Every decade moves design forward in leaps and bounds. Think about the fashions we wore back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. At the time, we thought we had the cool factor. Looking back, we are more likely to say, “…what was I thinking?” Fashion, technology, electronics and interior design all have one thing in common: Every decade delivers better aesthetics and function. As products continue to evolve, they lend themselves to unexpected applications—and floor coverings are a great example.
Area rugs. In residential design, there are notable cases of crossover uses in just about every floor covering category. For example, beautiful area rugs have served as artistic wall art in many residential designs. Curved walls are a huge challenge for designers, and the exquisite selection of area rugs (often available in custom sizes and colors) is a real problem solver. This may have been one of the first “discoveries” in employing floor coverings for vertical applications. With that discovery, product developers now design area rugs that could qualify as fine art. If you are a retailer, marketing the use of colorful rugs for floors or wallsis an absolute must, and displaying them as such in your showroom is good marketing.