Rug Insider Magazine, Spring, 2022

HOT IN HIGH POINT

SPRING 2022 - VOLUME XXV - ISSUE 4

WOVEN STORIES + Designer Mindset

Hands On, Hands Off

InTECH | FIBER-SHIELD

Antique Rugs: The Original Organic & Natural Home Decor Instyle Gallery

In the SPOTLIGHT | Lucy Tupu

INTRODUCING THE KHOTAN COLLECTION

ARTISANAL HANDCRAFTED RUGS HIGH POINT MARKET

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Underfoot & Top of Mind Discover the latest trends in rugs and floor coverings with dozens of IMC exhibitors.

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InDEPTH

DESIGNER MINDSET 24 Contributing editor Alex Milstein speaks with Kalaty and Feizy rug companies about their innovative, interior designer-forward programs.

With 120K design professionals in the U.S., that’s a big pie for slicing.

SPRING 2022 – VOLUME XXV – ISSUE 4 IN THE DETAILS RUG INSIDER Magazine is a quarterly publication which covers the rug and carpet industry with a focus on quality, design, and an eye toward the future.

CONTACT 4 Fortsalong Road Meredith, NH 03253 USA 603 279 4938 | ruginsider.com

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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Peter Woodaman peter@ruginsider.com C: 603 387 6477 V: 603 279 4938 DESIGNER Cheryl Sivewright cheryl@ruginsider.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Aric Morrison aric@adversityrockstar.com Cecile Corral cecile@cecilepr.com

ON THE COVER

Alex Milstein alxmilstein@gmail.com

TAMARIAN

Rodney Hakim rodney@pgny.com

Our quest for natural beauty is embodied in this gem from Tamarian.

Irezumi PW Discus is a classic textile-inspired design in pure hand-knotted Tibetan wool. “It sports a gorgeous unexpected palette of corals, yellows, greens and neutrals that I have seen numerous times stop people in their tracks,” says Ned Baker, key accounts manager. tamarian.com

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The Prive Collection from Kalaty

InFOCUS InANTIQUES

Insider’s View

20 PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT RUG INSIDER Publisher Peter Woodaman is ready for spring— spring baseball, spring in High Point, and especially for this issue filled with Woven Stories. As you hold and read our print magazine, let it inspire you.

InPERSPECTIVE

28 HANDS ON, HANDS OFF Contributing editor Cecile Corral examines the shifting lines between in-hand promotional materials vs. digital communications.

Inside MARKETS

33 HOT IN HIGH POINT Rug industry movers and shakers share what’s in store for April 2–6 in High Point. New products, showroom updates and plenty of social activity await!

InTECH

44 FIBER-SHIELD DEVELOPS FAST-KLEEN ECO-FRIENDLY CARPET CLEANER Carpet and area rug professionals will benefit from the fast, safe cleaning products developed by chemist Manny Vickers.

46 ANTIQUE RUGS: THE ORIGINAL ORGANIC & NATURAL HOME DECOR Contributing editor Rodney Hakim of Persian Gallery New York talks about the lasting beauty of natural materials in rug making—from sheep to goat and camel hair!

40 AU NATUREL Beautiful and sustainable, natural fibers have defined rug making for generations.

In our spring photo essay we harvested some fine examples—like these pure wool beauties from Unique Loom. uniqueloom.com

InSTYLE

49 The industry returns to High Point Market this spring. Don’t miss our insider preview highlights of the rugs and carpets exhibitors will debut and feature!

Insider NEWS

58 WHAT’S LOOMING Shalom Brothers relocates in NJ; New arrivals, vintage pillows and modernist flatweaves from PGNY; Couristan’s sophisticated new merchandising displays.

Index

62 Our advertisers help support this magazine. We acknowledge their contribution and make an effort not to show an editorial bias.

Please consider purchasing from the fine companies listed here.

In the SPOTLIGHT

64 DOING IT BY THE NUMBERS When art meets craftsmanship, the union is bliss. Our spotlight shines on the collaborative creative efforts of Lucy Tupu Studio and Cey Adams.

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Metro Rug Repair IN THE HEART OF NYC I Buy & Sell Shabby Chic Rugs!

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INSIDER’S VIEW | FROM THE PUBLISHER

As I write, we still have plenty of snow here in New Hampshire.

Winters are long and at times brutal, yet once March is here, we are in full Spring fever and looking forward to baseball! Hopefully Major League Baseball will come to an agreement with players so I can cheer on my Boston Red Sox. As Covid-19 restrictions are lifting across the country, we are all eager to get back to normal.

RUG INSIDER is excited for spring High Point Market, April 2-6. I’m eager to walk the market with contributing editor Alex Milstein. Alex has been busy checking in with several leading exhibitors as to their market plans. Don’t miss Hot in High Point for pages full of new introductions, showroom updates, and more.

Of course, without new designs and trends to share, there would be no markets!

So as winter thaws, we decided to get back to nature with InFOCUS | Au Naturel.

We love our harvest of some of today’s freshest looks in natural palettes and materials. Be sure to dig into this spring issue for more exciting debuts, flashbacks, rug tech, and designer-friendly product inspiration.

While in-person trade events continue, contributing editor Cecile Corral takes a deep dive into rug marketing with Hands On, Hands Off. Marketing—specifically rug print marketing—has been a topic of interest for me for the past 35 years.

You may know that I have had the opportunity to design and print major catalogs for many of the leading wholesalers throughout my career. I still do, sometimes several at the same time! Call me “old school” but I feel print still holds a vital place—especially in the rug world. The younger generation may have turned its back on print but now realizes the importance of a balance between digital and in-hand promotion. Even our publication is distributed in both print and online at issuu.com/ruginsider! We also present curated content from our print version on ruginsider.com.

In closing, I am grateful for the continued support of our print subscribers and of our print and digital advertisers. The RUG INSIDER team is dedicated to being the leading North American magazine for the rug industry. We know you have choices, and we encourage all rug to consider joining the RI advertising family.

I hope to see you in High Point!

FRESH FROM THE LOOM Rugs from the ancient Berber people have their own trademark images, colors, and weaves. This standout reimagined Moroccan design is new from Rug & Kilim.

Can’t wait to see what’s in store from your favorite companies this spring? See Hot in High Point, for more pre-market peeks!

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Peter Woodaman Publisher peter@ruginsider.com @ruginsider

JERRY LIVIAN C

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InDEPTH | DESIGNER MINDSET

DESIGNER

BY ALEX MILSTEIN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

RUG COMPANIES CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON PROGRAMS THAT MAKE IT EASIER FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS TO FIND AND PURCHASE CUSTOM RUGS.

