a strong statement. “We’ve got a good, better, best assortment now, and the program is performing very well,” said Tracy Pruitt, vice president of design, Mohawk Home and Karastan Rugs. One of the three new collections for Salt Life features knitted rugs in plaid and leafy patterns, the plaid a High Point bestseller.
The company added two machine-woven collections to its Bobby Berk collaboration, Voyage and Halcyon, both imports from Turkey. Halcyon was displayed in trending color palettes, both resonating with buyers. One had warm darker tones that “were not quite brown,” according to Pruitt, and another featured increasingly popular green tones. “No one wants gray anymore,” Pruit said, pointing out that the machine woven polyester Halcyon has a chunky hand and emulates hand-knotted rugs.
In its Stacy Garcia partnership, Karastan’s buyers gave a thumbs up to two prominently displayed designs made of Smartstrand triexta yarn, an ink drop painterly stripe. A big surprise was an expansive section of the showroom dedicated to hand-knotted rugs, a growing category for the Karastan brand.
Karastan showcases its growing hand-knotted lineup at spring High Point.
-- Continue reading Bestselling Rugs at High Point Market -- Part 2