Surfaces Blog: Source of Carpet Style Trends & More!

Have you had a chance to visit the Surfaces Blog? If you're looking for design inspiration, ideas on carpet style trends and colors, with a dash of carpet - or surfaces - industry practicality thrown in, you will enjoy your visit!

The Surfaces Blog is managed by my friend Chelsie Z. Thornton, conference manager for Hanley Wood Exhibitions' SURFACES | StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas. [See Anticipating Surfaces 2011.]

My very favorite contributor is Victoria Redshaw who regularly shares entrancing thoughts and images that send my soul singing because of the combination of colors, patterns, and artistic inspiration.

You may remember Victoria from several previous posts:

+ Design Trends 2010: Carpet, Floors & More
+ Celebrating Carpet: UK's Fun On the Floor With Style

[I'm delighted to say that she is as inspiring in person. You see, I got to meet her and spend time with her at Surfaces 2010...]

In addition to flooring and carpet style trend information, the Surfaces Blog offers flooring business insights. Paul Friederichsen shares perspective on marketing and branding; Warren Tyler on sales; Lew Migliore on how to deal with flooring issues and how best to care for flooring. And others. All experts in their fields.

But, there's no one else like Victoria!

Do read the Surfaces Blog and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

The Wear-Dated Brand & Memory Lane...

Time for a trip down memory lane for the Wear-Dated brand...

I mentioned in Meet C.B. Whittemore that I track mentions of Wear-Dated. Even though I no longer have any association with the brand, I really enjoy capturing these now elusive digital signs of Wear-Dated's earlier days - many of which remind me of my early days at then Monsanto's New York City offices located at 1460 Broadway when I worked on Wear-Dated in the Acrilan acrylic fiber division. I'd visit with my boss, Gary Petersen, and he would regale me with stories of Wear-Dated campaigns and programs...

In these latest mentions to have come through my inbox, do note the logo. The large "A" at the bottom refers to Monsanto's Acrilan acrylic fiber.

These two women in the image on the left appeared in a 1968 advertisement.

You'll love this site with page 16 from the 1971 Sears Catalog: Ladieswear... Be sure to check out each image and read the captions.

Note the third image of two women wearing Acrilan acrylic fiber knit dresses; the Wear-Dated logo barely peaks through at the bottom. Do you recognize the model on the left?

This next image of a man smiling in front of a schoolbus is from 1964. It was listed on eBay as "1964 Wear Dated Co Vintage Ad Smiling Man,School BUS" in January 2010. It's no longer available...

The copy on this ad with bold striped knit shirts reads:

"Wear-Dated stripes are guaranteed. You have nothing to lose but your inhibitions.

These Wonderknit Lord Blair knit shirts are 100% Acrilan acrylic fiber, the richest of wash-and-wear. And they're Wear-Dated: unconditionally guaranteed for one year's normal wear. Replacement or refund by Chemstrand - read the Wear-Dated tag. See them in living color at fine stores everywhere. Long and short sleeves. Styles for boys, from $3.50. For men, from $5.00. Chemstrand, N.Y. 1, a Division of Monsanto Chemical Company, makes Acrilan acrylic fiber. The shirts are by Lord Blair.

Trust the Big Red "A." Buy when you see this tag."

In this next image, note that the Wear-Dated logo features a "C" [I assume for Chemstrand] rather than the "A" featured above. I came across this listing in January 2010, this time on Etsy where the garment is still available for purchase.


Here is a link to the full listing: VINTAGE 1960'S MOD SLEEVELESS TOP NWT SIZE by sewingmachinegirl. "When originally sold the top was Wear Dated- which guaranteed it for one years full normal wear! A wonderful genuine vintage top for this summer ! ..." It is made of nylon fiber.

My last find brings Wear-Dated back to carpet with two 1991 commercials for Wear-Dated carpet with stainblocker...

Per the description, they were aired on a local Los Angeles station KCOP-TV in February 1992.


1991 Wear-Dated Carpet With Stain Blocker Commercials
Uploaded by VSNHeats. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

That's it for now. I'm all caught up on my Wear-Dated brand historic mentions.

Until next time!

PS: For more on this subject, check out Signs Of Another Brand Trail: Wear Dated, Wear-Dated Brand Evolution and Creation Stories.

