By Jennifer Quail
The Surfaces show continues
to be the market of choice for those in the business of broadloom and hard surfaces of all kinds, and the show on which most say they can gauge their business and design direction for the year. This week, texture and splashes of color play a big part in the introductions.
Cut-and-loop styles are plentiful here, as texture gains headway in the broadloom market, much as it has for area rugs. Among the introductions tapping into the popularity of the look are Bellbridge’s Club Collection, which is Wilton woven and features multicolor linear arrangements of cut-and-loop yarns. Raguna, from the Missoni Broadloom Collection by Prestige Mills, combines blocks and stripes in a cut-and-loop weave and Fabrica’s Mallorca pairs a swirled pattern of cut-pile yarns with a level-loop field. Radici USA foots the bill with Botticelli, which features long, rectangular cut-pile blocks, punctuated by loop-pile rows. And Luzern Limited uses a wool loop with cut-pile faux silk accents for its new Sensations pattern.
Texture of all kinds plays largely into many of the new products, as designers and manufacturers have noted an increasing interest among consumers for differentiation in the market. Nourison, for example, is offering up multiple levels of loops with its new Impressions. The line was designed with an earthy quality in mind and is available in natural shades. Helios goes for a trio of textured loops randomly patterned for a subtle stria in Belvoir, described by the company as West Coast casual. Stanton is set to debut its Textured Wilton Collection, a group that features geometric and damask designs with a high-low loop texture. Geometric patterns and other graphics play into new textured designs at F. Schumacher & Co., too, including Cassandra’s Point and Rayure Collection, both created with the latest fabric and wallcovering fashions in mind. And Silver Creek pairs multilevel, loop-pile carpet with geometric patterns for its new Jeeves design.
Depth is also being emphasized with varied yarn mixes. For example, Eclipse Wool Carpet uses a mix of heathered and skein-dyed wool yarns for the new tip-sheared Zamora, and Woolshire Carpet Mills uses two-tone heathered wool yarns and a level-loop style for its new Diamondesque. At Tisca Tiara, wool is paired with accents of Lurex yarn for a festive flair.
Shag always makes a good showing at Surfaces and can be found in many styles this year. Catalina Home, for one, is introducing Maxwell to its Artist Collection. The shag is made with felted wool yarns and comes in a variety of neutral shades, such as caramel and sand. Shags are a mainstay of business for Unique Carpets and the company pulls out another option this week. Cobblestone by Unique ties together the appeal of shag with that of cut-and-loop styles. It is tufted with one of the largest felted and plied wool yarns the company has used, with the hefty loops teamed with thinner cut-pile yarns for greater depth.
For big, bold patterns and color, CH Designs should be a target. The company debuted at last year’s Surfaces show and has recently opened its first retail showroom. The company is expanding its collection at this market with a series of 9-foot rounds. Twenty-six of its 35 patterns will be offered in the new shape and size. Glen Eden is big on color for this show as well. The company is introducing Reserve, a diamond trellis pattern, in a selection of eight accent choices that range from sage green to burnt orange and red. J. Mish designed a 10-color palette in shades to represent all seasons for its new Charade line. Masland goes for a palette of 25 colors for its Novellino line. And Godfrey Hirst USA added a color-filled palette of 13 shades that go beyond neutral to its Grand Luxury line.