I

nterior designers have always been a critical part of the rug industry. But in recent years, as more people look to furnish their homes and make them a desirable place to live, work and raise children, interior designers have become more important than ever.

And because the interior designer channel is booming—with over 119,778 interior designer businesses in the U.S. today—rug manufacturers have been introducing and revamping their designer rug programs to make them easier and more efficient for interior designers.

Kalaty has been a designer-friendly resource since its inception 42 years ago, and that tradition continues today.

While the company originally created rug programs for authorized Kalaty dealers, they happened to appeal to designers because Kalaty offers the ability to customize a rug or rugs.

“In addition to the fact that Kalaty offers a vast array of decor styles and

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colors in weaves, patterns and constructions in their high-end handknotted area rug products, that Kalaty is willing and able to customize its highquality hand-knotted rugs is a big plus for designers,” says Virginia Kennedy of Kalaty. “And, that Kalaty is able to deliver quickly is another aspect designers find appealing in working with Kalaty.”

Among the company’s designerfriendly programs is a customcoloring program that allows designers the ability to custom color a range of the company’s high-end hand-knotted rugs to match fabric swatches, wall coverings, wall colors, a prized heirloom vase, etc.

InDEPTH | DESIGNER MINDSET

The Adana (runner), Prive, and Canyons (left) collections are just a few of the highly customizable lines from Kalaty, available in surprisingly short lead times.

Kalaty’s designer-friendly programs include: Custom Coloring, Custom Sizes, and Custom Shapes.

The company also has a custom size program that gives designers the ability to order custom sizes for most any of the company’s hand-knotted rugs in traditional, transitional and contemporary styles (includes extra-large room-size rugs, runners, rounds, and squares).

Finally, a custom shapes program, which includes runners, rounds, squares, octagons, is also offered to designers and has short lead times.

Kennedy says rugs in all of these programs will be ready to ship with “surprisingly short lead times.”

Feizy is also a leader in interior design rug programs, as 60-70% of their customer base are designers.

The company offers multi-tiers of pricing so that they can work with all different types of designers.

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InDEPTH | DESIGNER MINDSET

The Naples (left) and Nolan collections from Feizy.

Feizy’s designer-friendly programs include: 2x3 Sampling, Special Pricing, plus a unique Concierge Service.

From a designer program perspective, Feizy has had this evolve over the past five to six years into a couple of different programs.

“First and foremost is the extent of sampling we have— from 18x18 samples, plus 2x3s which are scaled-down versions of the full-size rugs, it makes it easy for a designer to be able to source a product, get the color, figure out where to use it,” says Feizy Vice President Justin Yeck.”And by getting a 2x3 they can go ahead and bring that product into the space to see what it’ll look like for the client.”

Yeck says the company has made it very easy to work with them, especially over the last few years, and they’ve even created a new role to help make the process as seamless as possible.

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“We’ve offered extended returns for designers, brought products in on approval, and also started a new program this past year, the concierge service manager role,” Yeck says.

“We have 37,000 one-of-a-kind rugs in Dallas, and to be able to operationalize that across the field to all clients we’ve created this role.”

Clients can submit photos of spaces, inspiration, colors, sizes, price ranges to the concierge service manager, and because he knows all of the one-of-akind rugs Feizy has, he can curate a selection of three to four rugs to send out to the client for approval. And if those don’t work, Feizy covers the cost to bring them back to Dallas.

“It’s a great program, and an industry-first to be able to do this,” Yeck adds. “Designers are looking for oneof-a-kind rugs and programs, and

they help us operationalize it and move it into the client’s hands, where we want it to be.

Yeck also offered advice for those who do not have rug programs and want to start one, or those whose programs need a little revamping.

“Designers are so incredibly busy these days,” he explains. “If you’re not capitalizing on the designer market, you’re missing out. We have made designers top of mind, and that’s where we started 40 years ago.

It’s all about taking that approach to be accessible to a designer, responsive, and making it easy to source their products.” kalaty.com feizy.com IMAGES COURTESY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES

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InPERSPECTIVE | HANDS ON, HANDS OFF

Hands On, Hands Off

What the pandemic has taught the area rug industry about marketing in a new world

BY CECILE CORRAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

D

igital marketing was already planting roots in the day-to-day operations of the area rug industry when Covid-19 came on the scene more than two years ago.

steadfast in today’s increasingly intangible marketing sphere.

The world on sudden and indefinite hold, with workers shifting to home offices and in-person meetings and trade events abruptly canceled or postponed till who knew when, virtual communication with colleagues and clients rapidly became the new and necessary norm.

We understand that people are yearning to be inspired, and they are tired of looking at their computers or phones to find that inspiration.

And relatedly, you would have assumed that marketing would, too, make a permanent move to all-digital and all-virtual platforms.

Hybrid models are alive and well in the area rug industry.

“

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SASHA WALLACE, DIRECTOR OF BRAND AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, JAIPUR LIVING

Call it the touch-and-feel advantage.

Call it in-hand inspiration. Call it screen fatigue.

The company debuted its first lookbook three years ago. The pandemic ramped up that effort as customers sought inspiration while restricted to social distancing.

Whatever the reason (and there are a few), printed marketing collateral is

“We have found that we still need something to give our customers in hand to

But that has not been the case.

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make them familiar with us, which is why we make sure our look-books are designed to be pretty enough to sit on their coffee tables at home, like conversation pieces,” she continued. “In hand, it’s about the relationship. People don’t want another screen; they don’t want to scroll through social media all the time.

They are seeking a visual break, and physical catalogs and look-books offer that respite while bringing them the inspiration they seek.”

Jaipur Living was already transitioning to a more digital marketing strategy pre-pandemic. “Covid completed that shift.” Jaipur tested several initiatives, like virtual tours, noted Wallace.

“But many customers didn’t take to them,” she said. “Now, we look at our printed pieces as supporting marketing tools—our printed materials are what really help customers fall in love with our products.”

InPERSPECTIVE | HANDS ON, HANDS OFF

During the onset of the pandemic, Feizy—like so many other companies— streamlined expenses amid the uncertainty. But the catalog was fixed on its marketing budget.

