Flooring

Staff -- Interior Design, 9/30/2001 12:00:00 AM

Chilewich: There's no doubt that vinyl flooring has gotten significantly more sophisticated in the past few years. One newcomer worth noting is Plynyl from Sandy Chilewich. This woven-vinyl product is available in tiles, mats, and wall-to-wall. Available in four attractive patterns: Boucle, Ikat, Basket Weave, and Tweeds, which each come in a variety of colors. Chilewich, 7 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016.

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Endless Knot Rug Company: Alveus is a new addition to the Endless Knot Rug Company's Contemporary collection. The carpet is woven in the Tibetan senna loop style, using a blend of Tibetan and New Zealand highland wool, which is carded, then spun, and dyed by hand. Standard sizes are: 6 ft. by 9 ft., 8 ft. by 10 ft., 9 ft. by 12 ft., and 10 ft. by 14 ft. Also available in sage. Custom sizes and colors by special order. Endless Knot Rug Company, 105 H Street, Petaluma, CA 94952. www.endlessknotrugs.com.

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F.J. Hakimian: F.J. Hakimian, longtime antique rug dealer, has recently begun designing and importing its own collection of Tibetan rugs. Deco, made in Nepal of wool pile and cotton foundation, is part of the premiere line. F.J. Hakimian, 136 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022. www.fjhakimian.com.

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Joan Weissman: Inspired by a silk sari border, the Trellis runner is rendered in soft golds and features bold red-and-black banding. The cream-colored portion of this handknotted Tibetan rug makes use of a specialized technique of loop pile, which adds an unusual textural dimension. Joan Weissman, 3710 Silver SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108.

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Rug Art: Vidal Sasson's Mondrian, made of Tibetan wool and pure silk, might be contemporary in design, but it makes use of Old World craftsmanship for a very fine hand. Rug Art, 2600 Netherland Avenue, Suite 1822, Riverdale, NY 10463. www.rug-art.net.

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Dolma: Thatse is the latest design from Dolma, makers of handknotted, handcarded, handspun, and handdyed Tibetan carpets. Dolma, 417 Lafayette Street, #2, New York, NY 10003.

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Tufenkian Tibetan Carpets: Chit Chat's subtle pattern reads like an elementary Morse Code. Tufenkian, 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010. www.tufenkiancarpets.com.

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Karastan: Longtime purveyor of carpets with traditional values, Karastan goes mod with its Loft Collection. SoHo, shown here, combines New Zealand wool, rugged jute, and acrylic shrink yarn to dramatic effect. It's available in the following two sizes: 5 ft. 2 in. by 7 ft. 10 in. and 7 ft. 10 in. by 11 ft. 1 in. Karastan, 500 Town Park Lane, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30144. www.karastan.com.

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Arvid: Swedish designer Barbro Lomakka's handwoven area rugs of locally felted wool are a contemporary alternative to folksy rag rugs. Available in seven different color combinations and four sizes. Arvid, 251 Park Avenue South, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10010. www.arvidinc.com.

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Edward Fields: Weathered Vein is part of the Diffusion collection, which was inspired by primitive Asian textiles. The delicate patterns are executed in 100 percent virgin wool. Edward Fields, 232 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022.

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Odegard: Whether or not Woody Harrelson owns one, we're fairly certain he'd approve of Mbuti, the latest design in Stephanie Odegard's hemp collection. We like its unique sheen and durability. The carpet, which measures 4 ft. by 6 ft., is available in two neutral colorways. Odegard, 200 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

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Michaelian & Kohlberg: The sophisticated design of Maria Churchill's Scribbles is more reminiscent of the work of Brice Marden than of the refrigerator art of even the most talented three-year-old. The Churchill collection comprises stylish and affordable handspun and handknotted wool rugs in ten patterns and a selection of colorways. Michaelian & Kohlberg, 578 Broadway, Second Floor, New York, NY 10012.

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Fort Street Studio: Created by Janis Provisor and Brad Davis, Orbit Citron is distinguished by delicacy of design and color. The carpet is made of handknotted wild silk and is available in two colorways and standard sizes. Fort Street Studio, Room 1416, Harbour Industrial Building, 10 Lee Hing Street, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong. www.fortstreetstudio.com. Also available through Limn San Francisco, 290 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107. www.limn.com.

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Darchang Imports: Embroidery, made of handknotted wool with silk highlights, is part of the Elegance collection. Available in the coloration shown here, as well as custom colors. Darchang Imports, P.O. Box 224, Pembroke, NH 03275.

