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Karastan Rugs Showcased at Greenspiration Home

KARASTAN RUGS ADD ECO-FRIENDLY TO GREENSPIRATION HOME

GREENSBORO, NC, April 15, 2009 - Greenspiration Home, a showcase home for modern eco-friendly building practices in Greensboro, NC prefered the rugs to be locally manufactured and be at harmony with an established palette of earth-inspired colors. Karastan was, naturally, a perfect choice.

As serene and tranquil as a summer sky, Karastans Sereno pattern combines elements from an early 20th century Sultanabad carpet in a flowing arrangement that settles gently into the subtle ombre of the cerulean blue ground.

As serene and tranquil as a summer sky, Karastan's Sereno pattern combines elements from an early 20th century Sultanabad carpet in a flowing arrangement that settles gently into the subtle ombre of the cerulean blue ground.

Beautiful Karastan rugs, four of them, are featured in the Greenspiration Home, which was open to visitors during the High Point Market in April. Here are the four area rugs showcased:

From the Original Karastan collection:
Sereno graces the dining room with a serene composition of rosettes, palmettes and flowering vines, on a cerulean blue ground with accents of peridot, amber and citrine. The design of this rug was inspired by an early 20th century Sultanabad carpet.

From the Ashara collection:
Ravenna, a classic sensibility with an updated color scheme in the family room. Accented in distinctive shades of amber, putty, maize and cherry red, its exotic, large-scale motifs “pop” against an open, rich brown background. Its airy design complements both traditional and more modern decors.

From the Sierra Mar collection:
Capri–Maize, provides a lovely foundation for the master bedroom. A relaxed study in cream and maize with taupe and garnet accents, the rug also features yarns that have been specially twisted and space-dyed to create unique color “stria” reminiscent of fine hand-woven Peshawar rugs from Pakistan and India.

From the Shapura collection:

Athena, which also draws inspiration from Peshawar rugs, outfits the home office. Its autumnal palette and distinctive design establish a luxurious ambience for this cozy workspace.

All these area rugs are woven in nearby Eden, NC, of 100% high quality New Zealand wool, a renewable resource produced using farming techniques that carefully preserve the health and beauty of the land for future generations.

“Given Karastan’s ongoing dedication to sustainability, we’re thrilled to be part of the Greenspiration Home project, which demonstrates that a true commitment to green living is increasingly within everyone’s reach,” said Connie Berry, director of marketing at Karastan. “Our rugs artfully exemplify that being environmentally friendly and beautiful are not mutually exclusive, an idea that is fundamental to the mission of the Greenspiration Home.”

Greenspiration Home owner Trish Holder agrees, writing in her online notes about the project, “Karastan takes sustainability seriously. Wool is naturally durable (and stain resistant!). Thanks to Karastan, we have successfully found beautiful, eco-friendly and local area rugs to help warm up nearly 3000 square feet of wood floors.”

All the Karastan rugs in the Greespiration Home are Axminster woven rugs, which perform beautifully for 20–30 years or longer. Since the weave of a Karastan Axminster rug is inherently strong, the need for a secondary backing is eliminated in most Karastan woven rugs which saves the energy and raw materials required to produce a typical latex backing. Wool is not only has renewable and biodegradable qualities, it is naturally resistant to dirt and soiling and it is fire retardant. ISO 14001 companies make environmentalism a priority and constantly strive to find better and more efficient ways of meeting their eco-goals. Karastan’s rug manufacturing plant in Eden, NC, is an ISO 14001 certified facility. Karastan strives to continue to create magnificent rugs while considering our planet’s much needed care and help preserving its beauty and health for future generations.

Don’t miss Karastan Sale at Area Rugs Club!

Sphinx by Oriental Weavers to Cut Prices

Sphinx Rugs bringing good news to consumers!! Egypt’s Oriental Weavers will cut prices on exports to the U.S. and eastern Europe by up to 15% in order to boost market share. These days any boost in market share is good news.

Andy Warhol collection by Sphinx Rugs has been a big hit for obvious reasons. They are bold and just beautiful.

Andy Warhol collection by Sphinx Rugs has been a big hit for obvious reasons. They are bold and just beautiful.

The company’s main raw material called “polypropylene”, was reduced in cost due to declining oil prices, and therefore exporting prices also declined. Sphinx Rugs already offers the largest selection of discount rugs in the market.

Once the reduced exporting costs came into play, Oriental Weavers seized the opportunity to reduce prices as incentive to buyers. The use of polypropylene in carpet has grown significantly over the past eleven years. Polypropylene does not absorb water and is extremely resistant to stains, fading, moisture, and bacteria.

In late 2008, Oriental Weavers said that it would delay construction of a $233 million industrial complex from 2009 to 2010 because of the global financial crisis; yet, that might change since things are starting to look brighter with the price cuts on exports. Oriental Weavers said in March of 2008 the first phase of the $235.5 million complex would produce rugs with an initial investment cost of $89 million.

Oriental Weavers were quoted in a statement to the stock exchange as saying “In light of the decline recently in the world financial markets, the management of the company saw fit to move construction work planned for mid-2009 to the beginning of 2010.” It was also reported that Egypt’s Oriental Weavers did not see a decline in its growth rate, productivity, or in it’s sales.