“We have never gotten away from printing our catalog. And that remained true during the pandemic,” said Justin Yeck, VP, Sales, Marketing and Product Development/Design. “We wanted to be smart about how to spend our money, so we came up with a hybrid model. We knew we still wanted to print something on paper, and we decided on an evergreen catalog that showcased everything we’ve produced through 2020.”

To date, that book has been updated with supplements seasonally to spotlight recently added collections.

“Our clients still want a tactile, touchand-feel book they can use in hand,” he noted, estimating about 60% of Feizy’s designer and decorator customers “still use our catalogs to explore

options with their own clients,” while 40% rely more on the company’s digital versions.

Feizy Rugs’ 2022 catalog, a 617-page tome, went to the printer back in February to ensure it would be ready in advance of High Point Market.

“Our sales reps like to have a physical copy of our catalog because for them, it’s a calling card,” he continued. “Our reps like to leave a copy with a client as a physical reminder that they are their contact at Feizy, and that we have a lot of product to offer them.”

Taking its catalog and look-book strategy to new heights recently is Nourison.

“

This year, we changed our format to a magazine style with editorial.

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KIMBERLY WELLING, SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

“We worked with different sponsors, and included them in articles and trend features, showing their products with ours.”

Nourison has been publishing, both in print and digitally, these trend-oriented look-books since 2016. But this year was the first time it developed partnerships for cross-category programming.

The company also promotes these look-books on social media to increase visibility and promotion of its trend forecasts, new products and partner contributions.

Surya Inc.’s catalog has evolved over the years “from a purely functional booklet into a highly desired utility and art book collection addition,” said Satya Tiwari, President.

The company’s latest catalog, Surya Luxury Rugs, releases this spring—both in print and digitally. Customers can preview it on surya.com or request a physical copy from the sales rep in their territory.

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InPERSPECTIVE | HANDS ON, HANDS OFF “While there is no substitute to the touch and feel of our products, so many people prefer to draw inspiration and pick product from a print catalog over online,” Tiwari continued. “Whether sourcing a project or searching for inspiration, we know a catalog can open so many doors for designer and retail showrooms.”

Larry Mahurter has led marketing for Couristan for the past 30 years and was one of the industry’s first to embrace digital marketing with a range of videos, e-mailings and social media.

Traditional marketing still plays a role, “but differently from the past,” he said.

“Now, we create brochures and catalogs that are program driven,” Mahurter explained. “The idea is for our sales team to use these materials as presentation pieces for their retail customers. They can go into a store and sell our accounts on a promo program.

We classify 15 to 20 collections together and present a promotion for customers around that program, with price points and added benefits, to support their sales efforts.”

The catalogs also serve as vehicles to promote Couristan’s videos, which are circulated on social media platforms, Vimeo, YouTube, Google ad campaigns and more.

“We put some SEO [search engine optimization] behind it, and what we’re seeing is pure traction, organic traction,” he said.

Annual trend reports, available in both print and digital, have also been “very, very successful” as marketing sales tools for Couristan—“not only for our social media but also for our dealers in their stores.”

Kaleen Rugs is inclined on digital for most of its marketing—and that strategy continues to be a focus.

Except for its Hilary Farr Collection, a licensed program in collaboration with the eponymous HGTV designer and co-star of “Love It Or Let It” and other programs.

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“Hilary Farr momentum is growing gradually whereas we are promoting heavily in social media, digital and even traditional marketing,” said Monty Rathi, COO. The program now celebrating its third anniversary, Kaleen’s Hilary Farr line was recently expanded with two new collections.

The pandemic has propelled greater emphasis on tangible marketing materials at Mohawk Home.

“We’re printing catalogs and sales sheets more now than in the past because it’s another way to communicate with our customers when we have less face-to-face interaction,” said Bart Hill, Senior Vice President. “Printed collateral is key in telling a more comprehensive story when you’re getting less face-time with your customers.”

He noted all of Mohawk Home’s catalogs, trend look-books, brochures and more are also available in digital format.

Harounian Rugs International (HRI) unveiled its 2022 winter catalog early this year. “Coming out of two years dealing with Covid, we have been working with our customers in new and creative ways,” said Greg Jordt, Executive VP Sales and Marketing.

“Our print catalogs showcase our full product lines and are available for download as well.”

But tangible marketing tools are not for everyone. For Oriental Weavers of America, printed materials are, basically, relics.

The reason: “Printing is a big expense.”

President Jonathan Witt explained: “It’s been a huge debate for us, even before Covid, because when you have eight to 10 images to show all the different aspects of a rug for e-commerce, it’s impossible to also put them in print.

Plus, we are constantly introducing new products every three months, which means a catalog is never up to date. You constantly have to spend on creating and sending supplements of the last collections that came out since the catalog

printed.”

Witt acknowledged that for some retailers and designers, having a hard copy of a catalog serves as “an important reference, initially.” But he caveated, “from a B2B standpoint,” it makes more sense to use digital tools.

“Only our sales reps request printed catalogs. But so far, no customers have asked us for them,” he summed. “Our retail customers have embraced the way they can access our information and imagery online, and they find it more efficient. Printing books, as pretty as they are, is not cost effective anymore.”

Also citing cost savings benefits and overall practicality, Kas Rugs released its latest catalog in February only digitally via its website.

“We didn’t print it, and we did get some pushback from some customers around the country,” noted Wendy Reiss, Vice President of Sales and National Accounts. “But we’re also putting it on USBs for our designer and retailers who request it.”

That said, some collateral still merits the expense and effort of printing, Reiss admitted, including Kas’ informational brochures and its Indoor/Outdoor catalog.

“Indoor/outdoor has been growing by leaps and bounds for us,” Reiss explained. “We are adding new collections, and we felt it was important for our customers to have a book about the full line in their hands going into this year.”

Similarly, Kas’ brochure is a mainstay that educates and entices prospective customers about the company and its range of products and services.

“We call it our ‘Introduction to Kas Rugs’,” she said. “Our brochure allows someone to quickly and conveniently look us over and decide they want to work with us. We actually get a great response from our printed brochure, which is why we are continuing to provide it.”

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HOT in High Point

BY ALEX MILSTEIN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Inside MARKETS | HOT IN HIGH POINT Despite all of the challenges the industry has faced over the past two years, rug exhibitors are excited to get back to High Point Market, show new and trending product, and talk with friends and customers they haven’t seen since October— or even before.

RUG INSIDER caught up with multiple rug exhibitors to find out what introductions and events they planned for the fall market.

featuring a number of new intros in its fast-growing indoor/outdoor collection.

