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Colors: Orange Color

Amidst unprecedented global change and disruption one firm caught the attention of RUG INSIDER Magazine due to its ability to seemingly have been prepared for the eventualities of 2020 and beyond.

The history of the trade of rugs and carpets is a long and storied affair. One steeped in both tradition as well as innovation. Be it design, materials, construction technique, manner of distribution, or the like, traders have embraced tradition—along with novelty, expedience, and the technology of the era—to advance the fortunes (and perhaps misfortunes) of the craft and trade.

I introduced our Fall 2020 issue to our advertisers by stating, “Everything is modern in its time and thus the modern man, which is truly to say the modern human, is bound inextricably to the era in which they live. As the rug and carpet trade is likewise caught up in the repercussions of the ongoing pandemic as well as the subsequent socio-economic ripples, RUG INSIDER Magazine is examining the role of modernity in the rug trade, but with ­­a twist!”

There is a saying that one cannot know the future without first studying the past. This has been a recurring theme over the past several issues of RUG INSIDER Magazine; how we can learn from the past of the rug trade, and how it can help us foresee what the industry’s future holds. In the rug business, particularly in the vintage and antique rug sector, while the carpet dealers were traditionally the main purveyors of fine rugs to the buying public, another important area has long been that of auctions.

There are royal houses, there have been revolutions, and there are numerable foodstuffs—from pumpkin, to carrot, to apricot, to a forward extra-strong cheddar—all of which bear the moniker orange. In fact, it is from this latter cohort that the English name for the fiery hue originates, having been named after the appearance of the ripe citrus fruit of the same name.

I woke up today thinking, for some reason, the new day, the new week, the new month were all going to bring some different kind of stability not yet seen in the preceding six. Predictably, my current world has still been turned upside down—nothing new here—my freshly poured cup of coffee next to me probably my only constant during this remarkable “time of transition.” I refer to this year by that moniker, simply because it makes perfect sense to do so all things considered. Lest anyone think we are going back to the way things were, you shall be sadly awoken to a new reality. The business world has changed forever in 2020 in every way possible. We are living in the current version of a new normal right now. As for the future new normal… 

In the summer 2018 issue of RUG INSIDER Magazine we featured “The Rugs and Carpets of Fallingwater"—an exploration of the carpets which grace the floors of the renowned architectural masterpiece. Throughout that issue we also chronicled carpets in tune with David Bowie’s classic “Modern Love,” and offered a furtive look at the oft-copied Scandinavian aesthetic of Märta Måås-Fjetterström. Likewise, friend of RUG INSIDER Alicia Keshishian shared her opinions in “(Re)defining a Style” as we discussed the perennial “mid-century modern” aesthetic enjoying a resurgent popularity. 

One day we may wonder “Whatever happened to New Zealand wool?” While New Zealand wool is mentioned in most articles featuring new, trendy production worldwide, wool for carpet production peaked more than 35 years ago in 1984. In 2020 then it seems only wise to ask “What is the future of New Zealand wool in carpet production?”

Sellers of all manner of wares, particularly those crafted by hand, have long sought to offer the most authentic version of its class, including rugs and carpets. However, problems arise when the description doesn’t match the reality of the rug at hand. What is the modern consumer to do?­­­­­

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