You can’t talk to a carpet executive these days without at least one of them waxing poetic about their latest palette or coloration. And by color, they’re not talking various shades of bland, boring beige. Colors today are much more vibrant—so much so that mills are marketing their latest hues and shades as a major differentiator.
Some examples seen and heard at Surfaces 2024:
- “Our Luck Penny [a Dreamweaver offering], with 6 1/2 turns of twist, features 24 colors,” said Joe Young, vice president of residential product, Engineered Floors. “It achieves color affinity, which means it goes with anything around it.”
- “We audibled halfway through 2023; color was missing, so we added more color,” said Adam Feldberg, senior director of product development and innovation at Stanton Carpet. “We’re not afraid to change direction on the fly if our customers ask us to.” In fact, a color “direction” is offered for each Stanton brand. “It’s a story a customer can understand,” said Christine Zampaglione, senior marketing director. “What we’ve heard is people want to bring happiness into their home; so, we are offering a very livable, very versatile color palette.”
- “Our sales team visited 40 flooring dealers, and the feedback on colorations has been unbelievable,” said Jamie Welborn, senior VP of residential carpet product development, Mohawk. He noted that retailers love SmartStrand Color Wall so much that Mohawk tweaked the display to allow selecting the right color options even easier.
- Phenix’s new introduction, Couer/Mixx, is a nod to the French (Couer is the French word for heart). It features a variegated multi-color yarn that achieves an enhanced level of color detail.
- Then there is The Dixie Group and its three residential brands. TDG said it thinks so much of color that it has a new theme for 2024: Step into Color. And why not? With its emphasis on nylon, TDG is well positioned to leverage its color repertoire given the fact that nylon’s synthetic nature allows for an extensive color palette. In TDG’s case, it employs beck dyeing—a continuous process used to dye long pieces of fabric up to several thousand yards. As such, the mill can match any color a customer wants. “We’re a color company and we lean into the color story,” said Jared Coffin, VP of product management. “We’ve always had it but maybe haven’t talked about it. With the way the market is moving, it makes all the sense in the world to talk about color now. Color is extremely important; it’s at the top of the list of what a customer wants.” Fabrica, he noted, can show a range of colors including purple, blue and green.
Some highlights from carpet:
EF/Dreamweaver
On the subject of color, Engineered Floors’ color of the year is pale oak (courtesy of Emily Finkell). Color along with softer yarns are two of the biggest trends the company is seeing. “In no way, shape or form do we have the whole house anymore, so we have to fit carpet with hard surfaces around it,” Young explained.
Its retail carpet brand, Dreamweaver, is no longer the low-end producer of the market, with an average face weight of 60-plus ounces. “We’re in the meat of the market providing [customers] with aspirational looks,” Young added.
New this year is a two-tiered display rack featuring PureColor, PureColor Hi-Def and PureColor twistX.
Mohawk
The company is introducing new products and merchandising to go with its PetPremier line of soft, solution-dyed PET carpet. Featuring a stain-resistant fiber backed by a lifetime All Pet Protection & Warranty, PETPremier carpets are intended to maintain their beauty over many years.
What’s more, PETPremier has a strong sustainability story as it is made in the U.S. with post-consumer recycled bottles through an efficient water and energy manufacturing process. With PrePremier and other offerings, Mohawk is focusing on the millennial buyer (late 20s to mid 40s.)
Among Mohawk, Godfrey Hirst and Karastan there were more than 50 introductions at Surfaces. “These were well curated introductions developed with the help of designers and RSAs who were brought to our designer summit,” Welborn said. “The summit helps build relationships and has led to stronger introductions.”
Phenix
In addition to color, Phenix is emphasizing comfort and softness in its introductions of SureSoftSD polyester. Illusion and Cabana, two such intros, best illustrate comfort and ease of maintenance. “It’s about making life easier and simpler, which helps RSAs and Mrs. Jones,” said Quentin Quathamer, director of residential carpet for Mannington.
Southwind
Southwind launched nine new carpet styles at Surfaces, its most ambitious rollout yet, according to Drew Hash, president and CEO.
“Feedback so far has been incredible in our carpet launches, especially on the 70 ounces,” he said, referring to Grand Escape tonal and Grand Escape tweed, both solution-dyed PET products offering a good hand and high twist level. “Sandy [Cochran, marketing coordinator,] calls it barefoot carpet because it is so soft to walk on.”
New samples and displays are shipping now. “It’s not going to be a banner year for our industry, but we have an opportunity to grow our market share,” Hash noted.
Stanton
Traditionally among the busiest booths at Surfaces, Stanton brings its “A” game to the big show—and this year was no exception. With 81 introductions across its brands, Stanton touched all the bases to meet customer needs. “From tufted polyester to semi-worsted yarn to New Zealand wools we cover the gamut, and we’re always looking to up the ante,” Feldberg said. “We’re being very strategic in our introductions and listen to feedback from our dealers.”
At Stanton, product development and marketing work closely to collaborate on new initiatives. One highlight was Stanton’s Hollywood collection of Wilton’s featuring the “leading ladies” of Hollywood—including Dorothy (Dandridge), Marilyn (Monroe) and Jacqueline (Kennedy Onassis). “Who wouldn’t want to have a Marilyn or Jacqueline in their homes?” Zampaglione said.
Tarkett Home
Tarkett Home is challenging the notion that polyester carpets can’t be both very soft and highly durable. Through extensive research and testing, its R&D and product team created Cloud 9, an optimal fiber construction offering both softness and durability while maintaining cost-effectiveness. More than half of Tarkett’s displays at Surfaces housed products with Cloud 9.
“We’re making sure to hit all the needs,” said Jason Surratt, president of Tarkett Home. “We’re always looking to think outside the box and do something different.”