“I’m excited about having a normal market,” said Wendy Reiss, vice president of national accounts. “It would be great to feel like we are back in a normal world again, with a lot of great trend products, hustle and bustle, and people. Las Vegas was better than expected so I am feeling very optimistic.”

SAMAD Showroom: Market Square Tower, Space: 115 Samad has seen a trend towards the use of natural fibers and neutral tones.

In contrast, there’s also been a push for transitional designs that fuse traditional patterns with bold and vibrant colors.

KAS will serve breakfast and lunch each day in its showroom.

Going off of these trends, Samad is introducing four new rug collections at market: Bengal, Catalina, Oasis, and Malibu Reserve. In addition, it will highlight new designs and color ways from its Nordic and Mystique Collections.

EXQUISITE RUGS Showroom: IHFC, H204

“We’re excited to be back and most KAS, Calla 6938

looking forward to showcasing our latest rugs and connecting with clients, old and new,” said David Samad, founder of Samad Rugs. “At High Point, we can feel the pulse of today’s market and look forward to receiving valuable perspectives and feedback from buyers.”

Six months ago, Exquisite Rugs moved into it’s new IHFC showroom in the Hamilton wing. President Hersel BaniEsraili said it’s now one of the largest rug showrooms in High Point.

KAS Showroom: IHFC, G270

Samad, Nordic Collection, Viking Natural Black

KAS Rugs is displaying new debuts in both its handmade and machine-woven lines. Introductions will involve shrink poly machine-woven constructions with trend colors for fall, and hand-woven sweater-like designs. KAS will also be

Exquisite Rugs, Essex 4033 33

Left: Bokara Rugs, Canvas Art G1091 Beige/Red

Nourison, Prismatic Grey Seafoam

The company is debuting nine new collections consisting of several different types of rugs, from flatweaves to abstracts.

“We’re able to come up with collections that are very mindful of the demand of the global market right now for rugs of all types,” Bani-Esraili said.

“We develop rugs a year ahead, so what we introduce this April has been in the works since last April. We go to great lengths to do color and market studies and gather analytics before we start developing a product or collection.”

Exquisite Rugs will serve breakfast, coffee and mimosas every morning in its showroom.

BOKARA Showroom: Market Square Tower, Space: 350 Bokara recently changed its showroom layout to be more customerfriendly, and the company plans to introduce several stylish collections, including a natural fiber line with soft grays.

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“We have seen in rug designs is a return to transitional patterns,” the company said. “Our team worked very hard to compile an eye-catching new line, and we are excited to present it.”

NOURISON Showroom: IHFC, IH101 Market attendees will see an updated Nourison showroom this market as the company has created a new layout for its space and will have a new custom rug area and a newly designed area for its Mina Victory line.

Giovanni Marra, director of marketing for Nourison, said gold colors and tones are on trend, as is a focus on sustainability—such as 100 percent wool and one-of-a-kind rugs with unique designs for larger spaces “We’ve seen more demand for custom rugs, larger sizes, colorful styles and product in inventory that’s ready to ship,” said Marra. “We really want to fulfill and cater to our customers’ requests.”

Kalaty, katie merz x Kalaty Series—Colorwrks

KALATY Showroom: IHFC, G369 Kalaty’s latest introductions include both new collections as well as additions to existing collections. Among debuts is a new licensed series of power-loomed collections, katie merz x Kalaty, which is derived from the dynamic line-based artwork of noted Brooklyn-based mural artist Katie Merz.

Merz’s studio ink-and-watercolor works on paper are the inspiration for Artwrks and Colorwrks, the first collections in the Katie Merz x Kalaty series.

• Artwrks: power-loomed using easy-tocare-for polyester and polypropylene yarns. Each rug features a high-low textural weave to add dimension to both pattern and background.

• Colorwrks: power-loomed of longwearing, easy-to-clean and easy-tomaintain 100 percent polypropylene yarns.

The primary focus for Kalaty in High Point will be the high-end—Solano, Khotan and Ambrose are three of the company’s newest hand-knotted collections on display.

Inside MARKETS | HOT IN HIGH POINT

HRI’s new IHFC High Point showroom is twice the size of its previous space.

Feizy, Corbitt Collection

“High Point is always an exciting market for us, and we are excited to be bringing a record number of new introductions to the market,” said company Partner Ariel Kalaty.

Harounian Rugs Internatinal (HRI) Showroom: IHFC, D431 HRI is highlighting its new “cut-to-order” program of Sunbrella® broadloom— marking the first time that the Sunbrella yarn system has been used in creating performance carpeting. Additionally, the company is showing a number of new transitional collections from Nepal, both loomed and hand-knotted.

The company’s High Point showroom is completely new, and it’s double the size of the old location. The grand opening took place at the last fall market.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to reconnect with our current customer base as well as meet potential new customers and share the HRI story,” said Greg Jordt, EVP of sales and marketing. “We have a tremendous lineup of product featuring the best of ‘ontrend’ looks at unbeatable prices, all programmed and stocked in full sizes.”

FEIZY Showroom: 309 N. Hamilton Street Feizy will debut its new permanent showroom at 309 N. Hamilton Street this market, located next to Vanguard Furniture and below Wendover Art Group.

“We are excited to share the synergies of these two great brands to continue to get in front of our clients in a convenient manner,” said Feizy Vice President Justin Yeck. “I’m looking forward to showing our Corbitt and Leylan collections.

Bringing back the timeless art of Sumac rugs, we have updated and refreshed them for today's modern client.”

trend with multiple sustainable collections that are made of jute, cotton, wool, and recycled bottles.

“It's really important for us to help do our part in reducing the carbon footprint,” said Account Manager Carissa Near.

Yeck added that Feizy continues to get feedback that its clients want durable versatility, and that’s been a part of its programming for the last year. “We want to be able to give our clients beautiful timeless pieces that last a lifetime.”

UNIQUE LOOM Showroom: Market Square, Space: 240 Unique Loom identified textured rugs as well as sustainable rugs as trending, and the company will capitalize on that Unique Loom, Malibu Collection 35

Inside MARKETS | HOT IN HIGH POINT New collections include: Yara, a traditional with a modern reinterpretation; Malibu, contemporary with abstract distressed patterns in bright multicolored hues; Caspian, in soothing grays and blues with modern geometric and abstract patterns; and Tucson, inspired by the desert landscape combined with geometric and abstract patterns.

Unique Loom will host an IDS Cocktail Party with Jill Zarin on Saturday, April 2, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. where guests can meet Zarin, browse, and connect with IDS members. RSVP online.

