How about some innovation? It could happen that carpet could be more desirable, more sophisticaterd in the affordable/volume range with contract or residential application. Of course, handmade, Wiltons, and speciality items are out there in beautiful selections but only at very high end prices.  But what if  - we had a  tufting machine that would do multiple color, multiple pile heights, textures, & designs with small scale details, or large scale repeat motifs and - at high speeds.  The definition would need to very good. All yarn on the face - no buried ends.

It's happening now!  The samples are spectacular. The machine is called Colorpoint by the Card-Monroe Corp.

The Marketing Manager for Invista's Interior Design Community, Deborah Adams, has some insights in what is coming on in a big way.   Ms. Adams says "There are some exciting residential carpet color lines but for the most part the colors that are selling as in the past, are neutrals.  To be a bit more explicit we see neutrals that are, what I like to refer to as, "Colorless." Just as in a versatile paint color, using a carpet that does not have a tint of it's own will take on the colors around it making for a more usable and passive background.  Now, the texture is a different matter.  Textures are a must and that is where we see the creative side of the industry.  The "carpetman's" carpet" or Frieze has finally made it to the forefront after many many years and it is a good choice for the home and today's busy families." And I agree.  Texture, texture, and texture!  And beyond our old favorite, saxonies.  High, lows, intermediates, cut, loop and yarn variances in combinations for texture.  Or just using design motifs to create texture - and all in big scale.  For the most part we are getting away from the "swirl" motifs.  Circles are still current.  Horizontals, verticals, and wavy versions of these are excellent candidates for today.

The residential transitional look is enormous.  A bit of this and that.  Often traditional in design but colored in a much more contemporary way. These floorcovering looks may be used in conjunction with the usual traditional furniture, the Wassily chair, mirrored chests, or chabby chic.  It's certainly not my aunt Eunice's colonial knock-offs.  (She made her own lamp shades and had lots of antimasacars!)

After a sneak preview of the Atlanta Rug Market some things were confirmed and some things seem to take off in a big way. Neutral and very subtle colored Persian designs were introduced.  (beige, taupe, grey, grey-teal, pale gold for example) Fiber combinations like silk and wool were bigger than ever.  A new introduction by Jaipur is a synthetic bright silk look but out of acrylic. No wear or cleaning problems there.  Also, there were some beautiful handmade textures by Jaipur. More and more introductions had the bright look of silk or sometimes rayon used with wool, both in the same color but just a luster difference to carry the design.  See Caravan Carpets.

Don't see Paula Deen's rug designs for Kaleen.  And don't see my receipes for Vidalia Onion Ice Cream!  I bet my Aunt Eunice had one however. Large scale contemporary rugs were everywhere.  But the best ones had a softer look.  Either by motif, the colors, or textures.  See Nourisan's "Dimensions" collection - beautiful designs in wool and accents of  mercerized cotton. And their take on animal skins was a very simple, large geometric of a sort with a suggestion of Giraffe, Zebra, etc. Very sophisticated, not for my Aunt Eunice.  We're not talking even the lodge look here unless your lodge is in the Trump Tower