The Carpets of Vegas: Floorscapes at the Casino

Have you checked out The New Yorker, and specifically The Talk of The Town? You're in for a treat because the 4/5/10 issue titled At The Casino FLOORSCAPES by Lauren Collins discusses carpet and more specifically 'psychedelic' Casino carpet as interpreted by New York-based photographer named Chris Maluszynski.

In addition to the article, there's a companion Slide Show: The Carpets of Vegas published on March 29, 2010 which offers a glimpse of 8 bold, kaleidescopic patterned casino carpet floorscapes. I suggest you look through them first then return to Lauren's article.

In the slideshow summary as well as the full article, you may notice that I'm quoted...

Collins quotes Christine B. Whittemore, who runs a blog called Carpetology: “A lot of the busyness of the patterns may be about keeping people active, as too much relaxing may not inspire gambling.”

Talk about excited!

I spoke with Lauren Collins on March 22nd. She had noticed several stories covered here in the Carpetology Blog about casino carpet and wanted to further discuss big, bold and busy carpet patterns to put into perspective Maluszynski’s show “Feared and Loathed: The Carpets of Las Vegas” which opened April 1st, 2010, at the 25CPW gallery, on Central Park West in NYC.

Thanks to the annual Surfaces show, I've seen my fair share of casino carpet in Las Vegas. What's more is that I toured the Wynn and the Encore this past February and was able to share some of those insights with Lauren. The carpet photo you see in Carpet Style Trends 2010 is from our starting point for the tour in the Wynn. Its sister in the neighboring Encore featured the same red background but with butterflies.

I love Maluszynski's characterization of three categories of Vegas Casino Carpets:

1. geometric shapes

2. organic shapes

3. themed shapes

Can you think of other categories?

In her article, Collins mentions David G. Schwartz, the director of the Center for Gaming Research, who has posted on his blog the die is cast pictures and an essay on Casino Carpet: The Quest & Conundrum. Definitely check those links out.

Thanks, Lauren, for a really fun conversation and for the opportunity to contribute to your article.

I wonder if I should relaunch A Foot's Perspective with a Casino Carpet angle?

BuildDirect Recommends Gurus To Follow

My friend Rob Jones at BuildDirect has started a wonderful series highlighting Gurus To Follow On Twitter.

The most recent - 14 Gardening and Landscaping Gurus You Should Follow On Twitter - seems particularly relevant given that it's St. Patrick's Day.

There's something about this time of year and the focus on green [see Green Around The World for more green inspiration] that calls attention to the return of Spring and the opportunity to return outdoors...

So, check out Rob's Gardening and Landscaping Gurus - including those listed in the comments.

If the outdoors become too overwhelming, I suggest you recharge indoors with Rob's 12 Interior Design Gurus To Follow and 10 Home Improvement Gurus To Follow.

Thanks, Rob, for the inspiration and the great resources!

If there are others you'd add to these lists, let me or Rob know.

Carpet Style Trends 2010

It's that time of year again... to consider Carpet Style Trends for 2010. More specifically, with a focus on 'upbeat' design and color.

Two recent flooring articles on the subject caught my attention:

• One from Floor Covering News dated January 25/February 1, 2010 titled Color splashes into 2010 styles.

• The other from Floor Covering Weekly dated January 4-18, 2010, titled "Style watch: Surprisingly upbeat designs, colors".

Yes, both articles mention how, in tough times, consumers tend to gravitate toward safe flooring choices. They also both call attention to color, pattern and design to banish the doom and gloom and bring joy, energy and enthusiasm back.

It works for me!

The carpet photos above comes from the Wynn in Las Vegas. I couldn't help admiring it. It filled me with warmth and delight. Isn't that the kind of effect - perhaps not with the same color palette or design scheme - that you'd like to create in your home?

Getting back to the articles and bringing some of that inspiration home:

The Color splashes article refers to "bold colors with dramatic, over-sized patterns... in an almost out of context scale". How better to "break free from the doldrums"?

The Style Watch article details interesting color trends that gravitate around "vintage, reused and recycled material." Brings to my mind the notion of everything old is new again. Even though both "color [and] pattern [are] showing restraint", consumers are nonetheless looking beyond beige and safe. With patterns, they are leaning toward small to medium scale patterns, organic designs, animal prints as well as contemporary, geometric and organic patterns. I see small scale and organic patterns in the image above, don't you?