MOMENI Showroom: IHFC, H345 Momeni’s new introductions are mostly based on mid-to-high-price points, including additions to the Momeni Basics line as well as new performance rugs that will be in stock for the summer season. Additionally, the company will have some new colorways in the Erin Gates by Momeni collection.

The company expanded its showroom square footage by taking over the showroom next door, and this market the showroom will feature more gallery-type vignettes—pieces hanging from ceilings and displayed on the walls.

“We are excited to see our partners and buyers that haven’t been able to travel for the past two years that finally feel confident and safe enough to visit trade shows and see new products in person,” said President Reza Momeni.

“Zoom meetings have been very successful, but we love conducting business in person.”

RUG & KILIM Showrooms: IHFC, G373 and Suites at Market Square, Space G-7055 Rug & Kilim’s IHFC showroom will include more inventory this show, and its Market Square booth space has been doubled so they can show even more introductions.

Among the debuts, the company is expanding its Scandinavian Collection, which has now reached over 1,000 36

Above: Rug & Kilim, Scandanavian Nu

Momeni, Simba Collection

SKUs over eight constructions. They will bring new pieces from what they have in their inventory, including Scandinavian Watson, Scandinavian Nu, the continuation of their Homage—which is now a handbook of patterns.

“I think our transactions and our volumes are going to be much higher this show just because we have more space,” said Vice President Cyrus Nazmiyal. “We’re showing more inventory, and it will be our best show— that’s a fact. We’re bringing at least half a dozen of our team to market, so we’re growing our presence there and are excited to continue doing so.”

LOLOI Showroom: IHFC, D320 Loloi has 17 new rug collections being shown for the first time at the High Point market, in addition to new pillows, throws, and wall art. New introductions include Emilia and Anissa, two wool hand-knotted collections from India in Oushak and Moroccan designs, as well as several new polyester space-dyed collections from Turkey and outdoor-friendly rug collections.

Right: Loloi, Anissa Collection

The company recently expanded its High Point showroom to create new entrances, and the rug and pillow assortments have both been relocated and expanded for this market.

“We have continued to strengthen and expand our relationships with dealers throughout the covid pandemic, and now that it is (hopefully) slowing down we look forward to seeing many of them return to markets and see our expanded and exciting products in person,” said Loloi VP of Sales Austin Craley. “We continue to see growth in our value-priced collections all the way through our higher-end, hand-knotted designs. Construction techniques continue to advance and offer a wider range of products and materials for a variety of spaces.”

FRENCH ACCENTS Showroom: 200 Steele, Showroom 112 French Accents debuts a new texture— a variation of high and low—in its Khotan collection, along with new additions to its existing popular collections like our Bespoke Nepalese, Oushaks, and more.

InDEPTH | ONE OF A KIND

Art Resources, Oushak Collection Enjoy daily cocktail hour with French Accents at 200 Steele.

“We hope to see an active and busy market in April,” said Director Max Moussavi. “So far we had a good response from our customers attending High Point Market.”

company is working to enhance the experience for buyers by offering convenient, efficient product browsing in an inviting space that offers comforts not usually found at trade shows.

The company will serve lunch daily from April 1-5.

“Presenting our newest work to our clients is always the most exhilarating part of the market, and we continue to feel the excitement of reuniting with friendly faces we missed over the challenging last few years,” said Ned Baker, key accounts manager at Tamarian.

TAMARIAN Showroom: Centers of High Point: Russell-112, Floor 1 “We have progressively had a large increase in attendance in our showroom, and this market, we hope to gather more with our new designs and color schemes,” said CFO Danny Shafian. “We have noticed an increase in the experimentation of color in rugs as a new trend right now.”

Tamarian is introducing new designs, colorways, and qualities from both its Tibetan and Indian collections—including its premier HABIT line.

With the addition of the outdoor “Terrace@Tamarian” last fall, the

The Terrace@Tamarian will be open daily during showroom hours for outdoor relaxation, and food and refreshment features will be announced daily.

The Terrace@Tamarian will be open daily during showroom hours.

French Accents will be offering daily cocktail hours throughout the market.

ART RESOURCES Showroom: Market Square, Space 278 Last April, Art Resources moved into a a new showroom in Market Square, giving the company a more visible location and a better size space to display its rugs. This market, the company is showing its new modern and traditional designs that are due in the U.S. shortly.

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InFOCUS | AU NATUREL

u Nature

FEEDING THE NEED FOR NATURE

W

1

hen we prompted a search for naturally-inspired rugs in organic tones using natural fibers like wool and silk, the responses we received were visually stunning and thought provoking.

Tamarian’s Ned Baker reflected, “Nature has always had an important influence on the aesthetic of our work; from the use of renewable fibers such as hemp, allo, and sunpat in our weaving to the creation of our newer Silver Flax color palette that is inspired by natural tones, ‘bringing the outdoors in’ always elicits a positive response from the market and seems to satiate a certain desire we have to surround ourselves with the natural world, even when inside our home.”

“We are loving the textured natural trend, especially with our hand-knotted, one-of-a-kind rugs,” said Carissa Near of Unique Loom. “The textural designs on our rugs compliment the neutral tones and bring a sense of depth to a space that might otherwise fall flat.”

Designs such as Alicia Keshishian’s Dreamtree embody the Au Naturel theme with its background of undyed Mongolian wool. In Shalom Brothers artisanal Natural Collection, raw wool is converted to a wondrous sheen and feel with a natural abrash appearance. From traditional and transitional, to contemporary and tribal design, our Au Naturel selections are authentic in material for lasting beauty by design.

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2

4

5

6

“

For us, Au Naturel is anything that feels easy and sophisticated. It is a breath of fresh air in the morning sun and miraculously timeless.

WOOL & SILK RUGS

“

1. Sansa TK in Silver Flax by Tamarian | tamarian.com 2. Design SH62932 from S&H Rugs | shrugs.com 3. Natural Collection by Shalom Brothers | shalombrothers.com 4. Moroccan Collection from Oriental Designer Rugs orientaldesignerrugs.net 5. Dawn – Sky by Wool & Silk Rugs | woolandsilkrugs.com 6. Dreamtree by Alicia D Keshishian | adkcarpets.com

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InFOCUS | AU NATUREL

“

We would define Au Naturel as: Natural inspiration in soft, neutral tones and an organic feel.

