cmi To Redesign Atlanta, High Point & Vegas Showrooms

Furniture World Magazine

cmi (Colonial Mills, Inc.), a leading manufacturer of a complete line of braided-texture area rugs and accessories, has taken its inspiration from nature and the “greening” of America with the redesign of its showrooms at the International Area Rug Market in Atlanta, GA (AmericasMart 5A6), the High Point Market in High Point, NC (Suites at Market Square G-1332) and at its headquarters in Pawtucket, RI. The company will also be opening a permanent showroom with a similar design footprint at the Las Vegas Market in 2008. As might be expected, the floors of the redesigned showrooms feature several of cmi’s indoor/outdoor braided-texture rugs that promote an earthy look and feel, most notable the bamboozle tm bamboo collection. However, the company took the “natural” theme a step further by choosing furniture and items made from sustainable materials that the earth yields. Showroom furniture is made of hand-forged and aged metals and rustic wooden planks. Tabletop design accents include Asian fruits and vegetables in weathered Asian water cups and a centerpiece of tropical flowers growing out of a bed of moss and tree roots. Walls of mocha, tan and beige also feature jumbo stalks of bamboo and vines climbing up and out of rolled-up rug samples doubling as planters. “It’s rare to find someone like cmi’s Don Scarlata, who is a trained businessperson yet is also a real savant when it comes to knowing what the next design trend is going to be,” said Steve Hedrick, President of Hedrick Gathright Designs in Richmond, VA, lead designer for the showroom project. “The whole “green” philosophy and the expansion of interior decorating themes to outside living areas is now taking hold but we’ve been conceptualizing this ‘back to nature’ theme for more than a year now.” The January 2007 unveiling of cmi’s bamboozle tm collection of braided-texture bamboo rugs marked an expansion of its licensing partnership with leading home decorator and designer, Janelle Jarous Lampp. The soft, fashionable bamboozletm rug collection is ideal for accentuating any comfortable living décor such as bedrooms and bathrooms. The “rounded border rectangle” rug features 100 percent bamboo yarn which is double flat braided to create a thick, plush, textured softness that is both refreshing and renewable. Founded in 1977, cmi is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the home of Old Slater Mill and the birthplace of our nation’s textile industry. The company has specialized in manufacturing braided-texture area rugs and accessories since its inception. cmi’s philosophy is to be the most innovative in the braided-texture area rug category with the results being new colors, styles, award- winning designs, and shapes which most appeal to today’s consumer. These advances continue to demonstrate to consumers that “braided” is simply a construction process and not a style. cmi sells under its own brand name in thousands of specialty retailers and has private label programs and/or customized programs with a number of major national retailers. For more information on cmi’s showrooms, visit www.colonialmills.com.