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Invision Carpet Systems: Wind, a woven-grid pattern, is part of a new collection of four solid-color loop products called The Elements. The straightforward designs highlight a variety of textures and are available in a richly saturated palette of 36 colors. Invision Carpet Systems, 816 J&J Drive, Dalton, GA 30722. www.invisioncarpet.com.

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SI Flooring Systems: Straighten out with the help of Patternlok 2.0, a woven carpet back made from partially recycled materials that helps reduce bow and skew for more in-line commercial carpet installations. SI Flooring Systems, 106 Timms Road, Calhoun, GA 30701. www.patternlok.com.

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Karastan Contract: The totally urbane woven collection, Tribeca, is the latest from Karastan Contract. The patterns, including New York, New York and Nouveau II, rely on texture and/or strong geometrics for visual flair. Constructed of 100 percent DuPont Antron Legacy nylon and available in 16 colorways. Mohawk Industries, 433 Nathaniel Drive, East Dublin, GA 30127. www.karastan.com.

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Monterey: Large-scale, multihued patterns with multipile height make up the visually dynamic FX collection. Monterey, 3030 South Susan Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704. www.montereycarpets.com.

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Durkan Commercial: Hot Lights, a mix of organic and architectural details, and Two-Steppe, a blend of textures with an oriental motif, are part of the Limelight Collection. Mohawk Industries, 433 Nathaniel Drive, East Dublin, GA 30127. www.durkancommercial.com.

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Shaw Contract: We found the antidote to dull health care flooring in Medscapes. The collection boasts truly fashionable colors and a host of distinctive patterns. Plus, the carpets are fabricated from Solutia VIP cationic yarn, which was created to resist acid-based stains (the most prevalent type found in the health care industry). Shaw Contract, 616 East Walnut Avenue, Dalton, GA 30722. www.shawcontract.com.

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Pacificrest Mills: Tangier, Marrakech, and Casablanca are the latest additions to the Big Cities Collection. Their sophisticated architectural look is achieved by multilevel loops juxtaposed with tip-sheared fibers of DuPont Antron Lumena. Sixteen colorways are available. Pacificrest Mills, 17111 Redhill Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614. www.pacificrest.com.

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Crossley Carpet Mills: Landscape is a new tip-sheared broadloom design that is both smart and elegant. It is fabricated from DuPont Legacy nylon. Crossley Carpet Mills, 435 Willow Street, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 5G2.

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Bentley: Brabourne, Moorefield, and Hyperion were inspired by the stitch of a fisherman's sweater. Available in 13 colors. Bentley, 14641 East Don Julian Road, Industry, CA 91746. www.bentleymills.com.

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Tuva Looms: Grooveline, designed by Suzanne Tick, employs new weaving techniques to achieve greater texture. The linear ridges of loop pile are enhanced by the exposure of the jute back ravine. This 12 ft. wide carpet woven of DuPont Antron Legacy nylon was inspired by the northeastern coastal region of the United States, as its four sunbleached colors attest. Tuva Looms, 636 Broadway, Room 1200, New York, NY 10012.

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Lonseal: LonEco is a new line of composite sheet vinyl made from up to 25 percent recycled wood powder and 25 percent recycled vinyl. The environmentally-friendly flooring has a surprisingly smooth and soft finish, but retains its durability. It is available in a variety of colors, ranging from neutrals to brights. Lonseal, 928 East 238th Street, Carson, CA 90745. www.lonseal.com.

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Stark Carpet: Bamboo furniture and window treatments are old staples, but Stark Carpet's Woodhue is the first bamboo rug we've come across. Stark Carpet, 979 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, www.starkcarpet.com.

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Nora Rubber Flooring: We fell for the whimsical confetti and sprinkle patterns and candy-colored hues of Noraplan Effect and Noraplan Stone. Nora Rubber Flooring, 94 Glenn Street, Lawrence, MA 01843. www.norarubber.com.

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Armstrong: Perspectives, a new line of vinyl flooring, was inspired by the industrial finishes of metal and concrete. The collection of textural looks is available in 12 colors in both sheet and tile formats. Armstrong, P.O. Box 3001, Lancaster, PA 17604. www.armstrong.com.

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Smith & Fong: We love the grainy, distressed quality of PalmFloor, a new product from Smith & Fong—which is fabricated from palm wood salvaged from coconut plantations throughout Southeast Asia. The flooring is constructed from standard tongue-and-groove planks that can be nailed or glued. Smith & Fong Plyboo, 601 Grandview, South San Francisco, CA 94080.

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