Also in late 2008, Egypt’s Oriental Weavers reported a 48 % increase in net profit after minority interest during the third quarter to $15 million. In addition, it also maintained its full-year target growth of between 10 to 12 percent. Shares in the company were trading 0.71% up at $4 by 09:53 GMT.

As you can see, the combination of reduced prices on exporting machine-woven carpets, and the continuing profits and growth in shares, Egypt’s Oriental Weavers and their product is here to stay. All you carpet admirers can stop by and have a look at some of Oriental Weavers top collections such as Sphinx Rugs Generations and Sphinx Rugs Allure.

Karastan Rugs win the Magnificent Carpet Award

Karastan Rugs win the Magnificent Carpet Award for the 12th time!

Karastan wins, again, America’s Magnificent Carpet Awards, an annual contest held every January during at the Atlanta Rug Market . This year, Karastan is taking home two awards; Best Overall in the power-loomed $1,000 plus (retail) category with Eastport from the Original Karastan Collection and Best Overall in the power-loomed $400 to $1,000 (retail) category with French Quarter Bluestone from their popular Sierra Mar Collection.

Left to right: Bill Roach, RVP National Accounts for Karastan; Anne Carley, Director of Marketing for Karastan Rug; Lathan Mills, Manager of Woven Product Development for Karastan; and Vickie Gilstrap, VP of Karastan Product Development.

Left to right: Bill Roach, RVP National Accounts for Karastan; Anne Carley, Director of Marketing for Karastan Rug; Lathan Mills, Manager of Woven Product Development for Karastan; and Vickie Gilstrap, VP of Karastan Product Development.

America’s Magnificent Carpet Awards is equivalent of Hollywood Oscar awards for the Area Rugs Industry and is sponsored by Architectural Digest magazine and hosted by both Architectural Digest and AmericasMart Atlanta.
The awards were presented to Karastan representatives at a ceremony held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta, GA.

Judges representing museum curators, designers and retailers chose the winning rugs in several categories based on design, construction, salability and value.

“Our design, development and manufacturing team has once again produced outstanding results,” says Anne Carley, Director of Marketing for Karastan rugs. “Most significant is the artistic use of color in both rugs. The meticulously placement of multiple hues gives textural depth to the intense, Prussian blue field of

Eastport. A mélange of colors also creates the striated underlay of French Quarter, which is topped with an ornamental design inspired by the hand-forged ironworks of New Orleans.”

What seem to extremely impress retailers visiting Karastan’s showroom is the handmade appearance and natural beauty of Karastan rugs. This year’s winning rugs are both woven of 100% premium New Zealand wool (worsted) and always hot sellers at arearugsclub.com.

See Area Rugs Club’s selection of Karastan rugs, backed by 30-day money back guarantee and other club advantages such as Free Shipping and Padding (underlay).

Karastan Becomes ISO 14001 Certified

Karastan rugs has announced that its manufacturing plant in Eden, NC has achieved ISO 14001 certification with the International Organization for Standardization. Karastan’s spinning and worsted wool facilities in Greenville, NC have receive this prestigious environmental certification. Karastan wool rugs are one of the best sellers among “green area rugs.”

This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

ISO 14001 is an environmental management standard (EMS) that specifies a set of procedures and requirements. The purpose of this standard is to help organizations become more environmentally friendly. Some of the benefits of an ISO 14001 include:

  • Encourages organizations to improve in overall environmental performance and compliance
  • Provides a set of protocols for using pollution prevention practices to meet EMS standards and objectives
  • Cost savings when managing environmental obligations and increase efficiency.
  • Promotes consistency in managing environmental obligations.
  • Advances effective targeting of scarce environmental management resources.
  • Gives consumers the reassurance they need that the organization’s environmentally friendly claims are valid.

“Conformity to ISO 14001 standards benefits the environment, our company and our customers,” says Scott Mair, director of manufacturing for Karastan. “By making environmentalism a priority, we constantly strive to find better and more efficient ways to meet our eco-goals. These efforts are reflected in products with environmental value and selling power that sets our customers apart.”

Karastan is also proud that all New Zealand wool it uses is scoured by a company that meets stringent Environmental Choice New Zealand specifications.

If you are shopping for area rugs, don’t miss Karastan Sale going on right now at AreaRugsClub.com. 

KARASTAN RETAILERS MEET KELLY PRESTON

Karastan features Kelly Preston in six of its “Make A Statement” ads of 2008 that are running in leading home and lifestyle publications. Preston, along with her husband John Travolta, is one of Hollywood’s “A-list celebrities.  She supports Beyond Pesticides, a national research and advocacy group dedicated to eliminating the use of toxic pesticides, and Save Our Seas, a not-for-profit organization that aims to preserve the world’s oceans for future generations.

Actress Kelly Preston (center) poses with Karastan Retailers.

Actress Kelly Preston (center) poses with Karastan Retailers.

Kelly Preston joined Karastan Rugs, America’s finest rug manufacturer, in celebrating its 80th anniversary and the opening of its showroom at the World Market in Las Vegas. Retailers attending the event enjoyed posing with Kelly Preston, who was happy to autograph photos of herself from Karastan’s national print campaign.