Wonder rug of America – Live Beautifully

Earlier this season, Karastan continued its 90th anniversary celebration at North Carolina’s famed High Point Market. Held April 14-18, this internationally renowned event has earned its reputation as, ‘The World’s Home for Home Furnishings.’ Regarded as the largest furnishings industry trade show, High Point Market biannually attracts attention from a surplus of 75,000 industry insiders, representing over 100 different countries. Each April and October, upwards of 2,000 exhibitors flood the 11.5 million square feet of show space, spanning over 180 buildings, for five fashion filled days previewing the freshest and finest décor for the season ahead. With tens of thousands of new product introductions at each market, it’s no wonder many have arrived at the conclusion that if it can’t be found at High Point, it probably doesn’t exist!

(Shown: Designs from Karastan’s new high fashion collection inspired by abstract art, Decollage.)

This past April officially marked Karastan’s 90^th anniversary. The brand was born April 8, 1928 at 2:02 p.m. when the first rug rolled off an innovative groundbreaking loom created by American retailer and textile manufacturer, Marshall Field, in Eden, North Carolina, where the company remains based today. Touted as the Karastan ‘Wonder Rug’, this elegant machine-made design rivaled handmade imported counterparts and quickly gained patronage for its unique quality, beauty and durability. Popularity for Karastan’s revolutionary craftsmanship soared as the ‘Wonder Rug’ wowed tens of thousands of visitors at two World Fairs.

In celebration of the brand’s 90^th anniversary, Karastan revisited its roaring twenties roots and invited market attendees to take a step back in time with its 1920’s themed showroom. A leading sponsor of the High Point Market Design Bloggers Spring Tour 2018, Karastan hosted a 1920’s inspired Garden Party for the blogger event, in which Product Manager Erika Banks and Vice President of Design Tracy Pruitt led an exclusive showroom tour and revealed some of the brand’s latest designs.

(VP of Design Tracy Pruitt leads a showroom tour for design bloggers during High Point market.)

New introductions at this market included Karastan’s Simpatico Collection. Inspired by the successful launch of the Kismet Collection, the Simpatico Collection is crafted from the combination of Karastan’s best-selling SmartStrand Silk™ yarn and legendary fully worsted New Zealand wool. Together, this marriage of fibers achieves a luxurious product that optimizes the quality of each: the sophisticated matte finish of the New Zealand wool cleverly contrasted with the silky sheen and stain resistant strength of Smartstrand Silk™. Carefully crafted with Karastan’s Van de Wiele Woven Construction, the Simpatico Collection showcases a spectacular spectrum of modern transitional patterns, set to be stocked in over 30 sizes to offer consumers the unique option to create a custom size perfect for any space.

(New designs from Karastan’s Simpatico collection are revealed at High Point market.)

Additionally, the Karastan design team expanded product offerings in several of its best-selling existing collections, including the plush Euphoria Collection, the glamorous Cosmopolitan Collection, the tantalizingly textural Enigma Collection, the eclectic Touchstone Collection and the globally inspired Spice Market Collection. Though Karastan’s showroom doors have since been sealed as of the conclusion of this spring’s High Point Market, the creative process is already well underway for the High Point Market’s highly anticipated return this fall, scheduled for October 13-17, 2018.

In 1928, Karastan took American by storm, introducing heirloom quality machine made rugs made domestically that replicated timeless elements found in Persian handmade rugs. From the moment our first rug came off the loom (2:02 pm April 8, 1928) our name has been synonymous with elegant and rivaled their handmade counterparts.

Marshall Field was able to build a loom so far advanced in technology his handmade rugs were originally dubbed the “Mystery Rugs.”

In fact, Karastan produced a rug that literally “floored” 3 million viewers at the World’s Fair in 1933 in Chicago. Karastan created a large version of its still top selling pattern Kirman. We put it on display and invited the world to walk on it. More than 5 million people left their footprints and fair stains all over the rug. We cleaned half the rug so people could see how well our rugs recover. The rug still exists in the same state today. The Wonder Rug continues to inspire all of us at Karastan, and was on display at Westchester Home for an Interior Designer Event in October 2014. Its no wonder our rugs because known as the “Wonder Rugs of America”.

As a Karastan employee, I am proud to celebrate Karastan’s heritage of excellence and also delighted to share a “behind-the-scenes” look into one of the most well-known, timeless, and most luxurious area rugs in the world. As a contributing blogger for Live Beautifully, I’ll be writing about Karastan’s products, providing all of readers with an insider’s look into our beautiful carpets and rugs.

About Karastan’s Rugs

While the world has evolved since Karastan was founded in 1928, one thing remains, and that is our enduring, uncompromising commitment to quality. From design to finishing and packaging, more than 30 skillful craftsmen care for each Karastan rug. Our rugs are manufactured in Eden, NC, which is also the home of our most celebrated treasure – our employees.