I love the ending of the article: "...the downturn has caused everyone to look at things in a whole new way... We have a new appreciation for things. The downturn has given us a chance to turn inward and try new things we wouldn't have..."

How are you looking to infuse that new appreciation in the carpet style trends you're considering?

Carpet & Flooring iPhone Apps

Since my last post - Carpet, Flooring, iPhone Apps & Mohawk Me - on the subject of iPhone apps, I got curious. Really curious about what else is out there on the app store that relates to flooring and carpet.

Especially since it isn't necessarily intuitive to discover applications of interest in iTunes.

Here, then, is what I've come across. I welcome your additions.

Carpet & Flooring iPhone Apps

Carpet Games on the iPhone

Flying Carpet - $.99
Carpet Flight - $.99

[reminded me of Magic Flying Carpets]

Carpet eBook on the iPhone

Yes, there's an eBook: The Phoenix & The Carpet - $1.99

Practical Carpet & Flooring iPhone Apps

Carpet Calculator - $.99 [from http://www.4kssoftware.com]

Carpet Shopping Guide - $2.99 [from PTAJ Marketing Inc.]

iLocate Lumber - $.99 [from Brighthouse Labs]
iLocate Carpet & Flooring - $.99

From Bear Creek Lumber, 2 apps: [NOTE: both links below open directly into iTunes]
+ iPhone Board Feet Calculator - free
+ iPhone LumberCalc - $.99

Floor Finder by Lumber Liquidators - free [NOTE: this is a 10mb download]

I - unfortunately - haven't tried any of these, but I am curious if you have.

Are there other Carpet & Flooring iPhone Apps that you've come across? I'd love to hear more.








Image credit: Mashable - 8 Coolest iPhone Apps at iPhoneDevCamp from 7/8/2007]

Design Trends 2010: Carpet, Floors & More

With the New Year come the latest design trends offering inspiration for carpet, floors and much more. I share with you here resources for discovering more!

As a result of Celebrating Carpet: UK's Fun On the Floor With Style, I became acquainted with global trend forecaster Scarlet Opus, based in Yorkshire, England.

I did a blog interview with co-owner, Phil Pond [see Meet Scarlet Opus' Phil Pond], and am planning on meeting in person co-owner Victoria Redshaw at Surfaces 2010.

Scarlet Opus interests me because it uniquely focuses on interiors and products and décor for the home and home environments with a marvelous global twist. Given Victoria's global perspective, I thought you would be interested in the latest design trends that she has written about.

I'd love to hear what appeals to you the most...

Here goes:

+ From the Surfaces Blog, see 2010: new year... new way of thinking and being seen to be green. The photos are scrumptious and truly show off how beautiful a design element carpet is [as you can see from the photo above].

+ The Scarlet Opus Blog is a feast for the eyes and definitely worth exploring. Top Colour Trend Tip for 2010: Blue offers perspective on how important the color blue will be.

+ Although from January 2009, this article Houses as homes: don't move, improve - to which Victoria contributed - makes a strong point about improving what you have and how to do so with colors and textures... [Also check out Victoria's suggestions at the bottom of this article New Year New Décor for homeowners .]

+ Last, but not least, the Top 10 Colour Trend Tips for 2010...

Which are your favorite color and design trends for 2010? Which will you add to your home and how?

Extreme Carpet Cleaning Homeowner Tips

Extreme Carpet Cleaning Story Yields Real Homeowner Carpet Cleaning Tips

My friend Bethany Richmond from the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), recently posted an amazing carpet cleaning success story on the Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - about the Jet Stream Grill, a restaurant in Chattanooga, TN. Yes, it's about a commercial environment and not a residence. That means that it's the equivalent of an extreme carpet cleaning makeover situation and there are real lessons for home owners.

Carpet Cleaning Tips For Homeowners

More specifically,

• Vacuum your carpet thoroughly and regularly and don't forget to check your vacuum bag on a regular basis. Be sure to replace it when it's full!

• Don't just use any carpet cleaning product. Check out CRI's Seal of Approval (SOA) products which have earned that Seal of Approval by going through performance tests and meeting specific standards.

• Seriously consider working with a professional carpet cleaning service provider. You can locate an SOA approved service provider by zip code by visiting this page on the CRI website. They use not only approved products, but also approved equipment.