NOURISON

“

11

12

13

7. Cosmopolitan 959114 from Bokara | bokara.com 8. Himalaya from Samad’s Bengal Collection | samad.com 9. Oslo by Rug’Society | rugsociety.eu 10. SH19 Berber Collection from French Accents | farugs.com 11. Jill Zarin English Manor Collection from Unique Loom uniqueloom.com 12. Oasis Collection from Harounian Rugs International (HRI) hrirugs.com 13. Sea Sand Minerals from the Christopher Guy Collection Nourison | nourison.com

43

InTECH | FIBER-SHIELD

Fiber-Shield Develops FAST-KLEEN Eco-friendly Carpet Cleaner

BY ALEX MILSTEIN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Fiber-Shield Industries, a company that makes eco-friendly rug, fabric, and carpet cleaners, is on a mission to change the way we think about cleaning. offer the marketplace products that are not found easily.”

Manny also saw that most cleaners relied on having solvents to be able to clean oil-based stains, which is why Fiber-Shield took two years to research for the right formula.

FAST-KLEEN is a water-based microcleaner that removes stains quickly and easily—even old stains.

The company’s repellents are also state of the art. If you drop liquid onto a carpet from any height, it's going to fall in between the fibers. If the protection is at the tip of the fibers only and falls in between, it's going to stain the unprotected fiber from the sides.

Fiber-Shield’s Prsident and Technical Director Mamy Vickers in the company lab.

F

Fiber-Shield’s emphasis has been to create environmentally compliant products, and that was its focus from day one.

The proof? Manny, a chemist by trade who’s extremely hands-on with the company, recently completed his 10,000th experiment.

“Our fabric and carpet soil and stain repellents have been tested independently and do not have perfluorinated materials like PFOS or PFOA or PFAAS that are bad for humans and the environment,” Manny says. “We're able to

ounded by President and Technical Director Manny Vickers and his wife, Connie, in 1979 as Future Living, the company has come a long way on its journey to become Fiber-Shield.

44

Fiber-Shield’s repellents gravitate down and bonds to each individual fiber, creating a protective yet breathable seal. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom create H20, or water, and Fiber-Shield essentially creates a microscopic net that does not allow the bigger water molecules through but will allow air to pass through.

“At Fiber-Shield we do continuous research development, and we have a tremendous amount of laboratory instrumentation to do quality control and quality assurance on our products

InTECH | FIBER-SHIELD coming in as raw materials and going out as finished goods,” Manny says.

“We check everything, regardless of what the manufacturer of the raw materials might say to us, we still want to check to verify that they do meet the specs and high standards that we have set.”

FAST-KLEEN benefits carpet cleaner professionals and customers alike.

Manny says good carpet cleaners benefit from products that clean quickly, thoroughly, and therefore reduce callbacks. “A real pro wants to solve the customer’s problem on the first visit,” he says.

And Manny knows this firsthand, as he not only has hands on experience with applying soil and stain repellents and using cleaners, but also with some of the leading cleaning companies in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.

“The most valuable asset is time, and

“

A real [carpet cleaning] pro wants to solve the customer’s problem on the first visit.

problem stains could take a carpet cleaner 20-30 minutes to clean,” Manny explains. “And he might have to go back. So, if you can shrink that time down to five or six minutes instead of 20-30 minutes and stop the cleaner from having to go back the next day to do the same thing, it’s a big deal.”

Knowing that Covid was likely going to be bad news in early 2020, the company stocked about $2 million dol-

“

lars worth of inventory to be able to provide products on a timely schedule to their customers. They continue to maintain high inventories to this day and ship stock items within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

With that momentum, the company is looking forward to an exciting 2022 and plans to announce new cleaning products later this year. fiber-shield.com

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45

InANTIQUES | THE ORIGINAL ORGANIC & NATURAL HOME DECOR

ANTIQUE RUGS The Original Organic & Natural Home Decor

BY RODNEY HAKIM

I

n this issue of RUG INSIDER we are discussing natural palettes, and generally speaking, a return to more natural and organic styles, color ways, and product mixes.

In a discussion like this, where we explore a return to nature, if we look back at the way antique rugs were originally made, we can readily see that they were the original form of organic and natural home decor, before those words became the marketing slogans that they might currently be seen as.

The idea of returning to natural styles comes, in some ways, as a reaction to the prevalence in the modern day rug market of low-cost, machine-made area rugs.

Machine-Made Rugs vs. Antique Rugs For many of today’s rug buyers, particularly younger buyers with less disposable income and less knowledge of, interest in, or appreciation of antique rugs, their main criteria when buying a rug are that it should be the right size, the right color, the right style, and the lowest possible price.

A simple online search for area rugs will return countless results for room sized rugs that are available in a number of styles and color combinations, often for $200 or less for an 8’ x 10', and often far cheaper than that. These rugs are easily found available from Wayfair, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Macy’s, Costco, and other such retail heavyweights.

These low priced rugs are popular with buyers, as they are easily affordable, and easily replaceable in case they get stained or damaged. They are on the low end of the continuum of rug pricing, because they are made by machine, are mass produced, use chemical dyes, and are often composed of synthetic fibers, thus costing far less than their hand-knotted counterparts.

At the opposite end of the rug market continuum are antique rugs, which are one-of-a-kind, are painstakingly hand-knotted, use natural dyes, and are composed of such natural and organic materials as cotton, wool, and silk. As such, they are significantly more expensive than the machine made rugs at the opposite end of the market.

Despite their significantly higher price points, these original antique carpets are en vogue once again, as the demand for longer lasting, environmentally friendly, one-of-a-kind, handmade, natural rugs is steadily increasing.

46

The Natural & Organic Materials Used in Making Antiques Rugs Obviously, the mass production by machine, and the use of chemical dyes and of synthetic fibers in making rugs are all relatively new phenomena, happening in the last 50 to 100 years or so.

Before that, the original sources used for rug production were wool, cotton, and silk. In most cases, cotton would be used to create the foundation of the rug, with the longer dimension being for the warp threads, and the wider dimensions being for the weft threads.

These interlacing cotton warp and weft threads would be put together on a wooden (or in some cases metallic) loom, and once secured, would have the wool threads knotted through them to create the upward facing wool pile of the rug.

Natural Color Sources for Wool, and Color Variations The wool itself would be naturally sourced from sheep, which are plentiful, and need to be sheared. The sheep wool is often gray, black, or brown, and would need to be processed and dyed so as to attain the desired color combinations for the rugs being produced. Dyes come from natural sources, including plants, roots, vegetables, insects, mollusks, and other items available in the surrounding environment of the weavers.

