The Latest Carpet Style Trends 2009

Chile Fashion Week grafica originally uploaded by kevinkobek.

Hurray! After being on the lookout for several months, I've just come across information on the latest carpet style trends...

This from the August 31/September 7, 2009 issue of Floor Covering News in an article titled "Mills roll out new products for fall, discuss trends, looks." [Subscription required for full article.]

The latest news is primarily about color although Emily Morrow, Shaw's director of color, style and design states that "Hand-touched visuals are achieved in carpet through the use of striated yarns, creating the sun-faded, hand-knotted and time-worn visuals of the hand-knotted heirloom rugs from middle-eastern origins."

My interpretation: texture comes from visual effects.

Not too different from the kinds of effects that Robbie Schuette described in A Foot's Perspective About Fabrica's Silk Weave Carpet.

Specifically on the color front, Vickie Gilstrap, vice president of residential color and design with Mohawk, shared five key trends that new carpet styles will reflect:

• Neutrals will bring security in a bold way.
• Nature is a natural source for optimism.
• Buying "American" takes on a new meaning.
• Think royal.
• In addition to local, there's more global.

Fun to think how those trends affect us right now... I'm totally into purple, and I'd say we're all more aware and appreciative of the uniqueness that local and global offer in counteracting the sea of sameness.

Emily Morrow says "the world of color, style and design has taken a turn toward 'comfortable, sensible sophistication' for 2009... Today's palette doesn't vary far from the 'natural neutrals' to 'dark, rich neutrals' with a few exceptions."

Furthermore, "gray, dark brown, tans, black and white are what we find most prevalent.... These are the most basic yet classic and elegant neutrals from which to choose as a beginning. The newest carpet styles are using these rich neutral colors, considered no-brainers but appropriately supported with a cast of other vibrant colors from the fashion/interior world, offering the consumer the choice of using 'color as pop' or 'color as canvas.'"

For more of Emily Morrow's thoughts about color, read this Floor Focus article on 2009 Color Trends that she and Kaye Gosline contributed to.

I'm eager to discover how all of this translates into actual carpet styles. I'll be attending [and presenting at] the upcoming Surfaces 2010 and hope to have specifics to share with you then.

In the meantime, how do you see these trends affecting you and your flooring decisions?



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