If you're interested in nitty gritty details, check out these two blogposts that Bethany wrote with more details on the Jet Stream Grill carpet cleaning project: Part 1 and Part 2.

And, here's the 6 minute video [Subscribers, click on this link to view the video.]


Since it's winter, you might also want to invest in Walk-Off Mats to Protect Carpet & Floors. I'm ready to reinstitute a 'no shoes inside' policy for my house.

Some of our previous posts about carpet cleaning, care and maintenance:
+ How to remove a carpet stain
+ Keeping Carpet Clean
+ Dog Day Afternoon

Thanks for reading!

Carpet, Flooring, iPhone Apps & Mohawk Me

Have You Mohawked Yourself?

Happy New Year 2010! This just in: a new iPhone app that links mohawk hair styles to carpet and flooring. Have you tried it?

It's called Mohawk Me and is available free via the iPhone App store.

For personal and professional reasons, I've been immersed in iPhone applications. From Benjamin Moore's app, to HappyTapper's Gratitude Journal, to CoPilot Live for turn-by-turn GPS navigation, and a few in between, I've been uncovering a fascinating world.

Imagine my delight, then, given my interest in flooring and carpet to learn that *finally* there's an app that relates!

Here's the announcement: Mohawk Flooring Announces New iPhone App - Mohawk ME!

It's a quick download and you're off to mohawk yourself. I decided to mohawk my daughter - as you see above - and easily emailed a copy to myself as well as a TwitPic.

Mohawk Me is definitely fun [although I'm not sure my daughter will be too thrilled about looking like a boy in some of the other versions]!

You'll note in the upper corner some text. The program matches up a product profile with your image; it shows up in your final saved image. Most can be cropped out if you really love your mohawk self enough to issue formal portraits.

Of the eight profiles, 5 connect with carpet recommendations and the rest with hard surface flooring.

So, my question to you is: What do you think?

Of the application itself?

Of the message you get on your saved self with mohawk?

How likely are you to consider a Mohawk flooring purchase?

Happy mohawking!


PS: Check out the range of mohawk hairstyles. Did you know there were so many? I wonder how many can be turned into carpet styles?

Spiders Create Magic Carpet Tapestry

Spider Silk Tapestry Brings Magic Carpet To Life

Madagascar Tradition Creates One-of-a-Kind Carpet Textile Marvel

No. I'm not spinning a yarn and telling tales.

A spider is, though. Or rather, a million female golden orb [aka Nephila madagascariensis] spiders have, creating a museum carpet artifact that brings back to life "an indigenous tradition on the island of Madagascar."

I learned about this from a 10/29/09 FastCompany.com article titled "Creepy, Crawly, Crafty: A Tapestry Woven by Eight-Legged Artists."

Given how immersed I've been lately with thoughts of creativity, innovation and inspiration [see BRITE 09: Innovating During Downturns & Surviving the Worst, Flooring eNewsletter #1 From Simple Marketing Now and Sources of Flooring Inspiration & Innovation], I was quite taken with the magnificent creativity that this spider-woven tapestry captured.

The richness of the saffron gold color [the reason behind the name 'golden orb'] and intricacy of design truly stop you in your tracks. I found it so beautiful, that I was reminded of how carpets were originally used: as tapestries. According to Wikipedia, the word 'carpet' originally referred to table linens and wall coverings. Not until the 18th century were carpets used on floors. Even then, they were rich in design and color [see Brussels Flower Carpet 2008 for perspective on patterns].

What's amazing from a visual perspective with this spider-created magic carpet is the opulence of the pattern and design, despite the monochromatic palette.

Furthermore, from a scientific perspective, this spider silk seems to be remarkably strong and filled with possibilities. Perhaps someday we'll have spider-silk textiles readily available around us as well as underfoot. Although, to put this magic carpet tapestry into perspective, it took four years and 60+ handlers to extract the spider silk and weave it into the exquisite patterns we see here.

This unique spider-silk textile is on display at the American Museum of Natural History which includes fascinating details of how the tapestry was created....

If there's a chance you're in NYC for the holidays, perhaps you'll visit the display. There's also a special exhibit titled Traveling The Silk Road [which includes a fun interactive website]. If you do go, would you share with us your impressions?

Related Post:
Magic Flying Carpets