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Severe winter weather and unease about market conditions didn’t seem to dampen the optimistic mood at this year’s Atlanta International Area Rug Market. Attendees on hand generally agreed there was cause to be enthusiastic for the coming year based on the slate of new products and line extensions unveiled at the soft surface showcase.

Our exclusive survey of more than 290 floor covering dealers finds high hopes for the category in 2008. There is also growing interest in wood species beyond oak: Bamboo, pine and pecan make the list of top sellers.

Growth expectations may have been softened by market conditions, but it is clear that hardwood will remain a driving force in the flooring business this year; second only to broadloom carpet in popularity. Still, it is also evident that this venerable category is undergoing some changes.

The 2007 Design Is … Awards hosted by Shaw Contract Group honored six firms from the U.S. and across the world for projects that captured “the challenges, processes and results” of great design using Shaw Contract carpet. The award winners were given $2,000 to donate to schools or organizations of their choice. Winners donated to design education funds, arts colleges, demonstration houses and interior design programs.

Almost everyone uses the Internet nowadays. In a consumer study conducted by Clear Seas Research for the World Floor Covering Association last year, most participants noted they use the Internet to research flooring options and get an idea of the prices before heading out to the store.

The Internet also remains important to retailers. Increasingly, retailers are putting their store information online and corresponding with colleagues through e-mail.

Top executives on the manufacturing side of the flooring industry have a two-word message for retailers who have paused to lament the sour market conditions seen over the past year:

Keep moving!

It looks like floor covering retailers have heard enough about slumping market conditions.

Their expectation for the coming year is an industry-wide rebound that will be most visible in the hardwood and ceramic tile categories. Although NFT’s year-end poll of more than 400 retailers identified the economy as the biggest factor determining the industry’s future, the survey results suggest it won’t be the only factor. Respondents listed their top areas of investment as marketing followed by showroom design, technology and training.

I often encounter flooring dealers, contractors and architects who are reluctant to work with cork because of past problems or the perception that it is “complicated” to work with. Although classified as resilient flooring, cork is more like wood with regard to handling, installation and finishing. Many of the things I will say here about cork could have the words “just like wood” added. For this column, we’ll cover traditional cork tile as opposed to cork floating floors and vinyl wearlayer/vinyl backed cork tile.

Armstrong officials gave a preview of some of their latest products during a press event recently at the company’s headquarters in Lancaster, Pa. The company showed off additions to existing lines and discussed the benefits of its recently launched Migrations BioBased Tile product range as well as several green programs. While the products were eye-catching, it was clear that the company is treading carefully in a softening market that one staffer called “a unique economic situation.”

Armstrong Floor Products president and CEO Frank Ready was even more blunt. “It’s a very tough environment,” he said. “We’re very happy where we’re positioned right now – we feel very good about where we’ll finish in 2007, but the market in 2008 is going to be really tough.”

Milliken was recently honored for “outstanding contributions to urban forestry” by the Georgia Forestry Commission. The flooring maker helped establish the Making the Shade program, which is committed to planting shade trees near elementary school playgrounds to help shield children from high temperatures.

Show organizers for Surfaces 2008 are confident that this year’s slate of educational conferences will be the most comprehensive in the show’s long history. In addition to 48 sessions targeted to five industry tracks, show goers, for the first time, will be offered six one-hour “mini-sessions.” The abbreviated presentations are designed to offer an overview of some of the hottest topics in the industry, from design trends to color stories and branding.