The dye sources would be titrated with boiling water, and depending on what concentration of the plant or other natural source material is mixed in the water, the resulting dye lot would be more or less intense in its coloration.

This varying level of color concentration from dye lot to dye lot would result in abrash, or color striation, in the wool used in antique rugs.

Think of antique Persian Bidjar carpets, the wool of which is so thick and sturdy, that they are sometimes referred to as iron rugs, for their iron-like consistency, and their extreme resistance to wear and fading.

In contrast to this, the softer and more supple the wool is, the easier it is for the weavers to be able to manipulate it into smaller and tighter knots, making for ever more complex and sophisticated weaves and designs.

The rugs in this category are typically referred to as city rugs, with more intricate, formal designs, and a more curvilinear design orientation.

PGNY Rug #29722 Antique Persian Lavar, 23’7” x 13’0”

For many rug collectors, it’s these natural color variations, in which the colors of the rug vary in shade and intensity from one end to another, making them very desirable, as they show the hand of the weaver. It is a case where the imperfection of the antique rug is actually its true perfection.

Think of the Lavar Kerman rug, which we explored in detail in RUG INSIDER, Fall Issue 2021. The wool of these rugs is fine, soft, and supple, and as a result, the curvilinear designs rendered on these rugs are dizzyingly intricate, showing off the incredible skill, dexterity, and creativity of the weavers who created them.

Different Qualities of Wool from Different Sheep Persia, where most antique rugs were woven, has a variety of different regions and weaving environments. The sheep from different areas have wool, with different colors and varying consistencies. consistencies.

Sheep from mountain regions have wool that is generally thicker or denser, whereas sheep from more organized villages, or from areas near natural water sources, have wool that is typically softer and more supple.

The thicker and denser the wool is, the sturdier and stiffer the rug that could be made from it. These rugs have chunkier, thicker knots, and often are too dense and bulky to be held steady by a cotton foundation, needing a thicker and stronger wool foundation, instead.

The rugs in this category are typically referred to as village rugs, with simpler, more informal designs, and a more geometric design orientation.

PGNY Rug #24322 Antique Persian Lavar, 13’4” x 9’4”

Sheep Wool vs. Manchester Wool vs.

Angora Wool We discussed above the relative thickness of wool from the sheep from different regions, with the wool from mountain sheep generally being thicker and denser, and the wool from sheep in village centers being softer and more supple.

Within the area of softer, finer wool from different village or city centers, there are further levels of differentiation.

Depending on who you ask, that distinction might belong to either the Manchester Wool, or to Angora Wool.

Manchester Wool Manchester Wool refers to a super soft grade of natural sheep wool used in certain antique Persian Kashan rugs from the first quarter of the twentieth century, approximately from 1900–1930.

The wool from the sheep in Kashan was generally of poor quality, as natural water sources were scarce, and the environment was relatively arid and dry.

PGNY Rug #27494 Antique Persian Bidjar, 18’0” x 12’2”

With the demand for Persian rugs being woven for Western markets booming at that time, Western importers brought 47

InANTIQUES | THE ORIGINAL ORGANIC & NATURAL HOME DECOR in special lots of the softest, highest quality Merino wool from the best Merino sheep in Manchester, England.

The result of this usage of fine Manchester wool for Persian rugs woven in Kashan was the famed antique Manchester Kashan rugs, which are some of the most rare and desirable rugs of that era.

This type of Angora goat wool is sometimes found in antique Turkish Oushak carpets. The Angora wool is softer, longer, and more lustrous than ordinary wool, and gives these hard to find Angora Oushak rugs an extra supple feel, and a somewhat shiny finish.

Angora wool is also sometimes mentioned in the same space as the fur from Angora rabbits, which is considered one of the softest and most luxurious types of animal fur or hair, and which also commands extremely high prices. Given the significantly shorter length of rabbit fur, as opposed to goat wool, this type of Angora rabbit wool is used more in the fabric of certain clothing items and small textiles than it is in larger carpets.

Camel Hair

PGNY Rug #23993 Antique Persian Manchester Kashan, 27’9” x 15’0”

Some industry insiders would argue that as fine as the Merino wool used in Manchester Kashan rugs is, it is still not as soft as the wool used in Angora Rugs.

Angora Wool Antique Angora rugs are from the Turkish region of Angora, or as it is more commonly called today, Ankara, and with wool obtained from the domesticated Angora goat. This type of wool is long, soft, and lustrous, and is also often referred to as Mohair.

Given its scarcity, Angora wool is significantly more expensive than ordinary sheep wool. A 2017 report suggested that sheep wool can be obtained at 40 cents per pound, whereas wool from Angora goats fetches $10 per pound.

Quite a difference!

Another popular type of natural source material used in antique Persian rugs is Camel Hair, which is typically found in rugs emanating either from Hamadan or Serab, both located in Persia’s mid western region.

Camel Hair rugs typically have a sand or caramel color brown hue to them, like the colors of the camel, themselves, and are not given dye baths to change their color, unlike the wool used from sheep.

Camels have different types of hair, with an outer layer of guard hair that is warm and dense, but which is too coarse and thick to use for weaving. They also have an undercoat beneath the guard hair, which is soft and insulating.

Camels naturally shed much of their hair, and don’t need to be sheared, unlike sheep or goats. Given the varying thicknesses of a camel’s outer and inner layer of hair, these layers are often spun together, or in some cases mixed PGNY Rug #31011 with sheep’s wool, to create different Antique Persian levels of thickness, softness, or color, Camel Hair Hamadan 16’6” x 3’9” depending on the requirements for the rugs being woven.

While not as soft or as desirable as Manchester wool or Angora wool, the simple colors and easy procurement method of Camel Hair, along with their clear visual connection to the natural world from which they are sourced, make them one of the most consistently in-demand rugs in the realm of vintage and antique carpets.

PGNY Rug #28867 Antique Turkish Angora Oushak Rug, 18’5” x 13’2” 48

All of the styles enumerated in this article remain very popular with rug buyers around the world. Examples of each can be found in a variety of sizes and designs at pgny.com.

