"Right now, in the market overall, contemporary and transitional styles are relatively more important than they were two or three years ago," says Ed Vairo, director of marketing for Nourison. "These changes account for only 20 percent of the market overall, but this is 20 percent compared to 17 or 18 percent a couple of years ago. In an incremental way, it is a significant movement."
"Within contemporary rugs, we're seeing a wide range of colors being offered," Vairo explains. "These are strong colors, bold reds and brilliant blues -- whereas in traditional designs, we're seeing a movement toward softer, more diffused colors. So what's going on in transitional and contemporary rugs stands in marked contrast to what's going on in traditional rugs."