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InSTYLE | MACHINE MADE

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ÿ

ÿ 50

COURISTAN COURISTAN.COM

InSTYLE | MARKET PREVIEW InSTYLE | MARKET PREVIEW InSTYLE | MARKETS ART RESOURCES | artresources.us

The Rug Show September 14-16, 2022 therugshow.com

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InSTYLE | MARKETS

S&H RUGS | shrugs.com

NOURISON | nourison.com

52

InSTYLE | MARKETS

FRENCH ACCENTS | farugs.com

High Point Market April 2-6, 2022 highpointmarket.org TAMARIAN | tamarian.com

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InSTYLE | MARKETS

BOKARA | bokara.com

High Point Market April 2-6, 2022 highpointmarket.org ODR | orientaldesignerrugs.net

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High Point Market April 2-6, 2022 highpointmarket.org

HRI | hrirugs.com

SAMAD | samad.com

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InSTYLE | MARKETS

ANDKHUY | andkhuyrugs.com

High Point Market April 2-6, 2022 highpointmarket.org SHALOM | shalombrothers.com

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Insider NEWS | WHAT’S LOOMING PGNY Gears Up for Spring As the company's 50th Anniversary celebration continues, Persian Gallery New York heads into the spring selling season with the debut of dozens of amazing antique acquisitions. Browse the New Arrivals section of their site, pgny.com for all the recently added vintage and antique items, including antique European tapestries, vintage decorative pillows, unique oriental rugs in various sizes and styles, plus an assortment of newly added modernist flatweaves. Additional features include an expanded Buy-It-Now section and an augmented Advanced Search function. pgny.com

Shalom Brother’s Anjani Collection will debut this spring.

Shalom Brothers Relocates to Larger Showroom Rug importer and manufacturer Shalom Brothers Inc., which was previously based in New York City for 45 years, recently moved into a new 4,500-square-foot showroom located at 145 East Industrial Drive, Little Ferry, New Jersey. The new showroom is close to Secaucus, NJ and a short distance from New York City.

“We’re growing and we didn’t think Manhattan would have been able to give us that kind of growth,” says Rafi Amirian, vice president of Shalom Brothers.

“Now we have loading docks and it’s much easier to drop-ship. We’re seeing tremendous growth in our online business, and it just makes sense to move where we can drop-ship easier.”

The larger showroom will give the company space to showcase some of its latest designs, including Summit, a hand-knotted rug that comes in various sizes and colors. The company is also working on its new Anjani handloom collection that will contain about 12 new designs.

“We were hoping to show the Anjani collection at The Rug Show in February, but we will instead debut it this spring,” Amirian says. “We will be exhibiting at The Rug Show, in September.” shalombrothers.com 58

PGNY’s latest additions include modernist flatweaves and vintage pillows.

Insider NEWS | WHAT’S LOOMING Couristan Launches Sophisticated New Displays for Broadloom and Area Rug Collections

SPECIAL RATES ON 2 YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS GOING ON NOW! go to: www.ruginsider.com/ subscribe Couristan has developed two new merchandising display units for the company’s award-winning Outdoor/Indoor Residential Broadloom assortment and Signature Area Rug Collections category. Designed to enhance the point-of-purchase experience and creatively display the company’s innovative fashions, these unique, upscale units are space-saving solutions that are both attractive and functional.

The Signature Area Rug Collections Display Unit was designed to accommodate the strategic layout and creative look of virtually any showroom. It is offered with an initial programmed sample package of 40 finished 18"x18" samples which have been selected for their exclusivity for Couristan’s brick and mortar partners. Each sample comes with its own label highlighting selling features, size availability, room-setting imagery, care and maintenance instructions, decorating tips and a QR code which links to the collection on Couristan’s website. This compressed unit measures 77" H x 47" W x 27" D. “Over the past few years, we have added a significant influx of trendworthy designs and qualities to our area

rug assortment within multiple product categories,” stated Ron Couri, President and CEO of Couristan. “It was a natural progression to offer our dealers a resolute display unit designed to attract target customers and assist in generating continual sales.”

The new two-tier display for the company’s Outdoor/Indoor Residential Broadloom assortment houses 48, 13.5"x18" product boards. Two 13.5"x18" wing boards illustrate the company’s custom rug capabilities within the outdoor category. The unit measures 66.5" H x 52.5" Wx21" D.

check out: www.ruginsider.com www.issuu.com/ rug insider @ruginsider

“The two-tier display brings all of our top-sellers in our outdoor/indoor category to one central location, illustrating the range of options we offer and providing customers with endless ideas on how to customize a look that is all their own,” commented George Couri, Chairman of Couristan.”

Both displays are intended to function as a silent salesperson, instantly communicating the superior standards that have been synonymous with Couristan for over 95 years. couristan.com 59

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Art Resources

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Goodweave

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HRI

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Page No.

High Point Market

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Page No.

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Momeni

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63

Neman

32

Nourison

21

6/7

J & D Oriental

26

Oriental Designer Rugs

16 57

Atlas

61

Jerry Livian Antique Rugs

20

Persian Gallery New York

Bichoupan

48

KCEC

17

Fibershield

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Las Vegas Market

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Samad

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Shalom Bros. Inc.

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Metro Rug Repair

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In the SPOTLIGHT | LUCY TUPU STUDIO

Doing it by the Numbers LUCY TUPU & CEY ADAMS a co l l a b or a t i on

‘Harlem’ pays homage to the artist’s father who served in the military. Each rug in the collection features Cey’s signature in silk (inset).

Lucy Tupu Studio’s latest eye-popping rug collection is a collaboration with NYC-based artist Cey Adams. Harlem, NY- born and raised, Adams is a highly respected, soughtafter visual artist, graphic designer, lecturer and author.

His CV includes serving as first Creative Director for Def Jam Recordings, working alongside seminal Hip-Hop artists like Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Drawing inspiration from 60s pop art, sign painting, comic books and pop culture, Cey’s work also includes themes of race and gender relations, as well as cultural and community issues. Together, Lucy and Cey created a collection of seven designs, each one telling a story about his artistic journey beginning with childhood.

Harlem pays homage to his family’s neighborhood and to his father who served in the military, with a palette of army green and gray tones, as well as red hues giving nod to the American flag. As a focal point, the number ‘2’ references Cey’s favorite childhood number. His fascination with letters and numbers is a common theme throughout his work and is an integral part of the rug collection.

Hand-crafted from high-quality New Zealand wool, each made-to-order rug features the artist's signature in silk.

The tightly-woven cut pile, in one height, helps focus on the 2D designs and gives the rugs a more dense structure. lucyupu.com PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LUCY TUPU STUDIO

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Designs in the sevenrug Cey Adams Collection include (clockwise from top left), A-Plus, Colour by Number, and Big City.

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